WooGuy, I went back to read my post since I thought you might have missed the part where I jump up and down saying don't let them take the set with them and don't make an apnt. without the part. The one time I didn't. lol. That does suck though, you should let them know that. If its any help it shows that they are not well trained and you need to stay on top on them to be sure they get it right. The other thing I say that I thought was old by now is that people far from a metro area tend to have more problems with service, which isn't right.

I forgot to mention, monkey in a dress?? lol. You're right Samsung has always acted like you're the first one calling with a specific issue and how they never heard of it before. The new models have a section on their site for issues now where they actually describe and explain the issue and what to do in order to fix it. I was shocked. Now I'm surprised in your case since here I thought they were being open about these issues finally.

Add me to the list of Samsung victims. My HLR6168W has developed the left side shadow after 23 months. I called RepairMaster this morning to setup the service call.

The local repair company called and wanted to setup a time to come pickup my set. I explained that it was an in-home warranty, they said the warranty isn't with them and that's just the way they do things.

I called RepairMaster back, they said it's up to the repair center if they want to pick up the set or not and that in-home only means I am not liable for transporting the set. RepairMaster said the repair center is liable for any damages to the set.

I called the repair center back and asked to speak to the manager as I wanted to confirm they are aware of the liability they will be incurring by transporting my set. The owner got on the phone...

Me: "Why do you insist on taking my 61" TV back to your shop?"
Owner: "Cause that's the way we do it."
Me: "You are aware that you are liable for any damage, even a scratch?"
Owner: "Ya know, I don't want to fix your #@%$ TV!"

and then he slams the phone down.

I called RepairMaster and explained what had transpired and I need another service center as there was no way I was going to let this guy touch my TV even if he was forced to. They canceled the service call and are now looking for another service center. I live a rural area so finding another service center is probably unlikely.

Anyone know how to fix the left side shadow without buying a new light engine? :)

GoobTheNoob, that was great! You should call the manager back and tell him how they are clearly not trained or qualified to fix the set or they would already know to replace the LE, which can be swapped out at your house in less than thirty minutes, thus saving them the transport time back and forth and tying up their shop! Good for you though and I'd still call them back! lol.

No one is to take the set period, the warranty is based on Samsung's unless otherwise stated and that is for in-home. Don't get me started. lol. They need two guys to transport it each way and lose the space in their shop for another TV. Tell the guy how you're doing him a favor by insisting on having it done at your place instead and call Samsung so they can order the LE! Geez. I feel better now. lol.

You need a new LE if its under warranty. When its out of warranty you could attempt to fix it since you'll need a new LE if you can't.

Ahrgh...I got my 5688W in September of 2005...and just now got the shadow on the left side. In my case, it's only about an inch wide on the bottom and it tapers to nothing at the top. Luckily, the guy at Fry's guilted me into a 3 yr extended. (I say guilted me because I got a good deal at the time) and bought the warranty to make up for it. I'm still on my first lamp too. (At first I hoped it was just the lamp, but then I remembered all the posts about the shadow...and checked the board...and sure enough...). I'll post a pic soon. The shadow has some splotches in it, and the blue tinted line along its edge.

I'd made it this long, I hoped I had avoided it.

SV

Ahrgh...I got my 5688W in September of 2005...and just now got the shadow on the left side. In my case, it's only about an inch wide on the bottom and it tapers to nothing at the top. Luckily, the guy at Fry's guilted me into a 3 yr extended. (I say guilted me because I got a good deal at the time) and bought the warranty to make up for it. I'm still on my first lamp too. (At first I hoped it was just the lamp, but then I remembered all the posts about the shadow...and checked the board...and sure enough...). I'll post a pic soon. The shadow has some splotches in it, and the blue tinted line along its edge.

I'd made it this long, I hoped I had avoided it.

SV
It's funny how the shadow appears. One day all is fine, the next, you have a shadow. I'm getting my set recalibrated by Eliab in September. I think sometime in August I'll turn my set on for 24 hours (get it good and hot) then bang the set a few times to get the shadow and then get a new LE. Oops, hope Samsung techs don't read this thread. :eek:

As long as you have a warranty, it's not a bad thing to get the shadow... you get a new LE (which is supposedly better) and a new lamp is included in that.

Just BE SURE to check the picture while they are there... look for weird skin tone and greenish blacks on MULTIPLE sources.

I didn't do this, and had to call them back out to fix it. Previous poster is right, DO NOT ask for a calibration, since that sounds "extra". Just play the ignorant consumer, "my colors are all off", and have them fix it.

My adjusted new light engine looks way better than the old one ever did.

Unfortunately I hadn't had him do VGA, since I wasn't using that, so now I need to try it myself... or have him come back out. I just got the MS VGA cord for my 360, so I can get true 1080p with HD-DVDs : ). Looks sharper, but colors off compared to my adjusted component values.

As long as you have a warranty, it's not a bad thing to get the shadow... you get a new LE (which is supposedly better) and a new lamp is included in that.

Just BE SURE to check the picture while they are there... look for weird skin tone and greenish blacks on MULTIPLE sources.

I didn't do this, and had to call them back out to fix it. Previous poster is right, DO NOT ask for a calibration, since that sounds "extra". Just play the ignorant consumer, "my colors are all off", and have them fix it.

My adjusted new light engine looks way better than the old one ever did.

Unfortunately I hadn't had him do VGA, since I wasn't using that, so now I need to try it myself... or have him come back out. I just got the MS VGA cord for my 360, so I can get true 1080p with HD-DVDs : ). Looks sharper, but colors off compared to my adjusted component values.

Did you try playing any games via the VGA? I thought the colors were washed out. A waste of $60 for the cable I think.

After 4 light engine replacement/repairs SS has gratiously replaced my set with a HLT 5676S series so I will be signing off of this forum. The new set does not appear any better in picture quality than the HLR did, but hopefully will not suffer the shadow problems I was having with the HLR 56 set.

Chris

Ccouper, good luck with that. I know someone here tried to upgrade to the LEDs, I'd push for that and see if its possible. The difference in price is negative afaik. The 5689S is really good.

Well I can attest first hand that they will not allow an upgrade, for they have "no upgrade program..." I finally got my HLR 4667w replaced after fighting tooth and nail to get service, and an answer for my poor picture quality...They will move me to an HLT 4675s, but no upgrade allowed. I have no interest in the LED models yet, but was willing to PAY for an upgrade to a larger size, maybe a 1080 set. They would not have any of it, even after all they put me through. For me, it has been over three months with a set that is barely watchable. I paid 1500.00 for the set over a year ago, and though their "comparable" set is now around 900.00 on Amazon, they will not allow an upgrade.
Samsung has the absolute worst "customer service" of any company I have dealt with.

On an unrelated note, has anyone managed to get a decent picture through the VGA? There seems to me no way to adjust the color, even in the service menu. I've tried a PC (which allows color adjustments through the video card menu) and an Xbox 360 (which allows variations of black level).

In both cases, I used good quality VGA cables (the MS branded one for the 360).

No matter what I try, shadows/blacks have a very prominent green cast. It's too bad, because besides that it looks great, and it's the only way to get 1080p to these models!

Quote:
Originally Posted by bcvp
WooGuy, you need a new LE. If you registered the set online with Samsung you get three extra months of their warranty, otherwise you need to call the company you have the extended with, I hope you have an extended warranty.




How ass backwards is this...I call Samsung and tell them what the problem with my TV is. I explain to them that others are having the same issue and expect them to have a clue as to what to do to fix the issue. The tech shows up at my house, looks at the TV for all of 10 seconds and then tells me the LE is on backorder and they will call me when it comes in.

What the eff? A monkey in a dress could've done what this guy did. Samsung obviously knows what the issue is since I'm not the only person to have the SIDE SHADOW issue. Why waste my time by taking a day off of work to have the guy spend less than 15 mins in my house to tell me the part is on backorder?

I don't mean to flame, but that really pisses me off. Thank you for letting me vent.

You wouldn't think my tv issue could get worse, but they did. The part comes in and the tech come this past Friday to install the new LE. Once the new LE is installed he turns the tv on. Voila!!! The thin shadow down the left hand of the screen is gone.

NOW, I have a six inch black shadow along the top of the tv. It turns out that the brain surgeon of a tech ordered the wrong part and proceeded to install it into my $3200 television. I tell him to put the old part back into the tv since the shadow was only an inch wide, but he can't because he completely destroyed the old LE.

That's not even the worst part of all this. Now when I turn on the TV I get a "Check fan no. 2" message on the screen and the tv turns off after 2 minutes. I spoke to Samsung and the rep put me in for a replacement tv and/or get my current set repaired correctly.

Hopefully this gets worked out, but if they try to send the same retarded tech, I will not even let him on my lawn, let alone in my house. I wouldn't let that jerk fix me a sandwich, forget about fixing my tv.

I hope no one else has to go through this crap.

After 4 light engine replacement/repairs SS has gratiously replaced my set with a HLT 5676S series so I will be signing off of this forum. The new set does not appear any better in picture quality than the HLR did, but hopefully will not suffer the shadow problems I was having with the HLR 56 set.

Chris

I hope I don't have to go through 4 LE replacements, but HLT looks like a nice set. It should do better with 1080p sources. It can actually accept them from what I can gather unlike the HLR which upconverted to 1080p. If I'm wrong I apologize, but that's what I'm getting from Samsung's site and Vanns.com.

On an unrelated note, has anyone managed to get a decent picture through the VGA? There seems to me no way to adjust the color, even in the service menu. I've tried a PC (which allows color adjustments through the video card menu) and an Xbox 360 (which allows variations of black level).

In both cases, I used good quality VGA cables (the MS branded one for the 360).

No matter what I try, shadows/blacks have a very prominent green cast. It's too bad, because besides that it looks great, and it's the only way to get 1080p to these models! Yes, I was able to get an very good picture via VGA, but it required adding a $4000 video processor to the video chain. :eek: Not exactly a viable fix.

I got a decent picture over VGA using my portable computer. I thought it had more depth and punch than the component input I was using at the time. It took a bit of work and a lot of fumbling around. There were issues with overscan that I did not resolve because I was not interested in using the computer as a source -- I just did it as a test. If you have not done so, try seaching this thread. IIRC, there are a number of detailed descriptions and references to using a PC, but I do not remember if they covered VGA and color.

The HL-R VGA input was most certainly set up with the intent that all controls (color, black level, gray scale, etc.) would reside with the computer used as a source. More so, the input frequencies required by the port do not match standard 1080p video requirements. Again, this is an indication that the port was intended for a source with multi-frequency sync capabilities.

There are controls available in the service menu that might help control video parameters, including contrast, black level, grey scale and color temperture. I say "might" because I played with them but never fully sorted out as to whether or not they functioned properly.

The CCA menu is functional. With my display the color gamut and white point was way off using the VGA input. Using the CCA menu, the primaries and white point were brought into line, but I remember that I was still not happy with the final secondary colors.

The sub-brigthness and sub-contrast controls in the SM DNIE menu work normally, but they are invisible unless the cursor is on the item when you hit the enter/select key. Try this: Go into the DNIE menu. With the cursor on the first item, press the UP arrow. This will take you to the "true" last item on the menu (not the last visible item). However, the item will remain invisible until you hit enter/select button on the remote.

The SM Color control is a few items above the sub-brightness. But, IIRC, the Color control does not do anything. This makes sense for the RGB signal that comes via the VGA port.

In the DNie menu, you can also access the invisible RGB (individual color) Brightness and Contrast controls that are normally used for setting grayscale and color temperature, which might be your problem. I can remember using these controls to generate a good grey scale and move the white point temperature from greater than 10000K to close to D65. However, I also remember thinking that these controls did not work as they do for the other inputs. So, I'd suggest you test these before taking my word that they would do you any good.

EDIT: Recently, I briefly played with a set of controls that did impact the RGB ratios in gray scale patterns. It was not an in depth testing. I noticed they had an impact but only made a mental note to check the next time I wanted to try to use the VGA port.

The controls were the ADC_RGB_Gain and ADC_RGB_Offset controls in the GM1601 menu, which is for the high res display controller. I was reluctant to play with these before because the schematic for the display indicates that the signals from all inputs go thru this controller. I was afraid that changes here impacted all inputs. Never tested whether this were actually the case. (I also speculated that the User menu controls, at least for non-VGA inputs, tied in at this controller.)

FWIW.

WooGuy, that's bull, they have to return the LE to Samsung, maybe they did already? Didn't you notice it when the guy was still there? That's odd if it was working? Sounds like you just ran out of bubble gum! lol. Too funny.

Stay on them since you know you could get the run around. I'd keep calling until you get a straight answer as to when the new LE will be in, when they will be sending a new tech. Stay pleasant and stay on them. I think the fan is tied in with the LE so that should be ok, afaik. Maybe you can confirm with Samsung that they ordered the right LE this time.

... but he can't because he completely destroyed the old LE. :eek: How is it possible to "destroy" an LE when removing it? It's basically remove a couple of screws and slide the unit out. Incompetence?

You wouldn't think my tv issue could get worse, but they did. The part comes in and the tech come this past Friday to install the new LE. Once the new LE is installed he turns the tv on. Voila!!! The thin shadow down the left hand of the screen is gone.

NOW, I have a six inch black shadow along the top of the tv. It turns out that the brain surgeon of a tech ordered the wrong part and proceeded to install it into my $3200 television. I tell him to put the old part back into the tv since the shadow was only an inch wide, but he can't because he completely destroyed the old LE.

That's not even the worst part of all this. Now when I turn on the TV I get a "Check fan no. 2" message on the screen and the tv turns off after 2 minutes. I spoke to Samsung and the rep put me in for a replacement tv and/or get my current set repaired correctly.

Hopefully this gets worked out, but if they try to send the same retarded tech, I will not even let him on my lawn, let alone in my house. I wouldn't let that jerk fix me a sandwich, forget about fixing my tv.

I hope no one else has to go through this crap.

Hi WooGuy, what was the techs name and what state, city? From what I've just read, that totally sounds like a reoccuring nightmare lol. bcvp is right, the used engine has to go back to Samsung's parts warehouse. As [B]bcvp[B] said, just keep calling 1-800-Samsung, and request that you would like another FE (field engineer) from another service center to fix your tv.

The dreaded stripe just showed up today on my HL-R6768W :mad:. Service scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Also called American Express, as it's past manufacturer's warranty, but within coverage for their Buyer's Assurance program (1 year extension).

1" wide so far, mostly purple with a bit of blue. Posted on the "Shadow on left of Samsung DLP screen" thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10914028#post10914028

The local repair company called me back within 2 hours of calling 1-800-Samsung to arrange for service. If nothing else, Samsung has good customer support.

GeekGirl, how does it work with Amex? Did Amex confirm the coverage of one year from the expired OEM date? Do they submit the invoice to Amex? Did they know to bring an LE with them?

Details of the Amex Buyer's Assurance Program are here: http://homes.realtor.com/prop/1081418344. This will be my first time using it. It was a compromise between paying $$$ for a multi-year extended warranty with Samsung or getting a free 2-year warranty (1 year manufacture + 1 year Amex extension) by paying with my Amex card.

According to Amex, you need to call them and get a claim number. Then, they will mail (or email) you a confirmation letter. You will need to supply:
- Copy of sales receipt
- Your Amex billing statement with the purchase shown
- Copy of manufacturer's warranty
- Repair estimate in writing

Once they get all the information, they'll determine if a repair / replacement is authorized. You must keep the item to be repaired in your possession (don't sell it- that's obvious). If authorized, the repair cost will be given as a credit to your Amex card account (what else would they do, write a check / send cash? :)). They do have the option to ask for the repaired item, but I don't think that's going to happen for a 67" DLP. I did, however, ask the repair company to bring an LE with them.

I've scheduled service for Tuesday afternoon. Since I need it repaired, I'm just going to have them do the work and I'll submit the cost to Amex. It's an authorized repair by Samsung, so there shouldn't be any problem. I might just ask the repair guy to write an estimate, then do the work and write a separate bill in case Amex gives me a hard time. I have a transaction code from Samsung for tracking purposes.

Thanks GeekGirl, that's great. Has anyone here or does someone know of someone who used the Amex coverage and an extended? That's probably too early since it seems the first people to get the set have moved on. There has always been a question of when an extended kicks in for those with Amex or similar coverage, either from the purchase date or the date Amex or similar ends. That info would be good to know for people here or others buying a new set.

We have had our hl-s6178w for about 12 months to the day and the shadow has just made its debut. Registered online for warranty, so we are covered for extra days plus we have AMEX extender. Sure would like to somehow pay for upgrade as we built our tv wall (after buying the 6178) to accomodate 7178. Ideas?

We have had our hl-s6178w for about 12 months to the day and the shadow has just made its debut. Registered online for warranty, so we are covered for extra days plus we have AMEX extender. Sure would like to somehow pay for upgrade as we built our tv wall (after buying the 6178) to accomodate 7178. Ideas?

Anybody care to speculate as to whether the lamp was changed on refurbished Light Engines replaced under warranty. Interestingly, the tech didn't reset the lamp hours when my LE was replaced under warranty last year. I assumed the LE would come with a new lamp. I have reason to believe otherwise now. I'd hate to think I got a used lamp with my refurbished LE.

I have pics but my photo server is "down for maintenance" right now. I'll post 'em when the server comes back up. To make a long story even more dull, my color wheel blew up last week. I'll go into the gory details when I can post the pics but for now let it suffice to say that Samsung didn't have the part and projected 6 to 8 weeks to get it. I did find the part at Parts Store. Or at least they claim to have it in stock. I ordered it. We'll see.

The reason I ask about the lamp is that the lamp has a piece of tape (sticker) that bridges the lamp housing to the LE. Sort of like an anti-tamper seal. There is no writing or printing on the seal and I've broken the seal. Again I'll get pics out later. I would imagine that that would be a factory procedure as opposed to a refurbish procedure. That leads me to think the seal was put on at the factory as opposed to the repair depot. Which would make the lamp be the original lamp in the LE as it left the factory. Hmmm!

Any thoughts? Bueller?

Never mind I'll use my space here. Tada, the pics as promised.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/light_engine.jpg
You can see the remains of the shattered color wheel removed and sitting atop the lamp housing

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/samsung_lamp.jpg

We have had our hl-s6178w for about 12 months to the day and the shadow has just made its debut. Registered online for warranty, so we are covered for extra days plus we have AMEX extender. Sure would like to somehow pay for upgrade as we built our tv wall (after buying the 6178) to accomodate 7178. Ideas?

Hi wascal, the best thing to do in your situation, is to call Samsung and explain your situation. Tell them that you are interested in upgrading your current set, and that you will also consider purchasing an extended warranty plan if they do it. I'm personally not the one to buy insurance or service plans, but in my experience as a SS tech, warranty for a DLP set can be it's best friend. For about the price of a lamp you would be getting another year of in-home service. Pays for itself. Hope this helped.

Anybody care to speculate as to whether the lamp was changed on refurbished Light Engines replaced under warranty. Interestingly, the tech didn't reset the lamp hours when my LE was replaced under warranty last year. I assumed the LE would come with a new lamp. I have reason to believe otherwise now. I'd hate to think I got a used lamp with my refurbished LE.

I have pics but my photo server is "down for maintenance" right now. I'll post 'em when the server comes back up. To make a long story even more dull, my color wheel blew up last week. I'll go into the gory details when I can post the pics but for now let it suffice to say that Samsung didn't have the part and projected 6 to 8 weeks to get it. I did find the part at Parts Store. Or at least they claim to have it in stock. I ordered it. We'll see.

The reason I ask about the lamp is that the lamp has a piece of tape (sticker) that bridges the lamp housing to the LE. Sort of like an anti-tamper seal. There is no writing or printing on the seal and I've broken the seal. Again I'll get pics out later. I would imagine that that would be a factory procedure as opposed to a refurbish procedure. That leads me to think the seal was put on at the factory as opposed to the repair depot. Which would make the lamp be the original lamp in the LE as it left the factory. Hmmm!

Any thoughts? Bueller?

Hi tyrod,

Usually in the case of a LE replacement, the lamp should be a brand new one. The tech that serviced your set, might have forgotten to reset the lamp counter in the SM. About the piece of tape that was placed on the lamp and housing, that's the first time I've ever seen a piece of tape placed there. I smell something fishy here. I'd hate to say this as this is pure speculation, but here's one scenario that I can assume happened: The tech probably needed a new lamp, took the new lamp out of your LE, placed a used lamp back in, and applied that tape there to make it look like it was a new LE/Lamp.

Like I said, this is pure speculation. I never in my experience as a field engineer, saw any piece of tape placed between the lamp and it's housing.

About your color wheel. That part should not be on backorder as I am checking the availability as I type this. I see that pretty much all color wheel assemblies for all X8 models are available.

As I've said to wascal, call samsung and just get another service call placed, and if you can qualify for another year of service, then consider purchasing another year.

This is what the good side of the color wheel looks like.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/Color_Wheel-Good_Side.jpg

This is what the shattered side looks like. Of course, the chamber that the color wheel was installed it was dusted with zillions of tiny pieces of glass. The wheel never stopped turning until I unplugged the TV from the wall. Meanwhile the turning wheel was grinding up the fractured pieces.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/Color_Wheel-Bad_Side.jpg

Unfortunately, I'm almost a year out of warranty. It's been at least 10 months since the LE was replaced. On a positive note, the shadow never came back. Let this be a lesson to those that don't have the wherewithall to repair your own sets to get the extended warranty. This ain't like the old days where CRTS last forever.

On a side note to the above note. While I was uncertain whether I was going to be able to get the parts to repair my TV or if it was gonna take a whole LE, I was looking into getting a replacement TV. I revisited the whole new TV purchase research.

Some points to ponder. Most of the current models (of all brands) recommend lamp replacement at 6000-8000 hrs. One manual, (I don't remember which one) even went so far as to say that if the lamp hours were exceeded the lamp could blow up causing serious damage. The Samsung lamps were the cheapest at $150 while most other brands were $200 or more. Naturally, the Samsung S & T models use an LED light source. I know nothing about this system.

Another item is the PC display. Almost all the newer DLP & LCoS set can't accept a 1080 signal at the VGA port. I've enjoyed a full screen VGA signal on my Samsung since I connected my HTPC to my Samsung. Most of the newer TVs will only do a 1024 x 768 pc display. For the most part, I can't see the point of restricting the VGA input. I makes the HTPC almost pointless. I don't game on my TV, maybe there are advantages there.

Lastly, It appears there are only a few newer TV that can deinterlace a 1080i HDMI signal properly. It looks as if the manufacturers have forfeited the 1080i in favor of being able to accept a 1080p at the HDMI port. Apparently, fast action 1080i scences will default to 540 lines because they don't have processors sophisticated enough. Naturally, that doesn't bode well for folks that have HD sources that can only do 1080i, such as the The cheaper HD-DVD players & HD-STBs. Although, with the the HD-STBs it probably doesn't matter since in most cases you're only getting HD Lite anyway.

I guess the upshot of all this is that repair issues not withstanding the HL-R Samsungs are pretty decent TVs. I just wish I waited a year and saved a bunch of money.

Tyrod, I agree with you, the whole thing is ridiculous. I think you have a good point, the bottom line should be not how much time and research you put into your current model or the cost of the replacement parts you've already bought since they might need to be replaced again. I think you should look at it like a used car. What is the difference in price for an HLT-6189S? I think that takes a 1080 VGA? You'll get a top notch LED set that doesn't seem to have any of these problems. I'd get that in a second if I thought I could sell mine. I probably could but I have a bunch of PC stuff I've been meaning to sell on ebay and can't find the time. lol. You could probably sell yours if it only needed the color wheel or whatever. You could set the price and deduct those repair costs with an estimate. If I had to guess you're looking at around $1k difference, which goes back to the used car idea. Is it better to keep fixing a used car or trade it in at some point? At least now like a used car the value is still high.

Tyrod, I agree with you, the whole thing is ridiculous. I think you have a good point, the bottom line should be not how much time and research you put into your current model or the cost of the replacement parts you've already bought since they might need to be replaced again. I think you should look at it like a used car. What is the difference in price for an HLT-6189S? I think that takes a 1080 VGA? You'll get a top notch LED set that doesn't seem to have any of these problems. I'd get that in a second if I thought I could sell mine. I probably could but I have a bunch of PC stuff I've been meaning to sell on ebay and can't find the time. lol. You could probably sell yours if it only needed the color wheel or whatever. You could set the price and deduct those repair costs with an estimate. If I had to guess you're looking at around $1k difference, which goes back to the used car idea. Is it better to keep fixing a used car or trade it in at some point? At least now like a used car the value is still high.

It's Tuesday today and the color wheel should be here on Thursday. We'll find out then if the set is repaired. I got the color wheel for like $104. The manual was $28. If this don't totally fix the problem then I'll consider buying a new tv.

Pictures don't do it justice, but the color wheel is a bunch of unequal width pie shaped colored glass. It looks as if one whole pie shaped piece came loose and managed to chip several other segments in the confines of the color wheel housing. There was a ton of micro glass fragments in the color wheel housing. I hope I got 'em all out.

The circumstances of the problem went like this. I was watching TV. I was gonna turn the thing off in about five minutes cause I had to go to the optometrist. There was a loud bang (scared the snot outta the dog), the color went away and there was heavy dark bands across the screen along with a grinding sound similar to a electric pencil sharpener. I remotely turn the TV off. The screen went dark but the grinding persisted. I unplugged the TV and the grinding stopped. I went on to my appointment and a few hours later plugged the TV back in and turned it on. Nothing on the screen and the grinding came back with all the front LEDs blinking. There ain't that many moving parts in a TV, with the DLPs having the most. It could only be a fan or the color wheel. Well, we know now it was the color wheel. Incidentally, there are 2 fans. One is the lamp fan and the other is a smaller processor cooling fan.

I'll keep ya posted.

Tyrod, it still sucks but that's a great report. How much did the LE cost? There has been some figures tossed around here of $1,200? Did you get credit for a core charge like a car part if you returned the broken LE? It sounds like for the cost of the LE, manual and color wheel you should have a brand new TV. Then you have the lamp replacement cost at some point. My issue is how do you know when its time to upgrade? The longer we wait the less the set is worth although it should only drop so much since it will always have the specs and features others in its class don't have. IMO the HLT-6189S is the set I intended to buy and it looks like I jumped the gun and was sold on this one. The HLR is great and everyone who sees it is jealous but if I thought I could give it away or sell it I would.

Tyrod, it still sucks but that's a great report. How much did the LE cost? There has been some figures tossed around here of $1,200? Did you get credit for a core charge like a car part if you returned the broken LE? It sounds like for the cost of the LE, manual and color wheel you should have a brand new TV. Then you have the lamp replacement cost at some point. My issue is how do you know when its time to upgrade? The longer we wait the less the set is worth although it should only drop so much since it will always have the specs and features others in its class don't have. IMO the HLT-6189S is the set I intended to buy and it looks like I jumped the gun and was sold on this one. The HLR is great and everyone who sees it is jealous but if I thought I could give it away or sell it I would.

I didn't buy the whole LE, just the color wheel. The LE lists for $1,076.92 from Samsung parts, $1000 from partstore.com.

Newbie here, could someone please tell me what version HDMI the 6768W uses (1.0, 1.1, etc.) I looked at the manual and did searches on the internet but couldn't find the answer. Much thanks

The design came out in early 2005, so I would guess 1.1. Also have 6768W, currently experiencing the dreaded shadow problem. In this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10946303#post10946303.

Welcome to AVS forum. Consider modifying your profile to show your Location. It helps if you ask for help with OTA reception or things that are specific to your area.

The design came out in early 2005, so I would guess 1.1. Also have 6768W, currently experiencing the dreaded shadow problem. In this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10946303#post10946303.

Welcome to AVS forum. Consider modifying your profile to show your Location. It helps if you ask for help with OTA reception or things that are specific to your area.

I hope you're still under some protection plan. If not, don't despair. If you have some mechanical skills the problem can be user repaired. I believe the procedure is one of the HL-R threads, maybe this one. I'd use surgical rubber gloves while handling the mirrors etc. to avoid fingerprints that apparently show up on the screen IIRC. I might also research some good high tech adhesives to use in place of chewing gum or some such other nonsense.

I've got the Amex Buyer's Assurance plan and I'm waiting for the paperwork. The repair guy took a look at at and now I'm waiting for an estimate. It may not be that difficult, but I don't want to risk turning my display into a brick if I mess it up. I'm not at that point yet. I really like this model and want to keep it as long as possible (that means until the standards change again).

This is a fairly active thread and my comments have already scrolled back to the previous page (that's a good thing). Details in the URL I listed previously.

Tyrod, sorry I forgot that your LE was still under warranty at the time.

I also think fixing the LE out of warranty should be easy. Worse case is you buy a new one so you can't lose. I know there are new clips for the mirrors but I don't know if those are available or if they had to mod the LE or if the clips fit on the old LEs? I'd bet they were modded since there was a back order at one time. I don't think I'd buy the adhesive until you know what you are dealing with. The last thing you want is the kind that sticks instantly and can't be moved around. I'd rather pull out the LE on occasion and fix it myself than have something stuck that isn't set right or straight or something. I'd use those blue polyester or whatever gloves, not latex since I think they can leave something, even the non-powdered ones.

Final Installment of the Color Wheel saga.

The new color wheel arrived today. Right off, I noticed the colors on the wheel segments were brighter than on the old wheel. I tried fitting the new wheel assembly and found it didn't fit flush down on the old gasket surface on one end. Upon inspection, I found an extra pin on the new wheel assembly casting that the old one didn't have. The extra pin was easily removed with some needle nose pliers. Half an hour later the TV was up and running.

Before I input any signal I checked the index delay and found the original values to be optimum. The procedure, in the manual, for adjusting the index delay didn't agree with the Index Delay adjustment screen. But after fiddling with the index delay value, what they were after became evident. All the colored lines need to be the same length. Satisfied that the index day was set properly, I input a 1080i signal through the HDMI connection (DirecTV HD). I hadn't realized how much the colors had degraded through time. The colors now were much more vibrant than they were before. I'll take an educated guess that new color wheel is the reason. Which bring us to a point to consider. Perhaps the color wheels need to be replaced periodically on these TVs. As I mentioned before, I bought my TV in September of 2005 and the LE was replaced in September of 2006. Gawd only knows how many hours were on the "remanufactured" LE or the color wheel. The color wheel is cheaper than a new lamp.

TV Samsung HL-R6168WX/XAA (HL-R6168W)
Assy Color Wheel PN BP9601103A $104.06 from partstore.com

I got the PN from Samsung's Parts website cause partstore.com didn't list a color wheel for my TV. Nonetheless, it is the correct part for my TV.

If you're interested in the procedure for changing the color wheel, PM me. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the difficulty of replacing the color wheel assembly at a 4 or 5. However, I have to admit I'm an electronics tech. Still, if you're brave (and cautious) and you have some mechanical skills, it really isn't difficult. It's got to be easier than fixing the mirrors on the light tunnel.

Tyrod, If it's not too much trouble, could you post the procedure for the color wheel replacement on this thread so more people could see and copy it. Thanks.

Tyrod, If it's not too much trouble, could you post the procedure for the color wheel replacement on this thread so more people could see and copy it. Thanks.


If I find someone that is in earnest about changing the color wheel, I certainly will. However, as just a general interest post, I'm not going to go to the trouble. My PMs are linked to my email, so even if I don't come back here in a while (which is often the case), I'll know if someone is interested. I'd prefer to write the procedure in .doc format such that I can include pics from the manual.

As a side note to my above post, test equipment is not needed for installation of the color wheel, just a #2 phillps screwdriver and perhaps needlenose pliers. For those that are afraid of even taking the back cover off, this ain't for you.

Wow, what timing... I'm pretty sure my color wheel just self destructed yesterday. The symptoms were similar to yours, I was playing Xbox, hear a loud bang and the screen started flashing rapidly accompanied by a vibrating noise. I switched to a different input to make sure it wasn't the xbox and the problem remained. I had to unplug the TV to make the vibrating noise stop. Now whenever I plug it back in I get a much louder buzzing noise like the motor is trying to spin up the color wheel and it's stuck.

I'm way out of warranty (bought when it was initially available from TVAuthority.com) but I purchased with a mastercard which gives me a 1 year extension that I'm still inside of. It looks like it'll be a major hassle to go through that credit card extended warranty program though so if I can just fix the problem myself for $100 I'm all for it. I feel comforable attempting the fix myself so I'm hoping you can detail whats involved a little more.

I really appreciate you posting the P/N for the color wheel and where to buy it. I'll PM you also in case you don't come back here for a while.

THANKS!

EskimoPie, I wouldn't touch the set if its still under warranty. It should be fairly straightforward, Geekgirl is going through it with Amex. They have to be Samsung qualified. I don't wish it on you but if something else goes wrong or you can't get it to work right your warranty is void. I don't think its worth the risk. If they screw it up you might get a new TV. lol.

Yeah, I suppose... I'm hoping I can get the entire light engine replaced instead of just the color wheel. we'll see...

Wow, what timing... I'm pretty sure my color wheel just self destructed yesterday. The symptoms were similar to yours, I was playing Xbox, hear a loud bang and the screen started flashing rapidly accompanied by a vibrating noise. I switched to a different input to make sure it wasn't the xbox and the problem remained. I had to unplug the TV to make the vibrating noise stop. Now whenever I plug it back in I get a much louder buzzing noise like the motor is trying to spin up the color wheel and it's stuck.

I'm way out of warranty (bought when it was initially available from TVAuthority.com) but I purchased with a mastercard which gives me a 1 year extension that I'm still inside of. It looks like it'll be a major hassle to go through that credit card extended warranty program though so if I can just fix the problem myself for $100 I'm all for it. I feel comforable attempting the fix myself so I'm hoping you can detail whats involved a little more.

I really appreciate you posting the P/N for the color wheel and where to buy it. I'll PM you also in case you don't come back here for a while.

THANKS!

OK, give me a day or two to write the procedure. PM me with your actual email address which you can receive attachments. Do you have an application that can read MS word documents? If not, I can pdf it.

Well, I thought I had written the last post on the subject of the Color Wheel, but I hadn't. A problem developed! Ultimately, I was able to solve the problem. So, no worries there.

I had noticed right off after the new wheel was installed I could hear the wheel turning. I didn't think much of it. I just figured it was a noisy bearing or maybe the bearing had to breakin some. Well the noise got worse and today when I turned my TV off I could hear the wheel winding down. Rather loudly, I must say.

So I ripped the LE out again and removed the color wheel. I could see that the wheel was rubbing against the aperature that leads into the projector assembly. There was slight markings on the wheel just outside the optical path. Good thing or I would have had to get another color wheel. As it is, I've probably shortened the life of the wheel.

The root problem was this. Remember the pin I had to break off I mentioned in an earlier post? Well, evidently just breaking the pin off wasn't good enough. The corresponding pin in the projector housing needed a concave surface in the color wheel housing where the pin I broke off was. The original housing had this indentation. To look at the pin in the projector housing, it doesn't appear to extend past the gasket surface. But, I reckon when the gasket is compressed by the color wheel housing screws it caused enough misalignment of the color wheel for the wheel to make contact. Dam, the misalignment couldn't have been more than a couple of thousanths of an inch. I just drilled a small indentation in the housing to accommodate the pin. Everything is fine now. It does, however, make the wheel replacement procedure more complicated.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/506/medium/Compare_color_wheel_NEW.JPG

EskimoPie - I just got the form from Amex today. Easy. All they wanted was 1) receipt of purchase, 2) copy of manufacturer's warranty, 3) written estimate of repair cost, 4) charge receipt. It's even got an 800 number for the fax. Authorization estimated to be 2 weeks max.

I didn't have the charge receipt, but the sales receipt showed "Amex -xxxx card + authorization number". That should be good enough. Will fax the info to them on Monday.

Understand that If you do this yourself while under warranty (at least someone's warranty if not Samsung), you are screwed if anything else happens before the warranty period runs out.

Final Installment of the Color Wheel saga. Upon inspection, I found an extra pin on the new wheel assembly casting that the old one didn't have. The extra pin was easily removed with some needle nose pliers. Half an hour later the TV was up and running.From an engineering point of view, are you absolutely sure that the color wheel is still balanced? Exactly like balancing a car tire. You just knocked off a shim. Multiply that pin weight by the xxx thousand RPM that little sucker rotates at and you may be looking at a new wheel next month. Or maybe a new shaft / bearing that it rotates on.

From an engineering point of view, are you absolutely sure that the color wheel is still balanced? Exactly like balancing a car tire. You just knocked off a shim. Multiply that pin weight by the xxx thousand RPM that little sucker rotates at and you may be looking at a new wheel next month. Or maybe a new shaft / bearing that it rotates on.


The pin is on the housing and not the wheel. And if you fix something yourself and then later decide to have a warranty on something else who's gonna know you fixed the first thing yourself unless you tell 'em. Samsungs parts website lists the color wheel as "user serviceable".

Tyrod, if you watch CSI or something then you're probably all set. lol. Two people here were close to being nailed by a tech who knew they were in the SM and wanted to void the warranty. A warranty is a warranty and I don't recommend anyone DIY while something is still covered no matter how easy something appears to be. There is always a chance something can go wrong, like a pin on a color wheel housing. lol. J/k.

You folks need to read the Magnuson-Moss Act. A dealer or manufacturer can't legally void your warranty just because you work on your set yourself. That being said there are 2 items of concern. One, if you caused the damage that you want warranted. This is the most onerous cause of concern. Second, unjustified voiding of your warranty by unenlightened techs and "authorized" repair stations. The manufacturer doesn't want to void your warranty. That just causes bad customer relations. The manufacturers aren't looking for "any excuse" to void your warranty. The techs and the repair stations, on the other hand, are in a more precarious position. If they perform a repair, and in turn, bill the manufacturer for the cost. Then it's later determined that the owner caused the damage. The manufacturer may not pay the bill. So it's understandable that the repair stations are cautious about when you work on your own TV. On the other hand, it's up to the manufacturer to prove that what you did caused the malfunction. This whole issue has been hashed and rehashed and hashed again in the automotive industry. In the vast majority of cases the issues have been settled on the side of the consumer.

Let me propose a hypothetical situation. Suppose you think that your colors are dull and decide to do something about it. You call Samsung or your aftermarket warranty provider complaining about it. They send someone out and tell you it's "within spec". So you decide that's bull and decide to change the color wheel yourself. Voila, problem fixed. Your happy as a clam. Now a month later you get the dreaded shadow problem. Is your warranty void? Of course not. One really doesn't have anything to do with the other. The only argument anyone could possibly have would be that removing the LE to change the CW jossled the LE around enough to dislodge the mirror. That idea has two problems. The first and foremost is how would they even know you changed the CW. There aren't any seals or other anti-tamper devices on the TV. Just don't bugger up the screw heads and no one would know. Second, is the mirror mounting so delicate that just moving the TV would dislodge the mirrors. What happens if you move or just rearrange the furniture? Would the mirror come loose? Even if they could prove you worked on the TV, it's the manufacturers responsibility to prove that you caused the damage.

In another instance, take TV calibration. We all know that you can do real damage to the TV if you futz up something in the service menu. Does simply entering the service menu void your warranty? Of course not. How do you know that the hired calibrator has adequate credentials. Is ISF certification enough? Suppose a brand new series of TVs come on the market with all new menus and ranges of values. The calibrator most likely doesn't have any "authorized" (by manufacturer) training. It's all got to start somewhere. Suppose you let Billy Bob, down the street, that claims to be "certified" calibrate your TV and in turn blows it up. What then?

How many folks actually ask for credentials when the calibrator shows up? I know there are a few trusted calibrators that visit here. But they aren't the only ones.

Now, having spouted all that. I recommend that anybody that has a warranty and needs repair, use it. If not, what's a person to do if their TV goes bad. Your choices are simple. Pay someone to fix it for you or fix it yourself. I feel, one reason for this thread is to support folks that feel like fixing their TVs themselves. I'm just trying to help.

Neither I, nor anyone else needs a public forum to tell them to use their warranty if their TVs go bad. Is anybody that stupid? Just because one person doesn't have the confidence to try to fix their own TV doesn't mean everyone should listen to them and avoid trying. If the situation calls for it.

Tyrod, well said, I agree with you. Most people have an extended and I don't see most people paying for parts that are covered. The question is at what point is it better to upgrade the set rather than repair it and spend money on lamps or an extended? It looks like I will upgrade the set before my extended runs out. I'm still trying to figure out what the deal is with the new AVRs and combo BD players that should be out soon. lol.

Tyrod, good points ("well said" as bcvp states). Support also means telling someone that they should NOT attempt something if it's clearly out of their level of expertise. Especially if there's a concern for safety.

My repair tech said he's had "marginal success" with repairing light tunnels, so he recommends the light engine. That's because Amex will pay for it. If not, he'll do the light tunnel replacement. That also tells me it takes some skill to do it. Or maybe the right adhesive, as stated in the shadow thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10974890#post10974890

Help Needed.
I have just hooked up my new Onkyo Amp to my Samsung LA40F7.
The Onkyo outputs it's HDMI On-screen set-up menus at 480i at 60Hz or 576i at 50Hz.
My Sammy only supports HDMI at 720p, 1080i, 1080p at 50 & 60Hz and 480p at 60Hz, and 576p at 50Hz. In addition, I had set my DVD player to output Interlaced, because the TV de-interlaces far better. But the TV will not accept the interlaced signal (for the above reasons). So I now have to output Progressive Scan from the DVD player.
Does anyone know if Samsung have a fix or an upgrade for this, or am I stuck with Comoponent connections? I bought the Sammy on the understanding that it was 'fully HDMI compliant', but there are 6 modes not supported.
Any help will be much appreciated.

My Sammy only supports HDMI at 720p, 1080i, 1080p at 50 & 60Hz and 480p at 60Hz, and 576p at 50Hz. ... Does anyone know if Samsung have a fix or an upgrade for this, or am I stuck with Comoponent connections?Nothing definitive in response to your question. However, it is likely that Samsung left out support of 480i over HDMI intentionally and no upgrades or updates will change that. I do not know the model year of your display, but consider this: The HL-R (circa 2005) and HL-S (circa 2006) dlp models both support 480i over HDMI. But according to owners in the 2007 model threads, the new 2007 HL-T dlp models (the lamp & LED models with HDMI 1.2(?) and the LED model with HDMI 1.3) do not support 480i over HDMI. Samsung apparently assumes that the source will have better deinterlacing/scaling than is built into the display. FWIW.

Help Needed.
I have just hooked up my new Onkyo Amp to my Samsung LA40F7.
The Onkyo outputs it's HDMI On-screen set-up menus at 480i at 60Hz or 576i at 50Hz.
My Sammy only supports HDMI at 720p, 1080i, 1080p at 50 & 60Hz and 480p at 60Hz, and 576p at 50Hz. In addition, I had set my DVD player to output Interlaced, because the TV de-interlaces far better. But the TV will not accept the interlaced signal (for the above reasons). So I now have to output Progressive Scan from the DVD player.
Does anyone know if Samsung have a fix or an upgrade for this, or am I stuck with Comoponent connections? I bought the Sammy on the understanding that it was 'fully HDMI compliant', but there are 6 modes not supported.
Any help will be much appreciated.

Wrong thread. This is the HLR owners thread which is even close to the model you have.

My HLR5078W has been perfect up until yesterday. I was out of the house when it happened, but here is what my son told me; T.V. was running fine, then there was a loud pop. Screen went off, and no programing sounds are heard. With power applied to the television a regularly timed short crackling noise can be heard from the rear of the T.V., then goes quiet, then the noise returns, and on and on (probably a good 3-5 seconds btween the noises). While this is going on, the only light that is flashing is the green "lamp" light (none of the others are flashing). Any ideas on what the issue is? Called Samsung, but the only thing they could tell me was to get a repairman.

Thanks,

Forwaters

okay, i've been gone for a year from these threads.

when i left, our tvs where a calibrator's wet dream.

have any tvs surpassed our beloved hlrs? shadow problem not withstanding?

My HLR5078W...With power applied to the television a regularly timed short crackling noise can be heard from the rear of the T.V., then goes quiet, then the noise returns, and on and on (probably a good 3-5 seconds btween the noises). While this is going on, the only light that is flashing is the green "lamp" light (none of the others are flashing).I hope he told you to UNPLUG THE TV. Crackling noises are bad, very bad. If it's constantly doing it, there's a power supply shutting down to protect a problem, but it's not bad enough to crow-bar (trip off). FIRE HAZARD. UNPLUG THE TV. Check for smoke while you're at it. :eek: The "pop" your son heard was probably a capacitor going south from over-voltage which sprayed a mess of toxic chemicals inside as well. Let the repairman handle it.

There have been posts of the color wheel disintegrating, but that's more of a whine. BTW: Welcome to AVS forum.

Forwaters, I'd say its a power supply issue too. There were a couple of people who had that issue, I can't remember if it was definitely that but I think it was. Make sure they bring the power supply with them since it is most likely that, so you don't waste your time and make sure they don't take the set with them period.

Slocko, you should check out the HLT-6189S, that is the new King or whatever. lol. HDMI 1.3, LED, 1080p, three HDMI ports, they opened up the SM and there are a lot more adjustments than the HLRs. Oh and the price dropped!

3 hdmi ports. nice. i'll chk it out. thxs.

forwaters - You post for the first time and get a response intended to scare the $%#@ out of you! I always take the approach to answer questions dealing with safety from the conservative side. I don't know your background and assume that you may not recognize the problem at hand.

It would be nice to hear back from you on what was wrong. As bcvp stated, there have been other problems with power supplies and your situation is good info.

My HLR5078W has been perfect up until yesterday. I was out of the house when it happened, but here is what my son told me; T.V. was running fine, then there was a loud pop. Screen went off, and no programing sounds are heard. With power applied to the television a regularly timed short crackling noise can be heard from the rear of the T.V., then goes quiet, then the noise returns, and on and on (probably a good 3-5 seconds btween the noises). While this is going on, the only light that is flashing is the green "lamp" light (none of the others are flashing). Any ideas on what the issue is? Called Samsung, but the only thing they could tell me was to get a repairman.

Thanks,

Forwaters
That's what it sounded like when my bulb failed. It had exploded and afterwards there were crackling sounds like electrical shorting. When I chenged it I had to clean out the p9ieceds of the bulb.

WooGuy, that's bull, they have to return the LE to Samsung, maybe they did already? Didn't you notice it when the guy was still there? That's odd if it was working? Sounds like you just ran out of bubble gum! lol. Too funny.

Stay on them since you know you could get the run around. I'd keep calling until you get a straight answer as to when the new LE will be in, when they will be sending a new tech. Stay pleasant and stay on them. I think the fan is tied in with the LE so that should be ok, afaik. Maybe you can confirm with Samsung that they ordered the right LE this time.

It's finally got sorted out right after my last post. They sent the same tech, but I stood over him. I was like an old lady at the deli making sure the guy behind the counter didn'r put his thumb on the scale while slicing up some bologna. I asked him a ton of questions and he was done and gone in 20 mins. The poor bastards at 1-800-SAMSUNG are probably much happier now that my tv is fixed. I've finally left them alone. They called me to take a customer service survey and I might have gotten the tech fired after what I had to say. That's that and hopefully this won't happen again.

Thank you for your help and support.

:eek: How is it possible to "destroy" an LE when removing it? It's basically remove a couple of screws and slide the unit out. Incompetence?

I'm sorry...I wasn't clear there. He didn't replace the entire LE the 1st time. He replaced a part on the LE and "destroyed" that. The thing was in pieces when he was done. When he came back the 2nd time he replaced the entire LE.

Hi WooGuy, what was the techs name and what state, city? From what I've just read, that totally sounds like a reoccuring nightmare lol. bcvp is right, the used engine has to go back to Samsung's parts warehouse. As [B]bcvp[B] said, just keep calling 1-800-Samsung, and request that you would like another FE (field engineer) from another service center to fix your tv.

I don't have his business card with me, but I'll throw his name up here later. I do know that his office is in Elmhurst, NY. Elmhurst is a town in Queens, NYC. I live in Staten Island, NY which is probably about 30 - 40 miles from Elmhurst. This one office probably covers most of NYC I would think from that location.

WooGuy, he's not authorized to repair anything, they simply replace parts. I don't know what part he attempted to repair or replace but it sounds like if he simply replaced the LE the first time that he wouldn't have wasted your time. I think you should point that out to Samsung and to the service center. Here I thought now that these sets have been out for some time that these techs had a better understanding of how they work and better training but then I continue to hear stuff like this. Ridiculous.

I fell better now since my tech told me that he's had a lot of trouble repairing the light tunnel and suggested that I just swap the entire light engine instead. Details over on the Shadow on left of Samsung DLP screen thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11040046#post11040046

WooGuy, he's not authorized to repair anything, they simply replace parts. I don't know what part he attempted to repair or replace but it sounds like if he simply replaced the LE the first time that he wouldn't have wasted your time. I think you should point that out to Samsung and to the service center. Here I thought now that these sets have been out for some time that these techs had a better understanding of how they work and better training but then I continue to hear stuff like this. Ridiculous.

I let them know all of it. I ripped that guy up pretty good and gave them an earful about the service I was given. The set is working fine now, but I can't seem to get the colors to where I had them previously.

I asked the "repair guy/field engineer" if I would have to recalibrate the set and he said no, but I htink I do. I shouldn't be suprised that he didn't know what he was talking about.

Thanks again for your help and to my fellow noobs reach out for BCVP if you need help. The man knows his shizzle. Talk to you soon (hopefully not...lol)

My 5078 has 1/2 the screen with a perfect picture with sound and the remaining 1/2 of the picture is black. The A/D board was replaced two weeks ago for another problem (did not recognize that any inputs were connected). I am wondering if anyone has experienced this problem. My set is only 18 mo. old and has me wondering if I should have purchased a Sony. Fred123 :)

My 5078 has 1/2 the screen with a perfect picture with sound and the remaining 1/2 of the picture is black. The A/D board was replaced two weeks ago for another problem (did not recognize that any inputs were connected). I am wondering if anyone has experienced this problem. My set is only 18 mo. old and has me wondering if I should have purchased a Sony. Fred123 :)

Kind of funny you posted this the other day, I got home tonight and my 6168 had the left half of the screen looked like a UPC bar code (black and white alternating sizes of vertical stripes) stopping dead center of the screen. The right side was fine. Tested other inputs and they had the same thing. Needless to say I was royally pissed off. I've got a repair request in with RepairMaster and will get a call probably tomorrow (hopefully tomorrow). I'm assuming its the digital board that'll need to be replaced. Hopefully they won't just stick a refurb in there, but hey thats why I got a warranty till 2010 right?

As a follow up to my last post, after a day, the set started working again. This lasted for about another day when suddenly the dreaded light engine shadow line down the right side appeared. The repairman is picking it up tonight to replace the engine and recalibrate. I will post a follow-up on the results of this .Fred 123 :confused:

My problems started with the 1" vertical shadow on the left side of picture. The extended wty people came out, said it was a "bad mirror" thing. Replaced the light engine and also the bulb.
3 days later the picture started freezing, but with the sound continuing. You can turn the DVR off and the frozen picture is still there. Now if I get a picture at all it's after about 3 minutes, then seems to freeze up shortly after. I called them and they will be out in a week..we are in Palm Springs they are 60 miles away. So we went from a little annoyance to not being able to use it at all. I'm sure the new part will take weeks like before. Greg

I had a service call today for my new issue, the guy said it was the DMD board which I guessed it was. Said he needs to get authorization from the warranty company and order it. If they authorize it should be able to come back tomorrow to fix the tv. If they don't authorize it, hmmm, guess they give me a new tv or cut me a check? Said the board is a lot more expensive than the light engine he replaced previously so they don't even have it in stock and would have to order it if they authorize the repair. Part of me hopes they don't and just cut me a check so I can get rid of this and get something better, but I don't like being without a tv.

MikeAlletto, geez, more than a LE? That is a lot of money! That means its over $1,200 I think plus installation, unless they get it wholesale? Seems like if they gave you $1k I'd take it since that is probably what you could sell it for used? That will be interesting to see what happens. You might suggest the check! lol. I don't see how they can deny the repair, its covered.

samsung_dlp_fan, a couple of people and myself had that problem recently. You should try and get a diagnosis from Samsung or the repair center before they arrive so you'll get the set fixed right away and not waste your time, if they bring the part with them. Mine went away on its own but I was this close to calling for service. I don't know what the issue is? At first I thought it was Comsucks, seemed reasonable at the time! lol.

Fred123, here I thought I had bad luck! lol. You'll practically have a new TV! You shouldn't let them pick up the TV, the parts just get replaced like your other board. I hope they didn't pick it up yet!

Well they came out yesterday and decided to just replace the whole light engine instead of just the board. He put it in, we turned the tv around a fired it up, and boom a big shadow going diagonally on the left side. Something in/on the mirrors. So turn it off and turn it back around, and take it out. I notice that there is a cake on dust on the fan on the LE he just put in. He tells me they don't make them anymore so they are all refurbs. Great. So he goes back to the shop to see if there is another one and calls me that there is so he comes back. Puts that one in (this ones fans are clean). We power it up and it looks good!

So he makes the service menu adjustments and leaves. That night while watching tv the screen all of a sudden starts flickering like crazy! I change channels and its still there. I power off and back on and it seems to be ok. Uhoh. So we watch some more and it starts again this time the image starts breaking up and shifting all over the place. Changing channels doesn't fix it but turning the tv off and on does. We try again and this time the image completely jumbles and freezes but still has moving jumping around colored static. We turn the tv off and the image stays on the screen for about 5 seconds. I switch over to a different input and it does the same thing. This morning I turn the tv on without any inputs and after about 10 seconds it starts doing the same thing. The repair place now has to order another LE from Samsung about 3 business days, so I guess if I don't hear anything by next wednesday I'll call and see what the status is.

I first called the warranty company and explained all this and they said I had to call the repair shop since it was technically under their 90 day warranty for the part. I also asked about replacement or store credit possibilities and it depends upon the shop declaring it unfixable. So now I've been without the tv for a week. When I talk to the repair guy again I'll ask him about their policy about declaring it a waste of money to keep trying to fix. But its still under warranty for another 3 years and the tv is not even 2 years old yet! Ugh.

I have to state though that the warranty company (repairmaster warranty) and the repair shop have been very friendly, quick and helpful. It is NOT their fault that samsung can't create a decent product anymore and their QC is crap.

3 days later the picture started freezing, but with the sound continuing. You can turn the DVR off and the frozen picture is still there. Now if I get a picture at all it's after about 3 minutes, then seems to freeze up shortly after.

Does it do things like I described above? I took some pics of it and I'll try and upload them this weekend.

I had warnings for lamp replacement a few moths ago,but decided to see how long I could go.Today the warnings came back. It has gone off a few times in the past few hours. I called Samsung and they had me read them the Lamp code off the rear (BP96-01074A).It was said ealier the bulb was BP96-01415A.Which 1 is correct.He seemed he knew what he was doing.By the way so far I have goten 10,600 off this bulb Thanks

_Matt_, you might do a search on here for part number and see what pops up. You're right and I forget which is which. The issue is the shape of the base and I think at some point the part number changed, which doesn't make any sense. I think people ordered the right part number and got the wrong lamp? You might check with a lamp store to confirm and call Samsung back. That is ridiculous how we have to figure this out. lol.

I bought my HLR5668 in July, 2005 and have thoroughly enjoyed it for two years now. Last weekend, my brother was visiting and noticed that the lower front panel of the TV (the panel where the internal speakers are located) is sagging. I placed a straight yardstick adjacent to the lower edge of the panel and, sure enough, the panel is definitely sagging. The center of the lower panel is at least a quarter-inch lower than the ends.

When I purchased this TV at Magnolia, I also purchased the recommended TR46X3 Samsung Expandable DLP TV Stand. This stand supports only the ends of the TV's lower front panel, so I can understand why the lower front panel of the TV could sag over time.

Fortunately, I purchased Magnolia's extended warranty, so I'm covered for defects in material or workmanship for four years. I've got a service call scheduled for Monday and will report the outcome here. In the meantime, does anyone know of other owners of this TV-and-stand combo who have experienced sagging or warping of the TV's lower front panel? Thanks!

My color wheel on my HLR-6168W started to 'whine' a couple of days ago. It's not that bad from the back of the TV, but the shape of the screen seems to amplify it somewhat.

I experimented with TV position and such. During the initial investigation, I was turning the set off and on a few times to locate the noise, I heard a 'thwack' as I shutdown the TV.

That didn't sound good, so I removed the light engine and opened the color wheel assembly and found a small hunk of what looks like a quarter arc of a bit of dried glue in the bottom of the color wheel well. I suspect this came from somewhere on the color wheel or surrounding housings, but I can't tell where.

The color wheel looked fine and appears to spin fine, but I'm guessing at high rpms it's vibrating. I replaced everything and I guess I'm waiting for the wheel to die. Looks like I'll be ordering a new one and following Tyrods insights on modifying the replacement part.

I had warnings for lamp replacement a few moths ago,but decided to see how long I could go.Today the warnings came back. It has gone off a few times in the past few hours. I called Samsung and they had me read them the Lamp code off the rear (BP96-01074A).It was said ealier the bulb was BP96-01415A.Which 1 is correct.He seemed he knew what he was doing.By the way so far I have goten 10,600 off this bulb Thanks

Matt, A few months ago another pedestal owner said to get the BP96-01415A bulb because that is the one which has the triangular housing needed to fit into this model. If you go to www.samsungparts.com and click the "Lamp" button on the right, then put the model # in, that is the one which should come up.
I can't remember the posters name but I did write down the bulb model for when I need it for my 5688w.

Hey all.Thanks for the advice.I just got a call from samsung.Apparently when I odered the lamp there was an employee training that took my call,YIKES.From what I gathered the staff have meetings to go over the orders to make sure that they are correct before they are processed. They had caught the mistake and the lamp is BP96-01415A.Got to emit Im impressed.Had me worried I thought I would have had a go around with em.
The TV would shut off at about 20 min intervals.But keep turning it back on.It hasnt shut off for a few days now go figure.

_Matt_, so Mess444 was correct, the 88 does take a BP96-01415A lamp bulb replacement. There so others who do a search on here can find this post along with the others. lol. The thing I don't get is if you had the three LED lamp replacement warning and is there a chance it could be something besides the lamp? You might have mentioned it earlier but I forget. lol.

bcvp there is only 4 warning signals that displays and the one that does, as the book describes, "Lamp or other component may be defective". Everything else is working fine.The warning lamp has come on about a dozen times.So Im pushing the limit to the end.I always believed to be hard on a TV and the most important is to keep,as well as other electronics,to keep it clean.

Well the day finally came.TV keeps going off with a lamp warning.Had to scramble around for a monitor.Gave my 19" to my girlfriend when I got TV.There is now freakin room on a 17" dinosaur CRT. I had 6,7 windows open i could view now down to 2 waaaaa lol.Bad thing is they dont have a lamp in stock.Must still being refurbishing it lol.Good thing I have a projector for more serious viewing.

_Matt_, I forget, have you checked with Samsung or a tech. to be sure you only need a lamp? I seem to recall the same thing happening for the power supply and not the lamp, maybe not with the LEDs, though, but I think they had them too if I remember correctly? I had the set shut off without the LEDs a couple times and now its like nothing ever happened.

I last reported that my set went from 1/2 picture, 1/2 black to the "shadow down the side". While I was waiting on the light engine to arrive, it went back to the 1/2 picture mode. The replacement of the light engine seems to have cured both problems. The unit was a refurbished one, so I don't know how long the repair will last. They did cover it under warranty, even though the set is one and one-half years old. Fred123 :)

Guys,

I was disappointed that my Sammy does not accept 1080P input. But lately I realised this to be a blessing. For example, upconverting 1080P dvd players cost more than their 1080i counterpart. Also, 1080P HD DVD (Toshiba A20) cost more than 1080i (A2) ones. The good news is that, there is no difference in PQ when you buy the 1080i hardware. So we can use the extra money saved to buy more dvds or HD DVDs. So what do you guys think?

Guys,

I was disappointed that my Sammy does not accept 1080P input. But lately I realised this to be a blessing. For example, upconverting 1080P dvd players cost more than their 1080i counterpart. Also, 1080P HD DVD (Toshiba A20) cost more than 1080i (A2) ones. The good news is that, there is no difference in PQ when you buy the 1080i hardware. So we can use the extra money saved to buy more dvds or HD DVDs. So what do you guys think?

I feel the same... I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, the Sammy actually upconverts the 1080i signal to 1080p anyway, which is darn close to being the same thing as passing 1080p directly. Looks great to me.

I feel the same... I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, the Sammy actually upconverts the 1080i signal to 1080p anyway, which is darn close to being the same thing as passing 1080p directly. Looks great to me.

Kinda. The chip cannot do interlaced. It is a full 1080 lines of horizontal resolution. However, it can only present half of the picture at one time since the chip has only 960 lines of vertical resolution. They use a technique called wobulation that takes the 960 vertical lines and doubles that to 1920. So I guess you could say that the picture is deinterlaced in the horizontal and although not technically correct interlaced in the vertical. Go figure...

I don't think most people can see the difference. I think the issue is not to have processing if you can avoid it. I think most people here would have waited for 1080p if they knew it was right around the corner. I know I'm looking to get a BR/HD combo player soon and I'm waiting for a Wii HD. lol. I don't think wobulation plays into this, that's like saying a CRT is interlaced but draws one line at a time. Wobulation is just alternating the full left and right image being displayed, since its already converted to progressive.

Kinda. The chip cannot do interlaced. It is a full 1080 lines of horizontal resolution. However, it can only present half of the picture at one time since the chip has only 960 lines of vertical resolution. They use a technique called wobulation that takes the 960 vertical lines and doubles that to 1920. So I guess you could say that the picture is deinterlaced in the horizontal and although not technically correct interlaced in the vertical. Go figure...This is not correct. The "chip" you seem to be referring to is the DMD (Digital Micro Device). The DMD is the multi-mirror device that is heart of dlp technology and is responsible for getting the picture to the screen AFTER it has been processed (scaled, deinterlaced, etc...). As you have noted, it uses wobulation because it has 960 x 1080 mirrors, instead of 1080 x 1080 mirrors. However, it has nothing to do with de-interlacing. The HL-Rs have other chips that are responsible for deinterlacing of 480i and 1080i signals. However, there is uncertainty in regard to the specific techniques and quality of the techniques used for deinterlacing 1080i in the HL-R. One of the "short cuts" used for deinterlacing a 1080i signal, if the processing power or complex algorithms are not available, involves throwing out half the pixels in one direction (vertical?). Whether the HL-R does this has not been verified. Timfitz99's statement is correct. And, as bcvp pointed out, most people, without training, can not tell whether a signal was deinterlaced by the latest and greatest techniques that are only available in stand alone video processors or by a "short cut."

Scroll down this article about 8 or 9 paragraph to and excellent discussion of interlacing and deinterlacing: Deinterlacing (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html)

This is not correct. The "chip" you seem to be referring to is the DMD (Digital Micro Device). The DMD is the multi-mirror device that is heart of dlp technology and is responsible for getting the picture to the screen AFTER it has been processed (scaled, deinterlaced, etc...). As you have noted, it uses wobulation because it has 960 x 1080 mirrors, instead of 1080 x 1080 mirrors. However, it has nothing to do with de-interlacing. The HL-Rs have other chips that are responsible for deinterlacing of 480i and 1080i signals. However, there is uncertainty in regard to the specific techniques and quality of the techniques used for deinterlacing 1080i in the HL-R. One of the "short cuts" used for deinterlacing a 1080i signal, if the processing power or complex algorithms are not available, involves throwing out half the pixels in one direction (vertical?). Whether the HL-R does this has not been verified. Timfitz99's statement is correct. And, as bcvp pointed out, most people, without training, can not tell whether a signal was deinterlaced by the latest and greatest techniques that are only available in stand alone video processors or by a "short cut."
I don't think you read my post closely enough or perhpas I was not clear. Either way, I did not say that Timfitz99's statement was incorrect. That would be silly since it is correct. Also, I did say that the signal is deinterlaced. It has to be in order to be projected. Finally, I also put a big caveat that saying that the wobulation is interlaced is not technically correct. What I meant by that is that at any given time only half the pixels can be shown.

I don't think you read my post closely enough or perhpas I was not clear. Either way, I did not say that Timfitz99's statement was incorrect. That would be silly since it is correct. Also, I did say that the signal is deinterlaced. It has to be in order to be projected. Finally, I also put a big caveat that saying that the wobulation is interlaced is not technically correct. What I meant by that is that at any given time only half the pixels can be shown.My apology... I did misread your post. It was not clear to me until re-reading that you were actually saying that these sets can not directly display an interlaced signal, which is absolutely correct.

Hooray!!! My lamp came in and is the first thing to go right for me in weeks.Is was easy to replace although a beveled type washer fell out of somewheres.They did send a warning that if the TV shuts off regularly that the panel in the back sometimes flexes and lets the switch swing into the up position. So I reset it to the lower position before installing new lamp, but did not work. Put new lamp in and so far is working great. Reset the lamps hours and when I did the lamp hours were 10,671. I was going nuts with a CRT monitor lol. Thanks to all for their fantastic advice and caring.Now I have to wait for lamp to break in. The freakin thing is bright.

I don't think most people can see the difference. I think the issue is not to have processing if you can avoid it. I think most people here would have waited for 1080p if they knew it was right around the corner. I know I'm looking to get a BR/HD combo player soon and I'm waiting for a Wii HD. lol. I don't think wobulation plays into this, that's like saying a CRT is interlaced but draws one line at a time. Wobulation is just alternating the full left and right image being displayed, since its already converted to progressive.

I would have waited knowing what I know now. Granted I still lack the knowledge of HDTV compared to many that post here. I just was walking in C.C. after Christmas of 2006 and saw a hlr6768W for real cheap, and I mean REAL cheap. It was an open box deal that I now sort of regret, not only because I have a shadow on the left side of my screen, but I really wonder about the performance of this tv compared to true, full 1080p performance. Its really hard to know if there is a significant difference because you cant tell when you walk into b.b. and c.c. because of the display inputs, lighting, and other subjective variables. And of course its not like I can take my 2005 model and hook it up in b.b. or c.c. to compare pictures. All I know is my wife and I are blown away by the picture on our hlr6768W and I guess that is what counts in the end.

I also wonder how my tv will perform with a playstation 3. I wonder if, what I like to call the "wobbeldygook" technology that enhances and doubles the output of the hlr6768W to 1080p will do good with blu-ray technology. Will there be any glitches from this "fake" 1080p technology?

Now, back to the thread on "shadows on dlp sets"...I'm trying to read 41 pages of posts. I am on a mission!

Danielwd, I hear ya. We pulled the trigger when we did. There's always something new and improved and cheaper down the road, I guess that's just the way it works. lol. I'm glad we got the HLR and not HLS since there is a good jump with the HLT. I'm pleased with the HLR, Samsung has great customer service. The issue is HDMI 1.3, and some other features that the higher end HLT model has, which are just that much more future proof. I find it interesting that only the higher end model has these features. There are a lot of people like us so it looks like they'll have to make sure the HD DVD players work for these "old" sets. The only issue is the extra processing needed to convert 1080i to p and I don't think it is a huge looking back. We've gotten a lot out of these sets. I'd be mad if I bought a new set that wasn't HDMI 1.3 and that apparently is an option! lol. The HLT is cheaper than the HLR, so its a matter of keeping it, giving it away or taking a big hit selling it.

Afa the shadow issue, you need a LE. Make sure the tech. brings the part with them and make sure they don't pick up the TV. Period. Some people continue to have issues with service if they live outside a major metro area. You need to tell them what the deal is so you'll get faster results with less headaches. It looks like the refurb. LEs are holding up these days, there were only a couple of reports of replacement LEs having new issues. There were some issues with the HLR but the HLS and HLT has a few issues too so I can't say that's what we get for being first.

I would have waited knowing what I know now. Granted I still lack the knowledge of HDTV compared to many that post here. I just was walking in C.C. after Christmas of 2006 and saw a hlr6768W for real cheap, and I mean REAL cheap. It was an open box deal that I now sort of regret, not only because I have a shadow on the left side of my screen, but I really wonder about the performance of this tv compared to true, full 1080p performance. Its really hard to know if there is a significant difference because you cant tell when you walk into b.b. and c.c. because of the display inputs, lighting, and other subjective variables. And of course its not like I can take my 2005 model and hook it up in b.b. or c.c. to compare pictures. All I know is my wife and I are blown away by the picture on our hlr6768W and I guess that is what counts in the end.

I also wonder how my tv will perform with a playstation 3. I wonder if, what I like to call the "wobbeldygook" technology that enhances and doubles the output of the hlr6768W to 1080p will do good with blu-ray technology. Will there be any glitches from this "fake" 1080p technology?

Now, back to the thread on "shadows on dlp sets"...I'm trying to read 41 pages of posts. I am on a mission!
All RP DLP sets that are sold now use wobulation(720P and 1080P). The HLR sets could resolve around 1800 to 1850 lines of resolution out of 1920. The newer sets resolve all 1920. I was very happy with my HLR but I wanted a set that accepted 1080P on a digital input instead of just the VGA input. Plus I wanted to take advantage of my VP 50 deinterlacing and scaling to 1080P so I wouldn't need to rely on the TVs deinterlacing, although the HLR does a great job.
My HLR has been retired to my bedroom for now. I'll probably sell it for $600 to a friend or coworker. It's not even two years old(23 months) yet and I paid $4K for the set and extended warranty.

BCVP: Danielwd, I hear ya. We pulled the trigger when we did. There's always something new and improved and cheaper down the road, I guess that's just the way it works.

True, but I "pulled the trigger" a little later than most. I got my HLR in Dec 06 as an open box deal only paying a fraction. The salesman was open and upfront - he told me straight that they were trying to get rid of it and that it was a floor model.

I should of researched a little bit more. I saw the 1080p and said hey, "I'm gettin' 1080p", which I understand it is equivalent to but not exactly the same as 1080p.

The bottom line is that I hardly see any set anywhere produce the results my HLR produces. Now like I said before, I cant set them up side by side in my family room, and places like hh greg, circuit city, and best buy get tricky with the way they feed their HDTV, their lighting, and so many factors.

Overall I am happy, but I would love to have a mitsubishi 73" (mde-wd73734) with those 4 hdmi inputs. But I am really not all that convinced that the picture is all that much better to be honest.

Another factor is how well that playstation 3 performs. I am waiting for a friend to bring his over to see how it does on my tv.

lol. I'm glad we got the HLR and not HLS since there is a good jump with the HLT. I'm pleased with the HLR, Samsung has great customer service. The issue is HDMI 1.3, and some other features that the higher end HLT model has, which are just that much more future proof. I find it interesting that only the higher end model has these features. There are a lot of people like us so it looks like they'll have to make sure the HD DVD players work for these "old" sets. The only issue is the extra processing needed to convert 1080i to p and I don't think it is a huge looking back. We've gotten a lot out of these sets. I'd be mad if I bought a new set that wasn't HDMI 1.3 and that apparently is an option! lol. The HLT is cheaper than the HLR, so its a matter of keeping it, giving it away or taking a big hit selling it.

Here, I have to humbly disagree. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. But the HLR R668W was a 2005 model. Now I purchased mine in dec of 06. That is not getting alot out of the set. Now granted, I payed very little for mine, but still, I wouldnt even consider buying a tv in 2005 and looking back proudly in retrospect 2 years later is getting much out of a tv either.

The question is, are these sets going to be compatible with new technologies down the road, such as with the playstation 3, xbox 360, blu ray, and hd dvd.

Speaking of such, is there anyone out there with a HLR6768W with a playstation 3 hooked up? I wonder how it performs?

I guess I could start a thread with that question.


Afa the shadow issue, you need a LE. Make sure the tech. brings the part with them and make sure they don't pick up the TV. Period. Some people continue to have issues with service if they live outside a major metro area. You need to tell them what the deal is so you'll get faster results with less headaches. It looks like the refurb. LEs are holding up these days, there were only a couple of reports of replacement LEs having new issues. There were some issues with the HLR but the HLS and HLT has a few issues too so I can't say that's what we get for being first.

Yeah, thanks to this thread I equipped myself with enough knowledge to tell my waranty company to bring a long a new LE so they wouldn't have to make another trip.

This thread has been increasingly helpful over the last week. I have spent hours learning more and more about my set!

I almost feel as though I could do the work myself, but I wont because I was lucky enough to purchase a 4 year extended warranty.

Danielwd, there is a ton of info here on the 360 and PS3, try the search link on the top.

The set is clearly obsolete already. Its great that you got a good deal on it but the amount of time you've had it has no bearing on how it fits in with the future of HD. Its like saying you just bought a used car that needs an engine, what do you do? You might be better off upgrading soon to stay ahead, at least you didn't get the HLS. I think you'd be seriously kicking yourself. lol. It always bothers me when I think of all of the people who bought HD ready TVs!

My point was if you're considering upgrading you have a few options and it would be better to sell sooner than later, if that is something you're thinking about. The newest, higher end model, which I think started shipping in May, has HDMI 1.3 which includes better picture and sound. That is the new standard that will help keep your HD HT components from being obsolete, in a nut shell.

There is nothing wrong with the HLR, its a matter of staying on top of HD HT components. Right now we are in the backward compatible category! Yikes! lol. I'm looking to buy a future proof AVR by the end of the year. lol. I'm still using the TV speakers! I have faith that the right AVR for me will be out by then!

The question is, are these sets going to be compatible with new technologies down the road, such as with the playstation 3, xbox 360, blu ray, and hd dvd.




Most people have a PS3 connected to an anlog set that is only 480i. So of course an HD set will work with the PS3 just fine. The HLR is just limited to 1080i over component and HDMI. It does have a good deinterlacer and definitely works fine with movies. Although for games there might be a slight delay since the Component and HDMI goes through extra processing. Thats why I like using the VGA input with my 360 with the HLR. It accepted a 1080P input plus it bypassed most of the extra processing which can lead to the video being delayed for a fraction of a second which can affect split second timing for games.

The 1080P vs. 1080i is really overblown.
Are there true 1080P sources, by true I mean 1080x1920 @ 60 frames per second?
All info that I've found says that 1080P is at 30 FPS.
This is the same as 1080i interlaced to 1080P on the HLR.
30 per second of new information, however you look at it.
With bandwidth issues over cable, my guess is that it will be a long time before we see 1080P @ 60 FPS.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the HLR will be fine for years to come.

"Are there true 1080P sources, by true I mean 1080x1920 @ 60 frames per second? "

PS3 games and BluRay movies are 1080P. I believe this may also be true for Xbox360 and HD-DVD.

"Are there true 1080P sources, by true I mean 1080x1920 @ 60 frames per second? "

PS3 games and BluRay movies are 1080P. I believe this may also be true for Xbox360 and HD-DVD.

OK on the games, but all the info I can find says BluRay & HD-DVD are in 50i & 60i.

Unless something is filmed or recorded at 60FPS, the 1080i vs. 1080p debate is moot.

Most people have a PS3 connected to an anlog set that is only 480i. So of course an HD set will work with the PS3 just fine. The HLR is just limited to 1080i over component and HDMI. It does have a good deinterlacer and definitely works fine with movies. Although for games there might be a slight delay since the Component and HDMI goes through extra processing. Thats why I like using the VGA input with my 360 with the HLR. It accepted a 1080P input plus it bypassed most of the extra processing which can lead to the video being delayed for a fraction of a second which can affect split second timing for games.

Okay, sounds good. But what is a VGA input?

For what it's worth, I've had a PS3 connected to my HLR-6168 since January, and have had absolutely no problems. Picture is great, no lag. Just picked up the new Denon AVR-3808CI (HDMI 1.3a/1080p) yesterday, and while I haven't had time to do any real testing, so far everything has worked seamlessly with the HLR6168, and the picture still looks great. (And yes, I've had the shadow)

BCVP: Danielwd, there is a ton of info here on the 360 and PS3, try the search link on the top.

The set is clearly obsolete already. Its great that you got a good deal on it but the amount of time you've had it has no bearing on how it fits in with the future of HD. Its like saying you just bought a used car that needs an engine, what do you do? You might be better off upgrading soon to stay ahead, at least you didn't get the HLS. I think you'd be seriously kicking yourself. lol. It always bothers me when I think of all of the people who bought HD ready TVs!

True, my brother-in-law thought he was hot stuff some years ago with his big, bulky cabinet tv that was 720i and needed some sort of adaptor to even accept HDTV. He still owns his tv but doesn't even have the HDTV hooked up!

My point was if you're considering upgrading you have a few options and it would be better to sell sooner than later, if that is something you're thinking about. The newest, higher end model, which I think started shipping in May, has HDMI 1.3 which includes better picture and sound. That is the new standard that will help keep your HD HT components from being obsolete, in a nut shell.

Is HDMI 1.3 much different than the 19 pin HDMI cables I use now?

There is nothing wrong with the HLR, its a matter of staying on top of HD HT components. Right now we are in the backward compatible category! Yikes! lol. I'm looking to buy a future proof AVR by the end of the year. lol. I'm still using the TV speakers! I have faith that the right AVR for me will be out by then!

Yeah my purchase was kind of rushed looking back but I love my tv and sound system. I bought a 5.1 Denon system along with my tv and financed it all.

All in all I'm happy with my tv and sound system. So happy in fact, that even if my local circuit city would take my old tv and allow me to upgrade, I probably wouldn't. I dont feel like financing the difference, after all, I only have like 3 more payments to make on my HLR and Denon sound system.

For what it's worth, I've had a PS3 connected to my HLR-6168 since January, and have had absolutely no problems. Picture is great, no lag. Just picked up the new Denon AVR-3808CI (HDMI 1.3a/1080p) yesterday, and while I haven't had time to do any real testing, so far everything has worked seamlessly with the HLR6168, and the picture still looks great. (And yes, I've had the shadow)

This is really good news...now I need to go buy a PS3!

By the way is your HLR6168 much different than my HLR6768W?

Ummm...mine is 6 inches...sma....err....larger! :o

This is really good news...now I need to go buy a PS3!

By the way is your HLR6168 much different than my HLR6768W?

Be careful. oldno7 did not say how he's connected to the HLR. If it's via vga (does the PS3 have a VGA output: rhetroical question) then there is no lag. Via any other input there is a small but significant lag of ~120ms. If you're game playing that can make a difference. There is no way to get rid of this lag and no matter what anectodal evidence to the contrary the lag exists.

If you are big into fast action gaming, I would not buy this set. I don't play games on mine, never will. Hence, I really like my set.

I have the PS3 connected via HDMI (note input mode is NOT set to GAME). While I'm not a hardcore gamer, especially in the summer, I have been playing RB6 Vegas quite a bit lately and have not noticed any lag. I also did not notice any lag with Resistance or Motorstorm.

Hi all:

I just started this thread over on the HD-DVD forum. Does anyone here have info on why the HD A2 might not do so well on the HLR 6168?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11341889&posted=1#post11341889

Would appreciate any ideas on this thread or the new one!

Many thanks!

I have a Samsung HLS-5687W DLP TV and I just noticed that I have a gery bar or shadow on the right side of the screen going from top to bottom, a little bigger on the top. Does anybody know what can cause this. I am still under warranty and I have Samsung coming out in a few days. Any help would be great.

John1117,
Check out this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=9012002&postcount=1

Be careful. oldno7 did not say how he's connected to the HLR. If it's via vga (does the PS3 have a VGA output: rhetroical question) then there is no lag. Via any other input there is a small but significant lag of ~120ms. If you're game playing that can make a difference. There is no way to get rid of this lag and no matter what anectodal evidence to the contrary the lag exists.

If you are big into fast action gaming, I would not buy this set. I don't play games on mine, never will. Hence, I really like my set.

I feel like an idiot when I read your posts. I understand bits and pieces because I am just not as informed as I probably should be.

So does my new PS3 have a VGA output? I haven't seen it.

I have been playing motosport and loving it for a few days now since I bought my PS3. I haven't noticed any game lag.

Sometimes, I purposely ignore certain information. That way I will not notice any shortcomings of my set. For instance, I would really rather NOT know the difference between 1080i and 1080p, because it could drive me up the wall!

On that note, while setting up my HLR6768W, why will the PS3 NOT allow me to choose 1080p for a possible output resolution on my T.V.?????? It allows me to check 480, 720, and even 1080i, but it will not allow me to check off 1080p as an error screen comes up informing me that my set will not allow this resolution.

I thought the HLR6768W could still be considered a 1080p set regardless of the wobulation. Any answers?

The HLR is rather notorious for gaming lag. That era of TV's gave Samsung a rather bad rap in that regard, which it still assumes to this day, despite the fact the HLS and HLT models are rather good in terms of gaming lag. And no, the PS3 doesn't have a VGA option.

While the TV outputs 1080P, it does not accept 1080P inputs. This is highlighted on the first page of this thread. It was very common for early 1080P sets to output 1080P but not accept them over any inputs. Later sets accepted 1080P only over hdmi but not component. Now, most sets coming out accept it over all inputs (or plan to do so).

Your PS3 is reading correct. This set only accepts up to a 1080i signal. That has nothing to do with wobulation. The set displays 1080P, so it is scaling anything incoming to that resolution.

danielwd,
The HLR series is notorious for video lag. It shows up in both video games and lip sinc. The lip sinc problem only occurs when using external speakers. Many here have purchased an audio delay device to match the sound from external speakers with the video. An audio delay of around 110ms seems to work best. 110ms of video delay can make some games nearly unplayable. The delay is caused by the TV’s video processing on all inputs but VGA. Using the VGA input will reduce the video delay by about half, which most people find acceptable. The other advantage of the VGA input is 1080P. It is the only input on this TV that will accept a 1080P signal.

I feel like an idiot when I read your posts. I understand bits and pieces because I am just not as informed as I probably should be.


I was an idiot at one time too. :rolleyes: Some would say I still am. :D Hopefully the previous two posts answered you remaining questions. Don't worry danielwd. You're asking intelligent questions. I personally like helping others out and as you can tell by the responses you're getting so do others. Hopefully my posts are informative because when I started out with this hobby I was also asking a lot of questions that were answered by people in the know. Still do. I like returning the favor where I can.

danielwd,
The HLR series is notorious for video lag. It shows up in both video games and lip sinc. The lip sinc problem only occurs when using external speakers. Many here have purchased an audio delay device to match the sound from external speakers with the video. An audio delay of around 110ms seems to work best.

Or it's built into the receiver. Here's a trick for you if you don't already know it (assuming you have the capability to delay the digital signal). Take the digital sound output one of your sources (i.e. cable box) and send it to your TV and AVR at the same time. Take out all delay on the receiver and turn on the volume on both the TV and the AVR. You will hear an echo. This is the delay. Dial in some delay until the echo goes away. You now have a picture and audio signal in perfect sync (assuming the source is in sync).

Hi WheresTheRemote,

The problem you posted is due to a failing light tunnel assembly. It's a inch and a half rectangular mirrored tunnel and one of the mirrors is leaning and eventually as time passes it will collapse and then cause a whole shadow across your screen. If you are still under warranty it's as simple as calling Samsung for service as they redid the light tunnel assembly themselves (heard another company manufactured the light tunnels in the past). If not, the light tunnel isn't that expensive but you will have to pay labor (our company charges $260.00 for DLP labor).

Hope this helped.

Or it's built into the receiver. Here's a trick for you if you don't already know it (assuming you have the capability to delay the digital signal). Take the digital sound output one of your sources (i.e. cable box) and send it to your TV and AVR at the same time. Take out all delay on the receiver and turn on the volume on both the TV and the AVR. You will hear an echo. This is the delay. Dial in some delay until the echo goes away. You now have a picture and audio signal in perfect sync (assuming the source is in sync).

I may try that when I get my new tv!

Circuit City gave me all my money back from my HLR that I purchased 6 months ago and I get a brand new Mitsubishi WD-73734. Its coming tomorrow, and I can hardly wait!

Goodbye shadows, hello something else (hopefully NOT).

Hi all. Sorry for the newbie post, but this is my first time here.

I have a Samsung HL-T5656WX that I bought from Costco. I bought it in June, set it up in July when I got HD satellite, wnet on vacation for 2 weeks and had it crap out on me first few days of August (set keeps turning itself off and the lamp indicator flashes).

It's now first few days of September, I'm on my third in-house service company and it's still not fixed (won't bore you with the awful service details, including the Samsung 'service engineer'). Costco shook their heads at me yesterday and said anything under a year and I should have just brought it back. Not too keen on lugging a 56" tv plus stand that weighs more thna the st, but that's what I'm about to do.

My question is, should I swap it for another 5656WX (which Costco will do) or whould I get the Sony 60" SXRD (KDS60A2020) for an extra $500, including stand, from an electronics store?

Thanks!

Hi all. Sorry for the newbie post, but this is my first time here.

I have a Samsung HL-T5656WX that I bought from Costco. I bought it in June, set it up in July when I got HD satellite, wnet on vacation for 2 weeks and had it crap out on me first few days of August (set keeps turning itself off and the lamp indicator flashes).

It's now first few days of September, I'm on my third in-house service company and it's still not fixed (won't bore you with the awful service details, including the Samsung 'service engineer'). Costco shook their heads at me yesterday and said anything under a year and I should have just brought it back. Not too keen on lugging a 56" tv plus stand that weighs more thna the st, but that's what I'm about to do.

My question is, should I swap it for another 5656WX (which Costco will do) or whould I get the Sony 60" SXRD (KDS60A2020) for an extra $500, including stand, from an electronics store?

Thanks!

If you really like the sam ,and want to save $500. swap it out , if you like the Sony better, buy the sony

I noticed that Toshiba is comming out with its third generation HD players. Below is an excerpt from the press release:

"Toshiba's third generation family starts with the entry level HD-A3 player featuring 1080i output capability. The other two new models, Toshiba's HD-A30 and HD-A35, will output 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080p), the highest HD signal currently available. Both models are capable of outputting signals at 1080p/24 frames per second so consumers can enjoy movies in their native frame rate."

Does anyone know if the Sammy HLR can utilize the 1080p/24 frames per second for the A30 and A35, since it (Sammy) has 1080P native resolution? Or should one just stick with the HD-3A?

Thanks.

Does anyone know if the Sammy HLR can utilize the 1080p/24 frames per second for the A30 and A35, since it (Sammy) has 1080P native resolution? Or should one just stick with the HD-3A?

Thanks.

Nope. There are no rear projection DLPs that can do 24fps.

Nope. There are no rear projection DLPs that can do 24fps.


Thanks. I guess its just a wishful thinking on my part.

Hello,
I have a frustrating problem which I assume you all have run into as well.
For the longest time, I could not understand why my Blu-Ray and HD-DVD inputs looked much darker than, say, HDMI in from my HiDef Cable box.

It turns out, nudging brightness just one bit, resets it to calibrated specs, until the next input change.

Here's what I found out: While all my inputs send RGB (via HDMI), the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD send Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr (making the set convert the space to RGB for display). For some reason, when checking in the service menu of the Samsung, the SUB BRIGHTNESS is seperate for each! That by itself would be okay but I want them to be different and the set automatically realize that wen switching. At present the only way to do so is to nudge the (normal menu) brightness.

Does anyone know how to make this work automatically, or is this a bug with these models?

I don't want to set the sub brightness (DNIE menu in service menu) to the same values as that would permanently leave one to bright or dark. My sub brightness for Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr is at 256, while the RGB is at 242. Perfect - but again, unless I nudge (or turn the TV off and on) it doesn't switch automatically, so that when I watch TV, then switch to Blu-Ray, I get black crush until I - you guessed it, nudge brightness :-)

Any help or input appreciate !

Best,
Dan

Hey Dan, it's a bug. I have to do the same thing. Eliab (Avical) explained this to me when he came to calibrate the set.

Cary

Hello,
I have a frustrating problem which I assume you all have run into as well.
For the longest time, I could not understand why my Blu-Ray and HD-DVD inputs looked much darker than, say, HDMI in from my HiDef Cable box.

It turns out, nudging brightness just one bit, resets it to calibrated specs, until the next input change.

Here's what I found out: While all my inputs send RGB (via HDMI), the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD send Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr (making the set convert the space to RGB for display). For some reason, when checking in the service menu of the Samsung, the SUB BRIGHTNESS is seperate for each! That by itself would be okay but I want them to be different and the set automatically realize that wen switching. At present the only way to do so is to nudge the (normal menu) brightness.

Does anyone know how to make this work automatically, or is this a bug with these models?

I don't want to set the sub brightness (DNIE menu in service menu) to the same values as that would permanently leave one to bright or dark. My sub brightness for Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr is at 256, while the RGB is at 242. Perfect - but again, unless I nudge (or turn the TV off and on) it doesn't switch automatically, so that when I watch TV, then switch to Blu-Ray, I get black crush until I - you guessed it, nudge brightness :-)

Any help or input appreciate !

Best,
Dan

Thanks so much for posting this! I was wondering the same thing! It only happens to me with video from my PS3. My HD-DVD Add-on on my 360 looks right, as the 360 must compensate for it with its own black level settings.

This firmware bug was posted in this thread nearly two years ago. The only convenient fix is to use a programmable remote control that resets the current video mode after each and every input change. I use "Movie Mode" for everything, so that's what my remote sends along with each input change.

Hi,
the reason, I believe, the bug does not show with the Xbox' HD-DVD add-on is that (I assume you have the Component Video version, not HDMI) the video signal is transferred in RGB space. Apparently the bug exists when switching input signals from Yxxx to RGB and vice versa. If you had a standalone HD-DVD Player you would see the bug, just as you are with the PS3. Now, with the PS3 you can test this out: If set to auto, PS3 will use Yxxx, and the bug occurs. You can set BD over HDMI to RGB (making the PS3 decode to RGB versus your TV) and the bug will 'disappear' - of course, that's a band-aid, and the PS3 is somewhat uniqure in letting you choose in the first place...

Cheers,
Dan

This firmware bug was posted in this thread nearly two years ago. The only convenient fix is to use a programmable remote control that resets the current video mode after each and every input change. I use "Movie Mode" for everything, so that's what my remote sends along with each input change.


Milos (and Cary),
thanks for the replies !!

Yeah, that makes sense. Frankly, I just was busy - I knew the problem existed for a while, but between other things (and finally getting my Pioneer Elite Firmware updated to eliminate the HDMI audio in bug :-) ) I just now spend some time with the TV to see where the problem really is.

Milos, if I can have you confirm what you are doing - you are basically telling the remote to set to 'movie' mode to reset this?

How do you do that with a single command? I.e. I do have a programmable remote - but since I, like you, always watch in Movie mode (and have that calibrated), so far I need to go through too many steps to automatically reset (i.e. .menu, brightness, up or down, reverse that, exit).

Are you saying you send / cycle through the video options (back to movie) or just send a single command to go to 'movie' even though it's currently selected?

I am using a Harmony 890 remote.

Thanks again for the replies!

Dan :)

Milos, if I can have you confirm what you are doing - you are basically telling the remote to set to 'movie' mode to reset this?

How do you do that with a single command? I.e. I do have a programmable remote - but since I, like you, always watch in Movie mode (and have that calibrated), so far I need to go through too many steps to automatically reset (i.e. .menu, brightness, up or down, reverse that, exit).

Are you saying you send / cycle through the video options (back to movie) or just send a single command to go to 'movie' even though it's currently selected?



I use an RTI T2+ remote, which supports macro sequences, steps of which can be individual IR (or RS-232) commands to various components. For example, when I select a DVD player:

Samsung TV : Component Input 1
Samsung TV : Movie Mode
Change to DVD Page

When I select the TV tuner:

Samsung TV : PC Input (there is no direct command for tuner)
Pause for 1.0 second
Samsung TV : Source (cycles to the next one, which is tuner)
Samsung TV : Movie Mode
Change to TV Page

Each of these commands (Component Input 1, Movie Mode, PC Input, Source) has a hexadecimal code that can be inserted into the macro sequences. I captured most of them with the RTI IR-Pro. I snagged the rest off this forum in the early days. If you need any, just ask.

hi again... i have a toshiba HD-A2 player hooked up via HDMI to my HLR 6168. I have been complaining that the HD PQ has not been stellar. I have just finished watching the "Heroes" HD-DVD (2nd one) and I have to say that the scenes of the sky are just pure noise. The rest of the content is not stunning either.

This is not what I expected at all.

I have just been poking around in the SM to make sure that my DNIE is turned off. And it is. I have tried the Gamma setting to 0=Film and 2=Video and it doesn't make a big difference.

Any ideas as to what could be going on? I am at my wits' end and frankly, have no clue as to how to proceed. Your help would be much appreciated.

PS: I have tried both HDMI1 and HDMI2 and different cables without luck. I have been told over at the HD-DVD thread that the PQ should be "sharp as a tack". I am just not seeing that. :(

hi again... i have a toshiba HD-A2 player hooked up via HDMI to my HLR 6168. I have been complaining that the HD PQ has not been stellar. I have just finished watching the "Heroes" HD-DVD (2nd one) and I have to say that the scenes of the sky are just pure noise. The rest of the content is not stunning either.

This is not what I expected at all.

I have just been poking around in the SM to make sure that my DNIE is turned off. And it is. I have tried the Gamma setting to 0=Film and 2=Video and it doesn't make a big difference.

Any ideas as to what could be going on? I am at my wits' end and frankly, have no clue as to how to proceed. Your help would be much appreciated.

PS: I have tried both HDMI1 and HDMI2 and different cables without luck. I have been told over at the HD-DVD thread that the PQ should be "sharp as a tack". I am just not seeing that. :(

Try component. That will hep to eliminate the prob. Post back.

Try component. That will hep to eliminate the prob. Post back.

Tried component. The picture is very soft with Component. I didn't look too closely to see if the noise level is also low but in general the PQ wasn't anything to rave about with component either.

Thanks.

Tried component. The picture is very soft with Component. I didn't look too closely to see if the noise level is also low but in general the PQ wasn't anything to rave about with component either.

Thanks.

Turn DNIE back on. Then go back to factory defaults. But, before you try this, one important thing that I'm sure you've already done, but needs mentioning. Make sure the playe is set to 1080i. You can press the display button to see if that is the mode you're in. But I'm sure you've already done that! :D

Turn DNIE back on. Then go back to factory defaults. But, before you try this, one important thing that I'm sure you've already done, but needs mentioning. Make sure the playe is set to 1080i. You can press the display button to see if that is the mode you're in. But I'm sure you've already done that! :D

Yes the player is at 1080i. I have tried "film/video/auto" mode and other resolutions at the player - all to no avail.

Are you asking me to turn DNIE back on as experiment or permanently? And which factory defaults are you referring to - UM or SM?

Thanks.

Yes the player is at 1080i. I have tried "film/video/auto" mode and other resolutions at the player - all to no avail.

Are you asking me to turn DNIE back on as experiment or permanently? And which factory defaults are you referring to - UM or SM?

Thanks.
I really don't know how much help I can be. If you are new to these sets, then turning DNIE off can be quite a shock. The picture will be softer looking. You also mentioned that you've change video modes and gamma. What I am suggesting it to go back to the way it was in the box.

When I first DNIE off I hated it. I eventually had ny set professionally calibrated and now with DNIE off I could not be happier, it is a great picture. Sorry, but I don't have much more to offer. Good luck!

I really don't know how much help I can be. If you are new to these sets, then turning DNIE off can be quite a shock. The picture will be softer looking. You also mentioned that you've change video modes and gamma. What I am suggesting it to go back to the way it was in the box.

When I first DNIE off I hated it. I eventually had ny set professionally calibrated and now with DNIE off I could not be happier, it is a great picture. Sorry, but I don't have much more to offer. Good luck!

I have had the set for 2+ years and DNIE has been off for much of that time - been enjoying the PQ too. :)

Hey guys, I haven't been active on AVS for over a year. I pre-ordered my HLR and am happy. Three questions:

Have there been any firmware updates?

How do I access the service menu?

I have heard the chipset inside the TV can accept 1080P through HDMI/component but it is not activated internally. Why can't Samsung fix this?

PS: I am thinking of buying a VGA cable for my xbox 360 to eliminate that nasty lag.

The HLR is rather notorious for gaming lag. That era of TV's gave Samsung a rather bad rap in that regard, which it still assumes to this day, despite the fact the HLS and HLT models are rather good in terms of gaming lag. And no, the PS3 doesn't have a VGA option.

While the TV outputs 1080P, it does not accept 1080P inputs. This is highlighted on the first page of this thread. It was very common for early 1080P sets to output 1080P but not accept them over any inputs. Later sets accepted 1080P only over hdmi but not component. Now, most sets coming out accept it over all inputs (or plan to do so).

Your PS3 is reading correct. This set only accepts up to a 1080i signal. That has nothing to do with wobulation. The set displays 1080P, so it is scaling anything incoming to that resolution.


I bought my HLR5078W in January of 2006, and just found out this week (after buying a PS3) that the inputs do not accept 1080p signals. I had never tried to hook up an HD-DVD or Blue-ray player so I never knew. Is there some way I should have/could have known that before buying it? I researched it and read reviews all over the internet before buying it, but saw nothing anywhere that said that the inputs don't accept a 1080p signal (I wish I had found this forum). I feel completely ripped off. I've complained to Tweeter (where I bought it) and they claim that they were never told that by Samsung. Am I right to be so upset, or should I have somehow known this?

Also, (this may belong in another thread, but) can anyone who's been following this one tell me the best way to connect the PS3 and/or set up the TV to minimize the lag (it's killing me on the sports games)? I currently have it connected with HDMI and have the TV set to GAME mode. Thanks a lot.

I bought my HLR5078W in January of 2006, and just found out this week (after buying a PS3) that the inputs do not accept 1080p signals. I had never tried to hook up an HD-DVD or Blue-ray player so I never knew. Is there some way I should have/could have known that before buying it? I researched it and read reviews all over the internet before buying it, but saw nothing anywhere that said that the inputs don't accept a 1080p signal (I wish I had found this forum). I feel completely ripped off. I've complained to Tweeter (where I bought it) and they claim that they were never told that by Samsung. Am I right to be so upset, or should I have somehow known this?

Also, (this may belong in another thread, but) can anyone who's been following this one tell me the best way to connect the PS3 and/or set up the TV to minimize the lag (it's killing me on the sports games)? I currently have it connected with HDMI and have the TV set to GAME mode. Thanks a lot.

I was bummed to when I discovered that my 1080p display only had 1080i inputs via HDMI. However, I looked back into the online manual at Samsung's site, and sure enough, it does state HDMI only accepts 1080i. So it does what they advertised it to do. I should have just researched a bit more.

But to be honest, you won't see a difference between 1080i and 1080p, and the set does deinterlace all the 1080i material to 1080p and does a good job of it.

For the other poster, if you want a very slightly used Xbox brand VGA cable drop me a line and I will make you a good price. I bought one for the lag issue. It does help a bit in that area, but the trade off is that the colors from the VGA input are a bit washed out. Also, the VGA input bypasses the 1:1 pixel mapping on the set, so any overscan or underscan and you start getting processing artifacts showing up in the image. After trying VGA for a month, I went back to component.

Most of my games are good via component on the GAME setting. There have been a couple of timed button mashers (or something like Guitar Hero) where advanced levels are so timing critical that they are almost impossible to complete with the lag.

Well, I bought my Samsung 5078 in March of 2006, and apparently its going to need a new light engine now. The bottom end of my grayscale went from being gray to being green-gray. So basically you start at white and its gets a darker gray, darker gray, then at 20%, gray becomes green-gray, looks brighter, and then drops to black and blacker than black.

Any shadows or dark areas that fall in this area of the grayscale actually look brighter and green, when compared to the dark areas around them. A tech looked at the set today and said it would need a new light engine.

Glad I bought the extended warranty. I feel more like I'm leasing these sets, than owning one. I had a 50" HLN that I bought Summer 2003 and it was dead by Christmas 2005. Best Buy replaced it with the 5078 in March 2006 and I had to spend $400 on a new service plan. Now it's on the fritz 1.5 years later. Somehow I suspect that before the next 2.5 years is up, Best Buy will end up replacing this one as well (The 4th repair call makes it a lemon and auto replacement, and I'm sure it will need a new bulb, and probably new color wheel in the next couple of years, which makes calls 2 and 3).

My only concern is that a tech I know diagnosed the problem as a bad digital board, but the company Best Buy actually sent to repair it says it's the light engine. Two DLP techs looking at the same set and coming to different conclusions. One says the digital board is sending a bad signal to the LE and DMD. The other says the DMD is not accuratly imaging the signal from the digital board. That always gives you warm fuzzies doesn't it?

I'm personally siding with my friend who says digital board, so this repair should be a trip (oh the LE didn't fix it, well, let's spend more of BB's money). The DMD makes gray by first mixing the RGB light to make white. It then varies the time that white is projected to the screen to make the shades of gray. Bright gray gets more screen time and dark gray gets little screen time. For the gray to be brighter and greenish, it would mean that the DMD timing is letting more green mix with red and blue, and since it is bright, the DMD is projecting the mismatched gray to the screen for a longer period of time. It seems odd that the DMD would malfunction only it the 10-20% range of grayscale. It seems like if it were a timing problem of mixing colors, you would see it on every color. If it were an issue of mirror timing, you would again see it across the scale. Since it is in such a limited range, I would think the LE is just getting corrupt data from the digital board, and reproducing that corrupt data as received. I guess I'll know in about a week.

Is there anything I should watch for on the new replacement engine. Has the LDL issue been resolved?

hi again... i have a toshiba HD-A2 player hooked up via HDMI to my HLR 6168. I have been complaining that the HD PQ has not been stellar. I have just finished watching the "Heroes" HD-DVD (2nd one) and I have to say that the scenes of the sky are just pure noise. The rest of the content is not stunning either.

This is not what I expected at all.

I have just been poking around in the SM to make sure that my DNIE is turned off. And it is. I have tried the Gamma setting to 0=Film and 2=Video and it doesn't make a big difference.

Any ideas as to what could be going on? I am at my wits' end and frankly, have no clue as to how to proceed. Your help would be much appreciated.

PS: I have tried both HDMI1 and HDMI2 and different cables without luck. I have been told over at the HD-DVD thread that the PQ should be "sharp as a tack". I am just not seeing that. :(

The picture should be as sharp as a tack, but with film grain. This show is shot on film and the grain is preserved quite well on the HD DVD release. What you think is noise may just be film grain.

The HLR is rather notorious for gaming lag. That era of TV's gave Samsung a rather bad rap in that regard, which it still assumes to this day, despite the fact the HLS and HLT models are rather good in terms of gaming lag. And no, the PS3 doesn't have a VGA option.



Turning off DNIE will buy you back some of that lag without having to resort to the VGA input. I imagine it saves a few frames of processing that the set has to do.

I used to have my preamp delay the audio by about 110ms to have video and audio synced. After turning off DNIE, I needed to adjust the delay to 60ms.

Cary

Turning off DNIE will buy you back some of that lag without having to resort to the VGA input. I imagine it saves a few frames of processing that the set has to do.

I used to have my preamp delay the audio by about 110ms to have video and audio synced. After turning off DNIE, I needed to adjust the delay to 60ms.

Cary

I'm not sure about that jcmccorm, but you may be riught. I'm still running 110ms after turning DNIE off. That said, there's a simple test I used. I fed the audio out from my cable box to both my AVR and TV speakers. With them both on and delay set to zero, there is an "echo" caused by the lag. I then started adding delay to the AVR until the echo was eliminated.

TV speakers are the refernece since they have the audio lag caused by the video\audio processing of the TV.

Hi milos,
thanks again. Didn't have time, but will try this tonight; I can do macro of individual IR commands though they are not programmed (in hex) as easily as on the RTI.

What part of the switch actually does the 'reset' on your end? All connections for me are switched at my (HDMI) receiver, so only a single HDMI comes into the TV, and hence, I never 'need' to switch sources.
Does switching the source back and forth do the reset, or does sending the 'movie' command (even if it's already on movie).

Sorry, just 'lazy' as I can and will try myself of course. I mgith
Again, thank you!
Dan


I use an RTI T2+ remote, which supports macro sequences, steps of which can be individual IR (or RS-232) commands to various components. For example, when I select a DVD player:

Samsung TV : Component Input 1
Samsung TV : Movie Mode
Change to DVD Page

When I select the TV tuner:

Samsung TV : PC Input (there is no direct command for tuner)
Pause for 1.0 second
Samsung TV : Source (cycles to the next one, which is tuner)
Samsung TV : Movie Mode
Change to TV Page

Each of these commands (Component Input 1, Movie Mode, PC Input, Source) has a hexadecimal code that can be inserted into the macro sequences. I captured most of them with the RTI IR-Pro. I snagged the rest off this forum in the early days. If you need any, just ask.

James,
maybe a silly question, but with DNIE off you are running a 110ms delay on your receiver.
How would that translate into frames (for receivers that do so in .1 point frame increments)?
In other words, a 2 frame delay would have to be mathematically applied to 60 frames (!) for 1080i / sec ?
Not to say everyone has a single perfect delay setting, just trying to understand the math right ;-)

Cheers,
Dan

I'm not sure about that jcmccorm, but you may be riught. I'm still running 110ms after turning DNIE off. That said, there's a simple test I used. I fed the audio out from my cable box to both my AVR and TV speakers. With them both on and delay set to zero, there is an "echo" caused by the lag. I then started adding delay to the AVR until the echo was eliminated.

TV speakers are the refernece since they have the audio lag caused by the video\audio processing of the TV.

What part of the switch actually does the 'reset' on your end? All connections for me are switched at my (HDMI) receiver, so only a single HDMI comes into the TV, and hence, I never 'need' to switch sources.
Does switching the source back and forth do the reset, or does sending the 'movie' command (even if it's already on movie).



As I understand the bug, switching sources causes black level to float to an incorrect value. Resetting Movie Mode restores black level. In your case, all I can imagine doing is telling the TV to reset Movie Mode each time after you tell your receiver to switch sources. If that doesn't work, then try resetting some other mode first and then reset Movie Mode.

Good luck... and please post your results.

James,
maybe a silly question, but with DNIE off you are running a 110ms delay on your receiver.
How would that translate into frames (for receivers that do so in .1 point frame increments)?
In other words, a 2 frame delay would have to be mathematically applied to 60 frames (!) for 1080i / sec ?
Not to say everyone has a single perfect delay setting, just trying to understand the math right ;-)

Cheers,
Dan

Yikes! Never even knew there were receivers that work that way. I have no idea about the frame rate delay.

Yes, the delay is in the receiver. However, I never did any math. What I first did was try just looking at the screen and adjusting until where I thought the lipsync was gone. Then I came up with the idea of using the TV speakers because they will be in perfect sync with the video. Then all I need do is play both the reciever speakers and TV speakers at the same time and adjust the reciever delay until the echo is gone. You should be able to do the same even with frame rate delay.

There is one flaw in this in that different sources may and often do have their own varing sync delay problems. I have chosen to ignore that and for all of my video sources the one delay seems to work well. YMMV.

As I understand the bug, switching sources causes black level to float to an incorrect value. Resetting Movie Mode restores black level. In your case, all I can imagine doing is telling the TV to reset Movie Mode each time after you tell your receiver to switch sources. If that doesn't work, then try resetting some other mode first and then reset Movie Mode.

Good luck... and please post your results.

BTW: Sometimes even that does not work.

I have programmed the ultimate macro that will automaically go into the TVs menu and mimic the steps to get to contrast and brightnes and bump both up and dwon by 1 then exit out of the menu. It's a long macro but I've been surpisd at how many times it's reset the floating black even though I have programmed mode switching as part of the macro for input switching. Go figure...

As I understand the bug, switching sources causes black level to float to an incorrect value. Resetting Movie Mode restores black level. In your case, all I can imagine doing is telling the TV to reset Movie Mode each time after you tell your receiver to switch sources. If that doesn't work, then try resetting some other mode first and then reset Movie Mode.

Good luck... and please post your results.
Milos,
thanks again. I'll try / play around over the weekend and will post.

Best,
Dan

Yikes! Never even knew there were receivers that work that way. I have no idea about the frame rate delay.

Yes, the delay is in the receiver. However, I never did any math. What I first did was try just looking at the screen and adjusting until where I thought the lipsync was gone. Then I came up with the idea of using the TV speakers because they will be in perfect sync with the video. Then all I need do is play both the reciever speakers and TV speakers at the same time and adjust the reciever delay until the echo is gone. You should be able to do the same even with frame rate delay.

There is one flaw in this in that different sources may and often do have their own varing sync delay problems. I have chosen to ignore that and for all of my video sources the one delay seems to work well. YMMV.
:-) Yeah, the Pioneer Elites all (as far as I know) do the delay setting by 'frames', in .1 increments.
I'll do the math this weekend as I am resetting some layout anyway. In any case, thanks!
Dan

James,
thanks :-)
Yeah, so the problem with a long macro like that, as far as I can see is the need to basically sit the remote there for x seconds (as there needs to be a certain delay - 100-300ms?! - between each command). I guess I could a macro by 'itself', that is, something engaged before starting a movie rather than in the sequence of setting the source etc.

Bottom-line, would have been nice of Samsung of issue a firmware fix ;-)

Again, thanks all for the feedback.

Dan

BTW: Sometimes even that does not work.

I have programmed the ultimate macro that will automaically go into the TVs menu and mimic the steps to get to contrast and brightnes and bump both up and dwon by 1 then exit out of the menu. It's a long macro but I've been surpisd at how many times it's reset the floating black even though I have programmed mode switching as part of the macro for input switching. Go figure...

James,
thanks :-)
Yeah, so the problem with a long macro like that, as far as I can see is the need to basically sit the remote there for x seconds (as there needs to be a certain delay - 100-300ms?! - between each command). I guess I could a macro by 'itself', that is, something engaged before starting a movie rather than in the sequence of setting the source etc.

Bottom-line, would have been nice of Samsung of issue a firmware fix ;-)

Again, thanks all for the feedback.

Dan

Yeah, took me a while to get it working. However, I have a MX 850 which does RF so I use an 2 RF base stations (equipment is in two locations) and flashers for everything. No need to point! It just runs. Work 90% of the time but I do think I have a timing problem, not worth fixing though since I rarely run it. But every once in a while, it's the only way I can get a reset.

BTW: Sometimes even that does not work.

I have programmed the ultimate macro that will automaically go into the TVs menu and mimic the steps to get to contrast and brightnes and bump both up and dwon by 1 then exit out of the menu. It's a long macro but I've been surpisd at how many times it's reset the floating black even though I have programmed mode switching as part of the macro for input switching. Go figure...

My experience switching from HDMI2 to 1 (which has the HD-DVD player) has been that merely changing to standard mode and back to movie mode does NOT fix the darkness issue.

This could be the root cause of my problems with my HD-DVD. I will try changing the brightness levels back and forth and see what happens.

I always just bump the brightness up and back a notch. And yes, I'm surprised at how many times it fixes the black level. Not every time, but enough that I need to do this every time.

Do I really need to do the contrast too?

Cary

I always just bump the brightness up and back a notch. And yes, I'm surprised at how many times it fixes the black level. Not every time, but enough that I need to do this every time.

Do I really need to do the contrast too?

Cary
For what it's worth, for me, moving brightness one notch up (or down) always fixes the brightness issue. I assume switching back and forth from movie mode would too.

The problem only occurs when switching from RGB to ycpbr sources or back. Hence, if I go from TV (HD cable box, HDMI) to standard DVD player (DVI, adapted to HDMI), the level stays constant (both are RGB). Going to or from Blu-Ray or HD-DVD however is an issue (but not going from BD to HD).

You can see that in the service menu: If you look at SUB brightness, and switch resources, the value changes (as it should), but the TV doesn't change 'with it' unless you do the 'brightness notch' trick......

Cheers
Dan

Question....

I have had my HL-R6178W for 2 years now and I recently had the entire light engine and lamp replaced. TV looks great after it was re-calibrated. But I noticed one thing.

Anytime there is a scene with a lot of black it becomes harder to differntiate black objects that are grouped together. almost like a big black glob.

Now I thought upping the brightness would fix it but when I up the brightness the glob is still there just more washed out.

Any idea what this could be?

Question....

I have had my HL-R6178W for 2 years now and I recently had the entire light engine and lamp replaced. TV looks great after it was re-calibrated. But I noticed one thing.

Anytime there is a scene with a lot of black it becomes harder to differntiate black objects that are grouped together. almost like a big black glob.

Now I thought upping the brightness would fix it but when I up the brightness the glob is still there just more washed out.

Any idea what this could be? Sounds like typical black crush. Two things you might want to check: 1. Make sure that Gamma is set to 0 (in the service menu) and 2. Use one of the calibration DVDs to properly set the black level (brightness) and, if necessary, contrast.

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.

Won't the component to VGA converter cause a lag of it's own? I'm tempted to try it, but it's an expensive experiment. I am still trying to figure out the best way to connect, and set up my TV for the PS3 (as far as playing games, not watching movies). Can anyone recommend any tips? How do other PS3 gamers who have HLR's have their's set? The lag is killing me on the difficult levels of the sports games. Any help?

Sounds like typical black crush. Two things you might want to check: 1. Make sure that Gamma is set to 0 (in the service menu) and 2. Use one of the calibration DVDs to properly set the black level (brightness) and, if necessary, contrast.

Well I guess I should clarify the problem. I can't see much detail on black objects they just look like a black glob. Even when I turn the brightness up instead of a deep black glob it's a grey glob....

Won't the component to VGA converter cause a lag of it's own? I'm tempted to try it, but it's an expensive experiment. I am still trying to figure out the best way to connect, and set up my TV for the PS3 (as far as playing games, not watching movies). Can anyone recommend any tips? How do other PS3 gamers who have HLR's have their's set? The lag is killing me on the difficult levels of the sports games. Any help?

I used a component to VGA converter (Vdigi VD-Z3) with the original Xbox and my HLR6168. Video lag was reduced by about 50%, using the VD-Z3. I found video games unplayable using component but acceptable using VGA. I know there are better quality component to VGA converters out there but this one worked for me for a low cost.

http://www.datapro.net/products/vdigi-vd-z3-hdtv-component-to-vga.html

I had to say good-bye to my HL-R5078 last week. I think Magnolia got tired of coming out to fix it so they replaced it. After receiving the HL-T5089, there some things I will miss.

Let me just list the issues that I had with mine. I know some of them are already dcumented in this forum, but I didn't search to see if they all were. After about 6 months of use, the light tunnel partial colapse (grey bar on left side of the screen. The light Engine was replaced. The next issue started about 6 months after that. The tv would just shut down in the middle of watching it....sometimes it would com back on by itself and other times it wouldn't. There were no "Lamp" or "Standby" lights lits on the front to say what might be going on. This was also the third issue with the set. Both times a new light engine was installed.

The forth issue was one night we turned on the tv and it sounded like the color wheel was rubbing against someting. It was making a odd perculating noise (like an old coffee pot) and the screen was flashing an image and then black and them an image off and on fairly quickly. We turned the set off and then on again and the same thing. We let it run for a 20 minutes or so to see if it would resolve itself (that was the extended warranty talking there) but to no avail. The next day the set was fine....however...here we are. we had it replaced.

Just came across the HD FURY on the internet. It claims to convert 1080p from hdmi/Dvi to analog. It connects to the VGA input. Has anyone tried it with the HLR's as it claims to pass 1080p to the VGA input. Which would finally let me get 1080p content into my set.

It looks like a cool device. When looking at their website, I see no retailers listed or prices mentioned.
Smells very expensive.
I would take a chance for a $90 - $120 price range to run my PS3 in 1080p but that is it.
Does it also convert the hi rez audio via HDMI?
I'd rather have 1080i with PCM lossless than 1080p vga with dolby digital at 640kps.

I purchased my HLR6168 back in August 2005 and had a flawless picture until January of this year when the dreaded "shadow" problem appeared (nothing big, just a 1.5" shadow along the right side of the screen. I called Samsung, but at that time I was six weeks out of the 12month + 3 additional free months Samsung manufacturer warranty. Samsung CS eventually gave me the "sorry we can't help you" response. I still tried my best with their ECR people numerous times and got rejected by them as well. Fortunately I purchased the unit using my Visa card that doubled the manufacturer warranty. So I went through them a few months later and in August finally had the entire Light Engine replaced (even though my shadow never got any bigger from day 1). I got lucky and received a brand new light engine instead of a rebuilt one and with it everything looked good as new.

Then last night I start getting lines running horizontally across the screen. They would appear and flicker here and there and then disappear. At first I thought i might be an issue with the Verizon FIOS signal, but it was doing it on all the signal inputs. Now today, the entire picture has been going out. After turning it off for a few minutes and turning it back on it will appear normal at first then it will start to break up and do different things. Once it displayed nothing but what looked like an Red-Green-Blue pixel "starfield". Once it showed a blank, but pea green screen. Once it froze a partial DVD image (even when the DVD was pulled out and the input changed to the HDMI in from the cable box) until it was turned off again. Right now it is displaying everything mostly normal but with a slight flicker/strobe-effect.

Anybody got any idea what the heck is going on with my Sammy 6168 now? DMD board? LE again?? DLP chip wiggin' out??? :confused::eek:

Thanks!


Ron S.

I had my LE replaced under Amex's Buyer's Assurance program. HL-R6768W out of manufacturer warranty, but covered by Amex. Then, I had it replaced 2 weeks later under my local repair shop's 90 days parts/labor warranty. You're in a 90 day window (or just barely)- see if your local guy can do something for you.

You may want to post in the Shadow thread since they seem to be monitoring for a class action lawsuit.

Thanks Geekgirl!

That's probably a good suggestion to post this also in the "Shadow" thread.

Just came across the HD FURY on the internet. It claims to convert 1080p from hdmi/Dvi to analog. It connects to the VGA input. Has anyone tried it with the HLR's as it claims to pass 1080p to the VGA input. Which would finally let me get 1080p content into my set.

I have one and it is not working with HLR :(

Has anyone done a comparison of HD-DVD/BluRay over HDMI at 1080i v/s using an HTPC to get HD-DVD/BluRay at 1080p over VGA?

In the past, I have liked the picture on the VGA input (playing DVDs from a laptop at 1980x1200) better than the picture from my Oppo over HDMI.

I already have an HD-DVD player but I am wondering if I wouldn't be better off getting an HTPC (HP makes some nice ones) with a built-in HD-DVD/BluRay drive and get 1080p this way.

Thoughts?

But to be honest, you won't see a difference between 1080i and 1080p, and the set does deinterlace all the 1080i material to 1080p and does a good job of it.


Ok, I did a "pulldown" search on this thread, and read every returned post (plus some). I really don't think I found someone who said "yay" or "nay" to the effect of this on the HLR series, but from my understanding, I would say the above is not true in most cases. The lack of 3:2 pulldown on 1080i HDMI inputs is a known issue on these sets and will affect motion.

My HLR5678 is calibrated by Eliab, altho at the time he told me he can't calibrate the VGA input. However, I use the HD DVD xbox360 add on to view HD movies over the VGA cable. I was thinking of exchanging this with a Toshiba A2 so I can get better audio than what xbox can send me via optical. However, will the picture look better or not is an unknown.

Any thoughts on the below question? Am I missing anything on my summary that the lack of 3:2 is a PQ issue with the HLR series?

?calibrated HDMI input using 1080i w/o 3:2 or uncalibrated VGA with 1080p uinput?

So does the Toshiba HD DVD players do the 3:2 or is this still an issue with these sets?

Can you tell I'm confused by all this?

Nothing to see here folks, please move on. Everyone went home a while ago.

Mgmt

I have an HLR-6768W. I was watching a DVD the other day when suddenly the picture quality seemed to become grainy. It was bad enough that my wife actually said, "It looks grainy now." It's important to note that she claims she cannot tell the difference between HD and SD. I switched over to some HD channels to see if it was affecting non-DVD content. Sure enough, I convinced myself that the HD feeds no longer looked as smooth. I went into the Display menu and turned on the DNIE demo mode. There was no visible difference between the left side and the right side. I am wondering if DNIE is somehow being skipped. Is that something that could cause the grainy picture? The PQ is fine in brightly lit scenes. But skin tones and solid textures become grainy in anything but bright scenes.

Any suggestions before I have to pay a technician $200 just to come look at it?

Thanks.

I have an HLR-6768W. I was watching a DVD the other day when suddenly the picture quality seemed to become grainy. It was bad enough that my wife actually said, "It looks grainy now." It's important to note that she claims she cannot tell the difference between HD and SD. I switched over to some HD channels to see if it was affecting non-DVD content. Sure enough, I convinced myself that the HD feeds no longer looked as smooth. I went into the Display menu and turned on the DNIE demo mode. There was no visible difference between the left side and the right side. I am wondering if DNIE is somehow being skipped. Is that something that could cause the grainy picture? The PQ is fine in brightly lit scenes. But skin tones and solid textures become grainy in anything but bright scenes.

Any suggestions before I have to pay a technician $200 just to come look at it?

Thanks.

Misadjusted Actuator Gain can cause graininess. I know this because I've deliberately misadjusted the parameter to see the effect. However, this can only be adjusted within the service menu. If you need help getting in there (and out again) and/or adjusting Actu Gain (as the menu calls it), just ask.

All of this notwithstanding, my HLR-6768W has never drifted from my final setting of this parameter in two years... so you may have a different problem.

Ok, I'm having a problem which just recently happened to Marc. I looked back and can't find what the follow-up. I thought this might have happened to someone some time ago? The picture shuts off but the sound remains for about 10 seconds or so, the color wheel winds down and I get the left and right green LEDs that look like eyes and the red LED on the bottom that looks like a mouth. I'd say the LEDs look like a smiley face but they don't and I'm not smiling! lol. Any info on what needs to be replaced and if there are any parts on BO? This has happened once a day for almost a week and tonight its happened three times in fifteen minutes! Help!

bcvp - All LEDs on and blinking is the code for a defective lamp. That's what's in my Sammy's manual, page 12, Front Panel Indicators. HL-R6768W.

I have an HLR-6768W. I was watching a DVD the other day when suddenly the picture quality seemed to become grainy. It was bad enough that my wife actually said, "It looks grainy now." It's important to note that she claims she cannot tell the difference between HD and SD. I switched over to some HD channels to see if it was affecting non-DVD content. Sure enough, I convinced myself that the HD feeds no longer looked as smooth. I went into the Display menu and turned on the DNIE demo mode. There was no visible difference between the left side and the right side. I am wondering if DNIE is somehow being skipped. Is that something that could cause the grainy picture? The PQ is fine in brightly lit scenes. But skin tones and solid textures become grainy in anything but bright scenes.

Any suggestions before I have to pay a technician $200 just to come look at it?

Thanks.Happened all of a sudden? I thought my picture went a little grainy, then the dreaded "shadow" showed up on the left side of the screen. HL-R6768W. Just this week. Getting the light engine replaced for a second time. Dedicated thread here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=758625&page=59
Put on a 16:9 all white background (or something close) and check carefully around the edges.

Misadjusted Actuator Gain can cause graininess. I know this because I've deliberately misadjusted the parameter to see the effect. However, this can only be adjusted within the service menu. If you need help getting in there (and out again) and/or adjusting Actu Gain (as the menu calls it), just ask.

All of this notwithstanding, my HLR-6768W has never drifted from my final setting of this parameter in two years... so you may have a different problem.

I don't mind trying this out because sometimes my HD DVD movies are grainy. Any settings that you recommend or should I try changing to see how it goes?

Thanks.

Thanks GeekGirl! The thing is the center green LED doesn't go on, just the left and right. It looks like :l and stays on and doesn't blink if I remember correctly. I never got the lamp warning of any LEDs, one or two. Also, would the set shut down like that for a lamp replacement? I have no idea I guess I was thinking it was more serious than a lamp which I probably need.

The set turns on again right away like nothing happened and the picture always looks normal. I guess that's why I'm surprised the lamp is shot. I'd love to get a confirmation on this. Thanks!

I don't mind trying this out because sometimes my HD DVD movies are grainy. Any settings that you recommend or should I try changing to see how it goes?

1. Turn on TV.

2. Enter Service Menu by pressing the following keys in sequence on the remote control: mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - power.

3. Enter the "Service" sub-menu (it's the last entry on the top menu page on my set). Navigate with the arrow and ENTER keys. MENU backs up one menu level.

4. Activate the "Actu Gain [Patt1]" control and adjust the parameter down until a sawtooth texture just becomes visible inside the strokes of the crosses. Note the value. Now adjust the parameter up until the sawtooth texture reappears. Reset the parameter to the average of the two values. Mine is 108.

5. While you're in the vicinity, adjust the "Index Delay" parameter until all color ramps are clean. My value is 61.

6. Also adjust "V-Position" and "H-Position" to center the red rectangle within the screen bezel. My values are (37, 70).

7. Exit Service Menu by powering off. Many User Menu parameters are reset to factory defaults as Service Menu is exited, so you may wish to document everything before starting and restore values afterward.

There are several other adjustments that help (Gamma = 0, all DNIe parameters off, Sub Brightness/Contrast/Color), but let's see if actuator gain solves your graininess problem first.

As always, the standard caveat: be cautious inside the Service Menu... because you can damage your TV by making poor choices.

I searched this thread but couldn't find an answer. I've had a HLR5078W for over a year and no real issues. I now have it connnected to a HR20 D* receiver via HDMI.

I am unable to power them both up at the same time. I always have to power up the TV and wait a few about 10 - 20 seconds before the D* receiver or else I don't get any sound. Is this a common problem? Is there a fix?

Thanks GeekGirl! The thing is the center green LED doesn't go on, just the left and right. It looks like :l and stays on and doesn't blink if I remember correctly. I never got the lamp warning of any LEDs, one or two. Also, would the set shut down like that for a lamp replacement? I have no idea I guess I was thinking it was more serious than a lamp which I probably need.

The set turns on again right away like nothing happened and the picture always looks normal. I guess that's why I'm surprised the lamp is shot. I'd love to get a confirmation on this. Thanks!If they're not blinking, it's not the lamp. My manual doesn't show anything for both the left and right LED not going on. Maybe this should be answered by someone who has your exact model.

Any chance that you have an auto-timer on this model and it's enabled? On my model, if it's set, the TV will turn on within 25 seconds after you see a certain LED pattern. Probably not, but might be worth it to check just in case.

As Jack Bauer says, damn it!

1. Turn on TV.

2. Enter Service Menu by pressing the following keys in sequence on the remote control: mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - power.

3. Enter the "Service" sub-menu (it's the last entry on the top menu page on my set). Navigate with the arrow and ENTER keys. MENU backs up one menu level.

4. Activate the "Actu Gain [Patt1]" control and adjust the parameter down until a sawtooth texture just becomes visible inside the strokes of the crosses. Note the value. Now adjust the parameter up until the sawtooth texture reappears. Reset the parameter to the average of the two values. Mine is 108.

5. While you're in the vicinity, adjust the "Index Delay" parameter until all color ramps are clean. My value is 61.

6. Also adjust "V-Position" and "H-Position" to center the red rectangle within the screen bezel. My values are (37, 70).

7. Exit Service Menu by powering off. Many User Menu parameters are reset to factory defaults as Service Menu is exited, so you may wish to document everything before starting and restore values afterward.

There are several other adjustments that help (Gamma = 0, all DNIe parameters off, Sub Brightness/Contrast/Color), but let's see if actuator gain solves your graininess problem first.

As always, the standard caveat: be cautious inside the Service Menu... because you can damage your TV by making poor choices.

Thanks Milos47! I will give try these out as soon as I can. I have messed around in the SM before - so I have some little experience. I have turned off DNIE and the Gamma is at 0 already...

But your point about being careful in there is well taken indeed.

BTW: What values would you recommend for the Sub brightness/Contrast/Color or is this a user preference thing?

BTW: What values would you recommend for the Sub brightness/Contrast/Color or is this a user preference thing?

For the TV tuner, for each of 480i/480p/720p/1080i (yes, I believe video parameters are replicated for each of these for the tuner and for each input), I set Sub Brightness=255, Sub Contrast=100, and Sub Color=48.

For DVD/DVR inputs, I use "Digital Video Essentials" to adjust these three parameters (12:{2,3} for Sub Brightness, 12:14 for Sub Contrast, 12:7 for Sub Color).

Don't forget to turn CCA > CCA OFF before adjusting Sub Color and ON afterward.

I perform these adjustments inside the Service Menu instead of the User Menu because entering and exiting the Service Menu resets the User Menu values. This way, instead of looking up and restoring various User Menu values each time I use the Service Menu, I simply reset all User Menu values (contrast=90, brightness=50, sharpness=0, color=40, tint=50/50, color tone=warm2). All of this would be much simpler had Samsung not reset the User Menu values every time you use the Service Menu.

Although my Sub settings for my DVD/DVR inputs depend partially upon settings inside the DVD/DVRs themselves (such as White AGC, White/Black Level, Black Setup (0 vs. 7.5 IRE), Hue, and Chroma Level), here they are for what they're worth: Sub Brightness=242-260, Sub Contrast=111-115, Sub Color=53-57.

The PC VGA input is another story altogether. The Sub values appear not to exist for this input... but they are just invisible, not inactive. They are in the same places on the menu as they are for every other input. As with the tuner input, I set them to 255/100/48. Then I reset the User Menu values (brightness=50, contrast=90). Then I play DVE on the PC DVD unit and adjust the display card accordingly (using ATI Catalyst Control Center, in my case).

Hope this helps. Good luck!

I have a question towards my hlr5688w. For about 6 months ive been fighting with a black screen on the right side, so left side of my tv works fine, the right side is totally black. Basically, it'll work great for a couple of days then I'll get the zebra stripes on the right side, then it'll eventually go dark. So, I'll have a completely 100% working tv for about a week and then I'll have half a screen for about 2 to 3 weeks. It has been like this back and forth for about, like I said 6months. Is this my light engine starting to go bad or maybe a firmware that can fix this. I do apologize if this has been talked about before. This is my first time on any forum and I havent been able to find any answers.
Im hoping some of you might have some answers considering Your the pros. I'd hate to have such a large piece of paper weight.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post.

I have a question towards my hlr5688w. For about 6 months ive been fighting with a black screen on the right side, so left side of my tv works fine, the right side is totally black. Basically, it'll work great for a couple of days then I'll get the zebra stripes on the right side, then it'll eventually go dark. So, I'll have a completely 100% working tv for about a week and then I'll have half a screen for about 2 to 3 weeks. It has been like this back and forth for about, like I said 6months. Is this my light engine starting to go bad or maybe a firmware that can fix this. I do apologize if this has been talked about before. This is my first time on any forum and I havent been able to find any answers.
Im hoping some of you might have some answers considering Your the pros. I'd hate to have such a large piece of paper weight.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post.

Blank screen and lines point to a DMD board going out. It's the main "motherboard" of the tv. That's just a guess ofcourse, but I have the service manual and that's what it says usually causes the problems you are having. Hopefully you have an extended warranty.

If I were you I'd call Samsung Customer Service anyway and see how kind they are feeling this week. Sometimes they will pay for parts and you pay labor. Just tell them how much you love Samsung, how much you spent on their product, it's only 2 years old, etc. etc. and you want it to last more than 2 years.... ya never know.

bnk19 - Welcome to AVS forum. I wouldn't tell Samsung that this problem has been hanging around for 6 months- and you just decided to do something now? Intermittent problems are tough. But to be honest, that does seem a bit long to wait. Try for the problem starting a week or so ago.

You are at the mercy of Customer Service. Be nice. You have this problem, don't need this type of expense (Christmas is coming...) and can they please help you out?

If you have an extended warranty, don't tell them that. It's not their concern. It's an out-of-pocket expense for you. Period. You still have to pay up front for extended warranties anyway.

I called Samsung a month after it happened. I just called to find out if I was still under warranty. Of course they said NO, you missed the window by two months. I never followed up on it. The funny thing, well not so funny, is that im writing now only because my Tv has been working for about two days. It just hit me now that I let this problem slip away.
I called a local repair shop and without knowing the tv or model number he told me it was the light engine. So I called for the part and the're asking alot more than what the Tv is worth. and no I didnt get extended warranty. LESSON LEARNED

Thanks for the replies

You could fix it yourself. Its hard to sell a broken TV. Either you toss it, get little for it or fix it. I thought people were able to get just the DMD, assuming that's what it is without the entire LE? I'm not sure. The parts are really easy to fix if you consider going that route. You might check eBay or Google for parts. I've found OEM car parts online from dealers that beat local dealers' prices. I don't know if TV parts are available besides lamps?

Coincidentally, while looking for something else, I saw a DMD board on partstore dot com for the HLR5688 at close to $900 (DMD board (http://www.partstore.com/GetModel.aspx?MfgName=Samsung&BrandName=Samsung&ModelNumber=HLR5688W&PartCategoryName=&Keywords=dmd)).

I posted a problem before thinking about this thread. If anyone here has similar problems to me, please check this out and let me know what ideas you have...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=944250

Thanks everyone!

From your other thread (PM the forum admin to delete it, it's not a problem):This tv is really starting to give me a headache. A few months ago, I fell victim to the infamous shadow problem. The tech came out with a light engine to replace the current one, and since I would be getting a new bulb, I didn't suggest the light tunnel. It ended up being the wrong one and a week later he brought the right one. Now I'm having new problems that didn't exist before.

My satellite box is now having jump and flicker problems. By this, I mean the picture will do this little jump every now and then and these horizontal flickers will flash across the screen at random. It's very annoying. It doesn't happen on the PC input, but it happens on the box input on both component and rca inputs. Nothing changed as far as cables used and the problem didn't exist before the engine was changed. Is there something in the Service Menu that needs altering?

The second problem I'm having now is one of the audio jacks seems to not work for Component 1. If I push it a little, it works, but quits working when I let it go. Do you think something came loose?

Can someone give me some suggestions please?Those are both symptoms of loose connections. The poster on that thread suggested to try a different input and different source (DVD player).

My thoughts are that if it's more than one input or source, it's the TV. My Sammy HL-R6768W has all the inputs mounted on the back of a single card-cage assembly (that's the best I can describe it). When my repair tech replaced the light engine, he had try a few times to get it to seat correctly.

You might want to have the tech come back out and check the seating of the connectors (assembly) from the inside. Intermittent problems are tough. If that card-cage assembly wasn't re-inserted correctly, it could have taken this long for you to connect / reconnect the inputs enough times to show the problem.

From your other thread (PM the forum admin to delete it, it's not a problem):Those are both symptoms of loose connections. The poster on that thread suggested to try a different input and different source (DVD player).

My thoughts are that if it's more than one input or source, it's the TV. My Sammy HL-R6768W has all the inputs mounted on the back of a single card-cage assembly (that's the best I can describe it). When my repair tech replaced the light engine, he had try a few times to get it to seat correctly.

You might want to have the tech come back out and check the seating of the connectors (assembly) from the inside. Intermittent problems are tough. If that card-cage assembly wasn't re-inserted correctly, it could have taken this long for you to connect / reconnect the inputs enough times to show the problem.

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking someone something wasn't set correctly. I don't have anything else to connect via component but I plan on borrowing one from a friend so I can test it out. The picture problem persists from the composite input on the side of the tv from the satellite box. BUT, when I connect the box to my two other tvs via composite, it works fine and it worked fine before the light engine was replaced. The box has not moved either, so I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It only outputs 480i, could there be an issue with the upconversion on the tv now?

I'll post on here again when I test another device.

Back in Dec 2005 I purchased the Sammy hlr5678w. I convinced my wife that it was a good purchase b/c even though (back then) 1080p wasn't out yet I would be "ahead of the curve" and wouldn't "need" to buy a new TV later as I'll already have the new technology just waiting to be used (Need I say that I paid 3200.00). Fast forward to Aug 2007 when I bought a PS# for my son and I. Here I was seeting it up when the PS3 tells me that the highest form of resolution it detects is 1080i!!! Wait a minute! WTF!!!! Well, to make a long story short....I realized that my TV (as much as I loved it) was actually a 1080p monitor!!!!!! Did any of you come to these realizations and when? Share your stories please as now I'm thinking of dropping another 3K on the sammy 5271 LCD.

Back in Dec 2005 I purchased the Sammy hlr5678w. I convinced my wife that it was a good purchase b/c even though (back then) 1080p wasn't out yet I would be "ahead of the curve" and wouldn't "need" to buy a new TV later as I'll already have the new technology just waiting to be used (Need I say that I paid 3200.00). Fast forward to Aug 2007 when I bought a PS# for my son and I. Here I was seeting it up when the PS3 tells me that the highest form of resolution it detects is 1080i!!! Wait a minute! WTF!!!! Well, to make a long story short....I realized that my TV (as much as I loved it) was actually a 1080p monitor!!!!!! Did any of you come to these realizations and when? Share your stories please as now I'm thinking of dropping another 3K on the sammy 5271 LCD.
You'd be wasting your money IMO. Many will tell you there is only a slight difference if any between 1080i and 1080p, especially as it applies to the input device you use and screen size.

Personally, I'm waiting for the next advancement in RPTVs, 3D. Mits and Sammy are coming out with 3D TVs and Mits is developing a 3D Blu Ray player. These sets even have the capability to convert 2D to 3D. Course I haven't seen it so maybe I'm waiting on something that wil be a bust, but it's gonna hit consumer retailers sometime next year.

Nukeguy - Yes, I knew my HL-R6768W would only do 1080i on the HDMI input. It does 1080p on the VGA input, but you need a really good cable to avoid ghosting, etc. Don't 'diss yours, it's a really good display.

Let's look at a different perspective. There's no way you can get better than the source material. Period. For example, a DVD (not HD) is 720 x 480p. If you have a DVD player that upscales to the HDMI output, guess what. It's still 720 x 480p. The difference is that you don't have the ghosting, etc. of the analog component connection. That's about it. (Component still looks darn good, though).

All TV channels (broadcast, cable, etc.) are max'd out at 1080i, so there's no advantage there, either.

Now, for your PS3. The only difference between 1080i and 1080p is the update rate, 30 vs. 60 frames per second. Do you think you can see that much of a difference in detail if you are under live fire and watching stuff come at you? It's so fast, you'll be too busy dodging bullets (or pulse rifle blasts) to notice anyway. Especially if you are sitting far from the TV - you won't see as much detail.

Better to spend that 3K on your audio system. Nothing like a real 5.1 setup with full subwoofer action. You really can hear them sneaking up behind you...

I am unhappy with my 50" Samsung 1080p DLP. I have the Model HLT5076S. I have HD DirectTV, but the picture is not as sharp as I was hoping it to be. It doesnt even look like HD to me. I'm watching 'Heroes' right now in supposedly HD, but I can see a lil pixelation. Are there any specific settings I should set it to?

And also, I have a few gray spots on my screen....are these dead pixels?? Are these covered under the limited warranty? I paid over $1700 for this TV, so I would like everything to be perfect

I am unhappy with my 50" Samsung 1080p DLP. I have the Model HLT5076S. I have HD DirectTV, but the picture is not as sharp as I was hoping it to be. It doesnt even look like HD to me. I'm watching 'Heroes' right now in supposedly HD, but I can see a lil pixelation. Are there any specific settings I should set it to?

And also, I have a few gray spots on my screen....are these dead pixels?? Are these covered under the limited warranty? I paid over $1700 for this TV, so I would like everything to be perfect

How is the set connected to DirecTV? What input and what kind of cables are you using?

I do see blocking on standard channels and some on HD channels with fast motion or a lot of detail. Depends on the channel and source.

I am unhappy with my 50" Samsung 1080p DLP. I have the Model HLT5076S. I have HD DirectTV, but the picture is not as sharp as I was hoping it to be. It doesnt even look like HD to me. I'm watching 'Heroes' right now in supposedly HD, but I can see a lil pixelation. Are there any specific settings I should set it to?

And also, I have a few gray spots on my screen....are these dead pixels?? Are these covered under the limited warranty? I paid over $1700 for this TV, so I would like everything to be perfect

Like Videopark said - what is your connection etc? But IMHO, Heroes is not the reference material for good HD content. I watched it live on NBC as well as HD-DVD disks and the PQ is far from spectacular - maybe they make it grainy to increase the cinematic effect or something.

Better HD material would be NFL/MLB or shows like Grays' Anatomy or content on Discover HD theater.

FWIW - I am more than happy with the PQ on my HLR 6168 and Comcast HD quality (for most HD channels)

I will be doing the UCLA-USC game Saturday on ABC with a new HD truck, probably with Sony 1500 cameras. I guarantee good HD pictures! Try to receive the show off the air and not through cable or DirecTV.

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the thread for the Yamaha receiver, so I flipped a coin.

I recently got the RX-V2700 and one of my main hopes was that I could dispense with any non-HDMI connections to my Samsung HLR5078W by using the Yamaha to send my VHS and DVD output via it's HDMI upscaling.

I have run into a problem: After connecting an HDMI cable from the HDMI out on the Yamaha to an HDMI input on the Samsung, all I get is a green screen (and occasionally the 'no signal' message). I have tried using the HDMI cable that was working from my Directv HD receiver (to make sure I didn't have a bad cable) and I have connected the Yamaha to the HDMI input on the Samsung that was working with the Directv receiver. So it's not the cable or the HDMI input on the Samsung.

A little more info: When I tried to set up the HDMI upscaling on the Yamaha, it would not let me select a resolution initially. I had to go into the Advanced setup and turn off the Monitor Check option. This allowed me to select a resolution to which to upscale the output, but as I stated above, no output (video or audio) is making it via the HDMI cable. I am aware that the Yamaha has HDMI 1.2 while the Samsumg has HDMI 1.0, but I have been told that 1.2 should be downward compatible. I would certainly hope so; other wise every time there was a new HDMI version people would need to replace all their equipment.

I'm hoping the HDMI section of the Yamaha is not broken, but I am running out of other possibilities. Is there some mystery setting (besides turning upscaling on and setting the resolution, etc on the Yamaha?

Does that monitor check look for HDMI compatibility? If so, you may have disabled something it needs to see that it should only do HDMI 1.0. With it disabled, it might default to 1.3, which the Sammy probably doesn't know what to with.

The RX-V2700 thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=713397&page=119. Note that there's some discussion about firmware updates.

Does that monitor check look for HDMI compatibility? If so, you may have disabled something it needs to see that it should only do HDMI 1.0. With it disabled, it might default to 1.3, which the Sammy probably doesn't know what to with.

The RX-V2700 thread: url removed
. Note that there's some discussion about firmware updates.

I looked at the Yamaha thread; it seems that there is another user who has similar symptoms involving HDMI passthrough, but it also sounds like the firmware upgrade being talked about is not for the HDMI issues. The other user did say something about the problem possibly being heat-related. I guess I can wait until the Yamaha has been off for several hours and then try the HDMI connection first thing, but that might not be a permanent solution unless I can install a cooling fan that keeps the temps down.

The only description in the manual about the Monitor Check function is that it is supposed to determine what resolutions the monitor can handle. I suppose it is also possible that it detects the HDMI level, I just don't know. Even if it is true that the Monitor Check needs to be enabled, it's a bit of a Catch-22 because with it enabled, I cannot select a resolution in Video Setup for the HDMI conversion. At this time, I can't remember if I tried sending HDMI from the Yamaha to my TV with Monitor Check enabled and just bypassing the resolution settings. I will try that, but even if it works I will have to accept whatever the default resolution is.

Gordon, I’m very interested in your problem since I’m planning on purchasing a new HDMI equipped Yamaha receiver myself. I don’t believe your problem has anything to do with the HDMI level. In my current setup I feed my HLR6168 both HDMI 1.2a and HDMI 1.3 without a problem. I suspect your problem has more to do with up-converting the analog signal to a digital signal in the receiver. I think you are more likely to find an answer to the problem by posting it in the RX-V1700/RX-V2700 thread. I don’t believe many HLR owners are still monitoring this thread. Good luck.

Silly question guys, but I can't figure this out and don't want to break anything. How do you get the round access panels off of the cabinet? I need to take a shot at cleaning some dust off of the lens. Thanks.

Cary

As I recall you sort of push it in a little to unlatch it? I don't want to be responsible and I'm not sure that is a good idea since you could end up with even more dust by using an air can or something around. Also they can drip if used at an angle. Are you sure there is dust on the lens, how do you know? Its more likely to be dust or plastic shavings after moving the set on the back of the screen rather than on the lens. The screen unscrews for removal so you won't affect the lens or the dust inside while working on it.

Hmm, interesting, I hadn't thought of it being anything but the lens.

It looks like an unfocused "blob" just north-east of center of the screen. It's faint (transparent) but very noticable. It's about 3-4" in diameter and not perfectly round.

It happened after the tech replaced my light tunnel. I called him a couple of times explaining the problem and, to make a long story short, he never returned my calls. I could pursue it, but if it's an easy fix, I'd just as soon do it myself.

I tried pushing in part of the oval "tab" and either pulling or turning the round plate but it didn't work. Maybe I'm not pushing the tab in hard enough?

Thanks for the help.

Cary

Have them return. If they mess it up its on them! If its a new issue they'll fix it since it just needs to be cleaned either on the back of the screen or lens, either way you're covered. Btw It should sort of snap off or something but I wouldn't want to break it, not when those guys should return. [It sounds like the lens, not the screen since they just worked on it and I think the object is more defined on the back of the screen.]

Just an update I had meant to post earlier, The blinking LEDs and the shut down has stopped, knock on my head or something. I just got a PM confirmation from Matt that it is likely to be the lamp. I guess that's good on one hand since that should be easy to fix and should be covered. I just don't want to be stuck in the dark, or black crush or something, you get the idea, I need my TV! [Thanks Matt!]

[...]
I tried pushing in part of the oval "tab" and either pulling or turning the round plate but it didn't work. Maybe I'm not pushing the tab in hard enough?
I've removed the plate for the same reason (to clean the lens) -- you need to first pop off the "tab" to remove the screw underneath it.

Ahhhh, thank you spear. Remove the tab.

Cary

IDK but I'm thinking when I read Remove above I started thinking it might be safer and easier to remove the LE the way the tech just did, who probably caused the problem. The lens is at a distance and at an angle from the side panel. I know I wouldn't do it that way but then again I'd just call them back.

How do other PS3 gamers who have HLR's have their's set? The lag is killing me on the difficult levels of the sports games. Any help?

I have HDMI out of PS3 into Yamaha RX-V3800 and out to TV via HDMI.
I see no lag after setting it up this way.

Zak

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

I searched this thread many times... if a solution was posted, a link would be appreciated.

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

I searched this thread many times... if a solution was posted, a link would be appreciated.

The only thing I can think of is to disconnect the coax cable from the "antenna" jack on the Samsung. Or are you saying that you don't have that cable connected and you still see the 'TV' source? If that's the case, I don't know of any way to remove a source from the list.

The only thing I can think of is to disconnect the coax cable from the "antenna" jack on the Samsung. Or are you saying that you don't have that cable connected and you still see the 'TV' source? If that's the case, I don't know of any way to remove a source from the list.

Thanks for the reply Gordon. I do not have a cable hooked up to the input, actually I never have hooked one up. I've used HDMI from my cable box since I got it. It's a shame Samsung did not put a few slight conveniences in the TV firmware setup. Like disabling inputs and renaming them ourselves. Oh well!

Hi all,

Recently bought an xbox 360; have a couple of questions.

On Call of Duty 4, I am getting significant (to me) gaming lag. I do not have my set on gaming mode because the PQ is terrible. I remember hearing a year ago that there would be no gaming lag over VGA. Should I buy a VQA cable for my 360? What output resolution should I set my 360 to. Finally, will I notice any reduction in PQ over component that I was using (DNIe is off over VGA, right?). Thanks for any responses. I have forgotten everything since a year ago.

Hi all,

Recently bought an xbox 360; have a couple of questions.

On Call of Duty 4, I am getting significant (to me) gaming lag. I do not have my set on gaming mode because the PQ is terrible. I remember hearing a year ago that there would be no gaming lag over VGA. Should I buy a VQA cable for my 360? What output resolution should I set my 360 to. Finally, will I notice any reduction in PQ over component that I was using (DNIe is off over VGA, right?). Thanks for any responses. I have forgotten everything since a year ago.

I have the VGA and component cable. I notice no difference in picture quality. The Sammy upscales anyway, I'd stick with the component.

Make sure to set your 360 to output 720P or greater, not the default 480. I did notice a lot of lag on the original xbox with the Sammy, but not with the 360.

But I thought VGA bypassed most of the processing, thus eliminating lag. Did you notice any decrease in lag over VGA? Can the 360 support output of 1080P? I forgot...

By the way, I am amck, I just remembered the password for my account...

But I thought VGA bypassed most of the processing, thus eliminating lag. Did you notice any decrease in lag over VGA? Can the 360 support output of 1080P? I forgot...

By the way, I am amck, I just remembered the password for my account...


There is ~110ms lag on every input except VGA. The vga input bypasses all/most video processing making the lag much less. There is no way aorund this, you should use vga for gaming on the HLR's.

There is ~110ms lag on every input except VGA. The vga input bypasses all/most video processing making the lag much less. There is no way aorund this, you should use vga for gaming on the HLR's.

Does the same trick work with the PS3? Which cable should one get exactly - Component->VGA?

Thanks.

There is ~110ms lag on every input except VGA. The vga input bypasses all/most video processing making the lag much less. There is no way aorund this, you should use vga for gaming on the HLR's.

Where did you get the 110ms lag figure?

Where did you get the 110ms lag figure?

Lots of folks use an external delay adjusting device to take care of the video lag that sometimes occurs with HDTVs. I am guessing that the poster has one such device and when it is set to 110 ms, there is no video lag anymore.

Therefore, they logically concluded that the video processing in the HLR takes around 110 ms.

In my own experience playing DVDs from my laptop, there is no video lag with the VGA input. So I can see how gaming would only be possible on that input on the HLR - atleast for delay sensitive games.

Cheers.

Gaming lag on these sets is deceptive.
I play the PS3 via HDMI and I don't notice it on games like Assasin's Creed.
With the Xbox 360, I use VGA exclusively. The best way to see the lag is to play Madden 07 or 08.
When I did the kicking meter (for field goals), on component, I could never hit the meter perfect except 1 out of 10 times.
With VGA, I was 100%, everytime.

Where did you get the 110ms lag figure?

It's been reported by others, but in my case I've measured it using my amp. I took a source (my cable box) and fed the sound to my amp and the tv. Turned both set of speakers on with 0 delay in the amp. With that setup you hear an "echo" which is the delay. I then dialed in delay until the echo was gone. That happend at ~110 ms.

Does the same trick work with the PS3? Which cable should one get exactly - Component->VGA?

Thanks.

I don't know specifiaclly about the PS3, but if you can use it to feed the VGA input then that would eliminate most of the lag. If you can go component -> VGA I would bet that that would be the right thing to do.

There is definitely lag on all inputs besides VGA, and there is definitely no lag with VGA with my Xbox 360 (timing on rhythm games like Guitar Hero III and Rock Band is perfect).

One note, though...If you plug the audio from your Xbox 360 into the audio inputs associated with the VGA input on the TV, the audio will actually lag even though the video doesn't! (It took me awhile to figure out that this was why I was messing up all the time in GH even though there was no video lag.) My guess is that the Samsung has a fixed built-in audio delay to compensate for the video delay on the other inputs, and it doesn't bother to switch off the audio delay on the VGA input. Running your audio through a receiver will bring it back in sync (as long as you don't have delay set on your receiver).

There is definitely lag on all inputs besides VGA, and there is definitely no lag with VGA with my Xbox 360 (timing on rhythm games like Guitar Hero III and Rock Band is perfect).

One note, though...If you plug the audio from your Xbox 360 into the audio inputs associated with the VGA input on the TV, the audio will actually lag even though the video doesn't! (It took me awhile to figure out that this was why I was messing up all the time in GH even though there was no video lag.) My guess is that the Samsung has a fixed built-in audio delay to compensate for the video delay on the other inputs, and it doesn't bother to switch off the audio delay on the VGA input. Running your audio through a receiver will bring it back in sync (as long as you don't have delay set on your receiver).

FWIW, you are correct.

I don't know specifiaclly about the PS3, but if you can use it to feed the VGA input then that would eliminate most of the lag. If you can go component -> VGA I would bet that that would be the right thing to do.

Is component to VGA simply a cable or is there some kind of converter box or something involved? I am not finding the exact thing on monoprice - where should I look?

Any comments BTW on the PQ differential between HDMI/Component and VGA?

Thanks.

Is component to VGA simply a cable or is there some kind of converter box or something involved? I am not finding the exact thing on monoprice - where should I look?

Any comments BTW on the PQ differential between HDMI/Component and VGA?

Thanks.

Definitely not just a cable. There must be some sort of conversion. I don't know of any but they may exist. You might want to try and find a PS3 forum. Good Luck!

Definitely not just a cable. There must be some sort of conversion. I don't know of any but they may exist. You might want to try and find a PS3 forum. Good Luck!

They exist; it's called a transcoder. There are a handful of manufacturer's that sell these. They are not exactly inexpensive however (expect to pay around $150 for a decent one).

My only experience is with the component cable and VGA cable with an XBOX 360. VGA is slightly, but noticably, sharper than component. The black level looks slightly elevated however (I have the XBOX set to "expanded" so I don't know how to make this better). My goal is to avoid lag so I'll stick with VGA for now.

Cary

I have an HLR5668 and resently upgraded to a Directv Plus HD DVR. The installer could not get the DVR to work using the HDMI input on the tv. The tv would not recognize the HDMI input and would simply bypass that input when I toggled through the input sources using the remote. After making a few phone calls, the installer said I have to use VGA between the DVR and TV because something was weird about Samsung's HDMI.

Has anybody else heard of this problem? What do i give up (if anything) by using VGA instead of HDMI?

I have the HLR 6178w hooked up to a new Pioneer Elite 94txh receiver through HDMI and I get no picture.

I can hook a dvd player up direct to the TV through HDMI, heck 2 different DVD players and I get a picture if I go direct to tv, but nothing through the receiver.


I have the Toshiba HD-A2 into receiver using HDMI, as well as the Direct tv DVR into receiver through HDMI. I get sound from both, but it wont pass a pic to the TV.

Anyone else have any problems with this TV?

I have an HLR5668 and the Directv Plus HD DVR (HR20-700) connected by HDMI. It works perfectly.

I can hook up the HD DVD player or the Direct TV DVR directly to the tv using HDMI, it just wont work when going through the receiver.

I can hook up the HD DVD player or the Direct TV DVR directly to the tv using HDMI, it just wont work when going through the receiver.

It must be an HDCP compliance problem - don't know if its the TV or the receiver at fault. The only recourse might be to return the receiver and get another one and try that one....

But I don't have personal experience with the above - I have others having issues with HDMI though....

Idk, any chance the receiver is sending it as 1080p? I don't see how its HDCP if the receiver is just sending the signal but maybe its not, which is why I thought that could be an issue? I checked the specs on it and its HDMI Type A. Any chance its even a simple menu setting or something? That is odd for a unit like that, I'm jealous!

Ok I've done some searching but cannot find a definitive answer. I have an HLR5078W with the dreaded overscan when connecting my laptop or my netgear EVA8000 media player to the TV via HDMI. Is there anything that can be done to solve this via the service menu or other route?

Cheers,

nic

A PC signal only works via VGA since its not video. A PC signal converted to video is another story. Check to see what your resolution is outputting since only new, high end PCs can handle 1080p.

Is there a more advanced set of settings (other than what the menu button brings up)? My TV has a lot of overscan (ESPN logo on ESPN-HD is partially cut off on the bottom) and a very slight bow to the picture (sides of 4:3 pillar-boxed content bow slightly inward). I would like to go in to the settings and try to correct these 2 issues. Any tips?

Idk, any chance the receiver is sending it as 1080p? I don't see how its HDCP if the receiver is just sending the signal but maybe its not, which is why I thought that could be an issue? I checked the specs on it and its HDMI Type A. Any chance its even a simple menu setting or something? That is odd for a unit like that, I'm jealous!

Thats something I hadnt thought of. If the receiver is sending out a 1080p signal, my set wont accept 1080p through HDMI. hmm,, I ll have to look into this.

Ok my pc is doing the same thing as my Netgear eva8000 media player. Connecting this to my Samsung via HDMI produces overscan no matter what format I tell the media player to output. Just like the pc. (PC outputting vga not video mind you but the result is still overscan) I've read that disabling overscan on samsung dlps was only available models after the HLRs, true?

Nico, I'm all confused. lol. Idk if the media player is playing a video or PC signal but the PC will only work on VGA, not HDMI, no matter what. If the media player is outputting video then it might work as long as its i not p. I think those are your issues, confirm that first. The media player will work via VGA ,you could test that first and go from there.

hoopsrgreat, I guess look at the specs or something to see if there is some conversion going on, I didn't think most did that? I was thinking now about the syncing issue, I wonder if it has to process the video to sync the audio, I mean it most likely does but it has to know at some point these days which kind of signal its getting and then output it in sync with the audio. That is really high end so I'm giving it the benefit of to the doubt, BOD. lol. Wait it should say something right on the box, 1080p or something. It takes it but does it only output p? That's the issue.