It doesnt know the difference, it just doesnt support 1:1 for HD-DVD or blu-ray either.

Here's my room with my temporary CRT. I can't wait to put a 46 incher on that entertainment center. My favorite part is the speakers. So far I only have the center and two sides hooked up to the receiver via an optical cable (as opposed to HDMI audio) as it's an older receiver. As you can see, this TV will be like my first non-Sony piece of equipment (Speakers don't count since Sony stinks at speakers).

Oh, and as a piece of info, I got the speakers by winning a march madness tournament of 150 people at 60 bucks apiece. I've never been as lucky since :(.

For the room:
http://www.putfile.com/lionelhutz

Jared

It doesnt know the difference, it just doesnt support 1:1 for HD-DVD or blu-ray either.

So you are saying that the Toshiba hd dvd player exhibits overscan on the 4095D? I find this highly doubtful.

In any event, westa6969 will be happy as I have posed this question on the "damn HTPC board" linked below :)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=701074

Just wanted to say that I stopped by BB this past weekend and saw the 4095. It was hooked up to the Samsung Blu-Ray DVD player.

I started checking out what the DVD had to offer and these are my impressions:

Chicken Little was the first thing I put on... I have to say I was absolutely blown away by it.

I then switched to Pirates of the Carribean. After looking at animation, I was not suprisingly disapointed in the picture, but it still looked pretty decent.

I then switched to "Documentary". This showed a side by side comparison of Blu-Ray DVD vs. Regular DVD. The regular dvd side looked wayyyyy more blurry than it should have (they were playing it up a bit). But the Blu-Ray side looked really really nice. What Ive come to expect HD to look like.

Just went to my local BB in Chicago, asked the guy in the "Magnolia" section of the store when/if they were going to get the 4695, seeing as the store was selling the 4095 already. He looked it up and said, "You mean the 4696? We're getting those a week from today." I didn't press him on the 96 vs. 95 but i'm assuming the 95 is just delayed more than the 96 (not sure why) and so they're getting the 96 first.

I'm assuming it will sell for 1000 or so more than the 4095, is that "our" thinking?

Now, a couple questions (sorry):
1. Since there is little if any 1080p content (that I know of) available right now, is it even worth the premium i will pay for this set versus the 4692?

2. If I understand this correctly, 1080p is higher resolution than 720p/1080i, so if you display a higher resolution image (such as a blueray DVD) on a 720p set, wouldn't it appear BETTER than 720p content? I'm thinking of a digital image as a comparison, if you look at a picture with 1024x768 versus a 1920x1600 pic on the same screen, the latter will appear to be a better image, no?

3. What drawbacks would I have by just buying the 4692 versus the 95/96?

4. People on this thread have mentioned how bad SD signals look on this TV, would the 92 look better in this area?

5. Is it worth the extra 1000-1500 more when the display is ahead of the content curve?

So you are saying that the Toshiba hd dvd player exhibits overscan on the 4095D? I find this highly doubtful.

In any event, westa6969 will be happy as I have posed this question on the "damn HTPC board" linked below :)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=701074

Some thoughts for you posted in the linked thread.

I'm assuming it will sell for 1000 or so more than the 4095, is that "our" thinking?
Give or take.

Now, a couple questions (sorry):
1. Since there is little if any 1080p content (that I know of) available right now, is it even worth the premium i will pay for this set versus the 4692?
Both HD-DVD and Bluray have fairly aggressive release schedules, especially this holiday season. In other words, 1080p content is here, and is probably going to grow with decent titles faster than you can keep up (or at least faster than I can...).

That being said, if you sit far enough back from the set, then really all that you get from going 1080p is bragging rights. There are some additional features that make the 4x95/4x96 more compelling than the 4692 (e.g., turning off DNIe), but if you are mostly focused on resolution, then at a certain distance back you are doing yourself no real favors going 1080p vs. 768p.

2. If I understand this correctly, 1080p is higher resolution than 720p/1080i, so if you display a higher resolution image (such as a blueray DVD) on a 720p set, wouldn't it appear BETTER than 720p content? I'm thinking of a digital image as a comparison, if you look at a picture with 1024x768 versus a 1920x1600 pic on the same screen, the latter will appear to be a better image, no?
There are enough additional variables that this is really hard to say. The exact same picture, all else being equal except resolution, should look better at the display's native resolution when displayed on a TV, than a picture of a different resolution. Assuming you can turn off all of the miscellaneous processing other than that necessary to downscale the higher rez image.

3. What drawbacks would I have by just buying the 4692 versus the 95/96?
Not being able to turn off DNIe, no CableCard in the case of the 4696, etc.

4. People on this thread have mentioned how bad SD signals look on this TV, would the 92 look better in this area?
Maybe. All SD will look mediocre, at best.

5. Is it worth the extra 1000-1500 more when the display is ahead of the content curve?
That's up to you and depends entirely upon how soon you want to surf that wave. HD-DVD looks phenomenal at 720p on my 77" wide FP. My wife has even said "no more DVDs", and she gets disappointed when we watch something that is SD or a DVD from NetFlix (which she typically requested...). I'll tell you after this weekend whether the same is true on the LCD.

Later,
Bill

Wow, that was some helpful information.

Couple things, I don't really care about the cable card slot because i will always want a DVR. My main concern is how does the thing look with various content. I will never (never say never) hook up a computer to this so that's a non-issue for me. Just like to watch TV, try to only watch HDTV, but i like to channel surf and there aren't many HD channels to choose from. I like to watch DVD's (I have about 400 in my collection) and will likely get a PS3 as my blueray drive for blueray movies (because I can't see spending a grand on a dedicated movie player when i can spend half that and have it also play games).

For what it's worth, our couch is roughly 13' from where our TV will be (hanging on a wall above a fireplace, i know i know, no choice). So more than likely we will never see much difference in the two sets (in terms of picture quality) from the 92 to the 95/96. right?

Compare SD at 13', your thoughts
Compare regular DVD with upscaling 720/1080i dvd player at 13', your thoughts
Compare Blueray on PS3 at 13', your thoughts

I'm trying to gather as much opinions as possible because:

A) it is a lot more (around 30% or so) for the 95/96 if my MAIN concern is how good it looks

B) At this distance will there be any visible difference in picture quality between these tv's using any combination of content/player/connections etc.?

ONE rule of thumb is to assume your eyesight is corrected to 20/20, and then to check whether your visual acuity can discern pixel sizes. 20/20 is easy:

1) Divide your viewing distance in (inches/centimeters) by 3400.
>>> 13' * 12" / 3400 = 0.046"

This is your minimum pixel size which you can discern from your couch.

2) Divide your screen's horizontal resolution by its horizontal width (assume 46" diagonal is exact)
>>>> 4692D: 40.09" / 1360 = 0.029"
>>>> 4695D: 40.09" / 1920 = 0.021"

Guess what? At thirteen feet, you have more than twice your usable resolution with the 1080p set both horizontally and vertically. Since these are simple ratios, this means that you will be hard-pressed to tell either of these sets from an equivalently sized EDTV. According to the rule.

Of course, you will not always be exactly 13' and brighter images are easier to see than darker ones, etc. So, basically, if you want to work off of just the specs and some assumptions, you seem to be in the market for a 42" EDTV plasma. :)

Now for that same $3k that you were potentially looking to spend on the 46" LCD, you can get a 42" EDTV plasma, a Panasonic AE900 (after rebate) and a decently-sized pull-down screen. I guarantee that the rule of thumb will show that you can see the difference with the Panny projector. But the rule of rules of thumb means that you will probably have nine other fingers waiting for rules... ;)

Later,
Bill

Can I just say how happy I am to be receiving what seems like very thoughtful commentary? INdeed!

So a couple things:

i'm a little dense, so i'm not sure why you divide by 3400 in that equation, but aside from that, the result of the formula is that even the 92 model is much smaller pixel size than what I can see from my couch. So in essence, as you said, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference no matter what. (unless my eyesight is better than 20/20).

So then it boils down to brightness/contrast/inputs etc.

My living room is BRIGHT! We have translucent honeycomb shades which don't even cover all of the windows and so our living room is fairly well lit thougought the day, which is why i'm going LCD. But it does pain me to see the prices on the 50" plasmas as I walk over to the LCD's. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN $2000!!??"

Hmmm, it's starting to sound like for my situation, the added 1080p is useless. Merely bragging rights which you cannot discern without getting up close to the tv. Well then the contrast ratio then plays a part i suppose. Or perhaps it has better scaling of SD content? I don't know, if you were me what would you do?

The problem with these formulae is that, in the real world (OK my den), people sit anywhere from 3-14 feet away.

They are not aligned in an arc such that each pair of eyes is precisely 9 feet from the center of the screen.

Sitting really close is fun and more immersive.

Can someone please take some pics of the 95 showin the hd-dvd player hooked up like how the guy did in the west forum

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=689997&page=49&pp=30&highlight=westinghouse+1080p

My living room is BRIGHT! We have translucent honeycomb shades which don't even cover all of the windows and so our living room is fairly well lit thougought the day, which is why i'm going LCD. But it does pain me to see the prices on the 50" plasmas as I walk over to the LCD's. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN $2000!!??"

Hmmm, it's starting to sound like for my situation, the added 1080p is useless. Merely bragging rights which you cannot discern without getting up close to the tv. Well then the contrast ratio then plays a part i suppose. Or perhaps it has better scaling of SD content? I don't know, if you were me what would you do?
I sort of told you how I'd spend $3k - $3.5k in your situation, but if you have a few more questions, feel free to ask! :)

Later,
Bill

Just went to my local BB in Chicago, asked the guy in the "Magnolia" section of the store when/if they were going to get the 4695, seeing as the store was selling the 4095 already. He looked it up and said, "You mean the 4696? We're getting those a week from today." I didn't press him on the 96 vs. 95 but i'm assuming the 95 is just delayed more than the 96 (not sure why) and so they're getting the 96 first.

I'm assuming it will sell for 1000 or so more than the 4095, is that "our" thinking?

Now, a couple questions (sorry):
1. Since there is little if any 1080p content (that I know of) available right now, is it even worth the premium i will pay for this set versus the 4692?

2. If I understand this correctly, 1080p is higher resolution than 720p/1080i, so if you display a higher resolution image (such as a blueray DVD) on a 720p set, wouldn't it appear BETTER than 720p content? I'm thinking of a digital image as a comparison, if you look at a picture with 1024x768 versus a 1920x1600 pic on the same screen, the latter will appear to be a better image, no?

3. What drawbacks would I have by just buying the 4692 versus the 95/96?

4. People on this thread have mentioned how bad SD signals look on this TV, would the 92 look better in this area?

5. Is it worth the extra 1000-1500 more when the display is ahead of the content curve?


I have the 4696 on pre-order at american tv, it will "arrive" next week sometime. Purchased on sale for about 3700.

Greetings all.

I’ve been lurking here for a few weeks picking up the wisdom of the AVS Forum veterans. I must thank you for all the great insight, analysis, and reviews done on these Samsung sets.

I’m looking at upgrading from my Sony 36” XBR CRT set to the LN-S4695D. I’m currently using an OTA HD receiver from LG (LST-4200A) with the Sony and just love it for both HD and SD – the Sony does a great job in combination with the OTA tuner. As this is an old 4:3 screen, the OTA tuner does a great job in detecting the signal and synching the screen to the correct dimensions (i.e., 4:3 for SD transmission and squeezed for 1080i and 720p, as well as up-converting 720p to 1080i which is the only HD rez my aging XBR can display).

What I would like to know is if anyone has an opinion or experience with the quality of the Samsung built-in ATSC tuners compared to set-top tuners like the LG unit I currently own. Things to consider are:

-Ability to pick up weak signals
-Auto-scaling based on signal
-Programming options
-Speed of changing channels (I saw a post that said it was slow – but this can be subjective if you’ve only used analog tuners)

I love that old tuner, but could use the extra slot I would get in my AV shelves if I were to use the built in tuner.

Cheers!

Can I just say how happy I am to be receiving what seems like very thoughtful commentary? INdeed!

So a couple things:

i'm a little dense, so i'm not sure why you divide by 3400 in that equation, but aside from that, the result of the formula is that even the 92 model is much smaller pixel size than what I can see from my couch. So in essence, as you said, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference no matter what. (unless my eyesight is better than 20/20).

So then it boils down to brightness/contrast/inputs etc.

My living room is BRIGHT! We have translucent honeycomb shades which don't even cover all of the windows and so our living room is fairly well lit thougought the day, which is why i'm going LCD. But it does pain me to see the prices on the 50" plasmas as I walk over to the LCD's. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN $2000!!??"

Hmmm, it's starting to sound like for my situation, the added 1080p is useless. Merely bragging rights which you cannot discern without getting up close to the tv. Well then the contrast ratio then plays a part i suppose. Or perhaps it has better scaling of SD content? I don't know, if you were me what would you do?

If brightness is an issue then don't go plasma as the reflections will be a significant downside. I have the 4095 in a bright room and I watch with blinds open without a problem.

On the viewing distance thing, from your 13' range, you won't notice the problems with SD nearly as much. Can you move your couch back and forth? Because you might find it worth it to move it up to the 5-9 ft range for your evening's feature presentation, then move it back. You will find that the HD content really draws you in - because you don't see the noise and artifacting as you do with SD at a close range.

Comparing the 4092 to the the 95/96 series, isn't it worth a few hundred to move up to 1080p in case you want that up close immersive 1080p experience?
If you are never going to move closer than 13 feet, maybe it's a different story.

Greetings all.

I’ve been lurking here for a few weeks picking up the wisdom of the AVS Forum veterans. I must thank you for all the great insight, analysis, and reviews done on these Samsung sets.

I’m looking at upgrading from my Sony 36” XBR CRT set to the LN-S4695D. I’m currently using an OTA HD receiver from LG (LST-4200A) with the Sony and just love it for both HD and SD – the Sony does a great job in combination with the OTA tuner. As this is an old 4:3 screen, the OTA tuner does a great job in detecting the signal and synching the screen to the correct dimensions (i.e., 4:3 for SD transmission and squeezed for 1080i and 720p, as well as up-converting 720p to 1080i which is the only HD rez my aging XBR can display).

What I would like to know is if anyone has an opinion or experience with the quality of the Samsung built-in ATSC tuners compared to set-top tuners like the LG unit I currently own. Things to consider are:

-Ability to pick up weak signals
-Auto-scaling based on signal
-Programming options
-Speed of changing channels (I saw a post that said it was slow – but this can be subjective if you’ve only used analog tuners)

I love that old tuner, but could use the extra slot I would get in my AV shelves if I were to use the built in tuner.

Cheers!

My subjective impression is that it was better than the ATSC tuner in my 3 year old Zenith HD Directv box (which was decent) as far as ability to pick up weak signals but it isn't going to work miracles. I don't really understand what you mean by programming options and auto-scaling based on signal.

I think the JVC is the only other 1080p out there right now as someone reported on the jvc forum. Has any sammy owners seen one to compare picture quality to

I think the JVC is the only other 1080p out there right now as someone reported on the jvc forum. Has any sammy owners seen one to compare picture quality to
The contrast on the JVC panels is clearly inferior to the Samsungs, to my eye, when I saw them side-by-side at Fry's. However, this was with the 768p panels, so take that with a big grain of salt. Also, I have not calibrated either, yet, so post-calibration impressions are unknown.

Bill

What I remember is the glossiness of the 4051. I'm still thinking that the 4095 is less glossy than that. .... I'm always taking flak for exposing too many wires in my electronic creations.

I can't imagine one could make the bezel any shinier. It's spit shined! :)

I like that rolling cart for sure.

I'm a big user of wire looms myself.

What online sites have the BEST pricing on these set? (46 & 40)
Thanks for your help.

What online sites have the BEST pricing on these set? (46 & 40)
Thanks for your help.

welcome to AVS

we are a technical forum: please do not discuss 'best pricing' as this is not allowed

The contrast on the JVC panels is clearly inferior to the Samsungs, to my eye, when I saw them side-by-side at Fry's. However, this was with the 768p panels, so take that with a big grain of salt. Also, I have not calibrated either, yet, so post-calibration impressions are unknown.

Bill


Speaking of calibration - I am completely new to HD and my 4095. How do I approach calibration? Is there a guide? thanks

michael

My subjective impression is that it was better than the ATSC tuner in my 3 year old Zenith HD Directv box (which was decent) as far as ability to pick up weak signals but it isn't going to work miracles. I don't really understand what you mean by programming options and auto-scaling based on signal.

Hi Ryu.

Thanks for your feedback. Good to hear that the quality of the recievers are going up. I recall not too long ago when people on this forum were complaining about the poor quality of the set-top tuners. It wasn't until the LG tuners came out that people were generally satisfied with reception ability and PQ.

But back to your questions on my questions:

-Regarding weak signal, my LG tuner does a great job with signals less than 50%. No black-outs or artifacting. I was hoping the built-in tuners in the Samsungs were the same.

-By auto-scaling and programability, I mean that the LG tuner allowed me to set it to automatically upscale/down scale broadcasts. For example, I have the tuner setup to convert all 480i SD transmissions to 480p and upscale 720p broadcasts to 1080i while leaving 1080i broadcasts alone. This was critical since my old XBR could only display 1080i for HD signals. I'm guessing the Samsungs try to auto-scale everything to their native resolutions.

Speaking of calibration - I am completely new to HD and my 4095. How do I approach calibration? Is there a guide? thanks

michael

Start with my guide here: http://www.calman.tv/graphics/calibration_howto_v1.pdf

Go slowly with it, then you may want to post questions in the calibration forum or over in my forums (link on the CalMAN.tv website). I will do a review here at AVS (probably in a tips/tweaks thread so it is not buried 1500+ posts into a thread), but I'll leave the detailed calibration stuff for my own forums.

Later,
Bill

Hi Ryu.

Thanks for your feedback. Good to hear that the quality of the recievers are going up. I recall not too long ago when people on this forum were complaining about the poor quality of the set-top tuners. It wasn't until the LG tuners came out that people were generally satisfied with reception ability and PQ.

But back to your questions on my questions:

-Regarding weak signal, my LG tuner does a great job with signals less than 50%. No black-outs or artifacting. I was hoping the built-in tuners in the Samsungs were the same.

-By auto-scaling and programability, I mean that the LG tuner allowed me to set it to automatically upscale/down scale broadcasts. For example, I have the tuner setup to convert all 480i SD transmissions to 480p and upscale 720p broadcasts to 1080i while leaving 1080i broadcasts alone. This was critical since my old XBR could only display 1080i for HD signals. I'm guessing the Samsungs try to auto-scale everything to their native resolutions.

I just realized LG and Zenith are the same company, or at least that LG made that Zenith HD tuner, so we actually have a similar point of reference. My experience is that the 4095 tuner is at least as good if not better at locking on signals that are weak, but if it is too weak, you do get drop outs and blocking.

On the auto scale thing, since it is internal, everything is ultimately scaled to 1080p, and it puts 4:3 in 4:3 and 16:9 in 16:9 automatically. Or you can push one button and change it.

I will do a review here at AVS (probably in a tips/tweaks thread so it is not buried 1500+ posts into a thread), but I'll leave the detailed calibration stuff for my own forums.

Later,
Bill
Looking forward to it. Would it make sense to start a Samsung 1080p LCD owners tips/tweaks thread, as the guys getting the 57" sets might have some relevant insights too?

I just realized LG and Zenith are the same company, or at least that LG made that Zenith HD tuner, so we actually have a similar point of reference. My experience is that the 4095 tuner is at least as good if not better at locking on signals that are weak, but if it is too weak, you do get drop outs and blocking.

On the auto scale thing, since it is internal, everything is ultimately scaled to 1080p, and it puts 4:3 in 4:3 and 16:9 in 16:9 automatically. Or you can push one button and change it.
LG bought the Zenith name out of bankruptcy a few years ago. It was originally going to be the "high end" LG brand since LG (Lucky Goldstar) did not think they could sell higher-end products under their own brand. However, someone in marketing seems to have missed a memo, and the Zenith stuff seems to be the lower-end brand for most of the products I have seen.

Oh, yeah, Thomson (French) owns both Magnavox and RCA. Chi Mei Optoelectronics owns Westinghouse Digital. All LG and Philips LCDs come from the same plant. All Samsung and Sony LCDs come from the same plant. And if you knew who built the circuit boards themselves, you would really get confused! ;) (I work in High Tech during my day job).

Later,
Bill

I just realized LG and Zenith are the same company.

Yup,

Lucky Goldstar thought the Zenith name was better for breaking into the Western markets.... so they bought them.

LOL!

Turns out they were better off just switching to LG for free.

To me, Zenith means they are the "zenith" of crap. Crappier than all crap. High end? Maybe in the 1950's.

To get back on topic, I have tested the 4095D with a computer via the VGA Dsub15 input (PC input in the TV's menu) and am getting perfect, 1:1 pixel mapping of the computer screen at 1920X1080 at 60 Hz with NO OVERSCAN.

So the bottom line is, if you have a computer with a standard VGA (analog) RGB out connector, you can get 1:1 pixel mapping on this machine. The images are shockingly clear. Unless you want to put up with the inconveniences of the Westy's, this is the 40 inch LCD panel to have.

I recommend it without reservation for both normal consumer electronics input sources (blue-ray, HD-DVD, DVD, cable box, Dish, etc) and for PC and HTPC use.

Regards,

I just realized LG and Zenith are the same company, or at least that LG made that Zenith HD tuner, so we actually have a similar point of reference. My experience is that the 4095 tuner is at least as good if not better at locking on signals that are weak, but if it is too weak, you do get drop outs and blocking.

On the auto scale thing, since it is internal, everything is ultimately scaled to 1080p, and it puts 4:3 in 4:3 and 16:9 in 16:9 automatically. Or you can push one button and change it.

Thanks, Ryu.

That makes me feel better about retiring my LG tuner. I'm thinking my parents will be inheriting my old Sony XBR along with HD tuner when I get my Sammy! :D

Cheers!

Alright, I got my 4095D today. I am now glad I did not go with the 46". The 40" fits perfectly on my A/V stand (built by my grandfather), so it's good there. Contrast and brightness were set WAY too high by default, so a quick knock on those to open up the dynamic range and away I went on the tuner.

Fantastic ATSC tuner on this thing. More later.

Bill

To get back on topic, I have tested the 4095D with a computer via the VGA Dsub15 input (PC input in the TV's menu) and am getting perfect, 1:1 pixel mapping of the computer screen at 1920X1080 at 60 Hz with NO OVERSCAN.

So the bottom line is, if you have a computer with a standard VGA (analog) RGB out connector, you can get 1:1 pixel mapping on this machine. The images are shockingly clear. Unless you want to put up with the inconveniences of the Westy's, this is the 40 inch LCD panel to have.

I recommend it without reservation for both normal consumer electronics input sources (blue-ray, HD-DVD, DVD, cable box, Dish, etc) and for PC and HTPC use.

Regards,

rdewey,

Can you please tell me the following:
1. Which video card do you have?
2. Since the LCD is driven from DB15, the signal is analog. So is text being displayed very clear? This is one thing I'm worried about, blurry text while surfing the net.
3. Have you tried other resolutions besides 1920x1080?

Thank you.

While other have posted and confirmed that 1:1 pixel mapping does work over VGA, I honestly dont consider it 1:1 pixel mapping in a true sense.
There are 2 conversions taking place, this is going to have affect on color accuracy and edges. Without a digital 1:1 connection, this TV is lacking IMO.

It appears that the new 42" Syntax 742i may support the PC at 1920 x 1080 over HDMI. Syntax just put out a press release for their new Olevia LCDs including the new 1080p 42" and 47" LCD TVs. The press release says that these Olevia LCDs function are superior computer monitors with PC compatibility featuring up to 1366 x 768 resolution on the Olevia 3 Series and 5 Series TVs on both the VGA and HDMI inputs, while the Olevia 7 Series (the 742i) is capable of displaying 1920 x 1080 resolution . The wording is not conclusive but if the PC compatibility on the 3 and 5 series is supported on both the VGA and HDMI inputs then I'm optimistic that the 7 series might likewise support the PC at the stated resolution (1920 x 1080) over both VGA and HDMI. I just e-mailed Syntax to ask. If the Syntax 7 series does support the PC at 1920 x 1080 over HDMI then it will be the first 42" LCD-TV with a built in ATSC tuner that supports the PC at 1920x1080 on HDMI.

http://secure.syntaxgroups.com/news..._Olevia_357.doc

While other have posted and confirmed that 1:1 pixel mapping does work over VGA, I honestly dont consider it 1:1 pixel mapping in a true sense.
There are 2 conversions taking place, this is going to have affect on color accuracy and edges. Without a digital 1:1 connection, this TV is lacking IMO.agreed, I was hoping to have it in time for the ps3, but now it looks like another tv my be in the works or waiting till the next generation of samsungs hit

It's a shame that 4095D doesn't take DVI output from PC through the HDMI. It would even be better if the unit has DVI connection.

:(

Fantastic ATSC tuner on this thing. More later.

Bill

I look forward to your findings on the ATSC tuner, Bill.

Cheers! :cool:

Do anybody have pics of there 95d displaying the hd-dvd on there screen? I just wanted to see how it would look on the hd-dvd player.

Hi, this forum and thread has been a tremendous help but also has arose doubts in my mind.

I currently have the 4095D from Samsung and I'm still within my return window. I really liked the picture on the samsung but seeing the westinhouse as a much better value I'm just wondering if anyone could speak to the comparision between the 47" WH and the 40" Samsung.

I'm currently feeding the samsung HTPC feed over RGB (the HDMI feed can only get to work at 1080i) and I like the WH for its inputs. Lack of tuner doesn't bother me at all. The only thing I like is that its 7 inches more for less money, so if anyone can speak to the quality comparison of these two sets that would really help me decide whether to pick up the WH and trade in the samsung or stick with the samsung.

Do anybody have pics of there 95d displaying the hd-dvd on there screen? I just wanted to see how it would look on the hd-dvd player.

explain to me how one can tell picture quality of a television by looking at a photograph posted on a website again?

explain to me how one can tell picture quality of a television by looking at a photograph posted on a website again?

Actually, only advanced members of the forum are familiar with the technique.

Originally Posted by tpuzio
explain to me how one can tell picture quality of a television by looking at a photograph posted on a website again?

Well i know we can't really judge the tv just by looking at a picture on the net but what i saw on the west forum they took some spectacular pics that gave me a very good idea of what the west can really do. So I was just trying to get an actual idea of how good samsung display hd with the toshiba hd-dvd player. I know i wasn't specific on details sorry to say, but when I was saw how the west was looking on the other forum my eyes just pope out on how good it looks. Now i have my 32'' samsung lcd for a monitor on my comp and i have it at full 720p resolution. So by looking at some of those west pics really makes me wonder how good the 95d samsung tv is in hd?

Has anyone really figured out if the HDMI connection overscans everything?

It's unfortunate that this set overscans a 1080p pc through HDMI, but the manual explicitly states that a pc connection is not supported through HDMI. So that leaves me hope that it is a pc specific problem (although I'm dumbfounded as to why).

Sooo if this is still the case with anything else connected through HDMI (hd box, dvd player, hd-dvd, blue-ray, ps3, etc) that well..... would just suck..... hard.

PC problem only?

p.s. ill have my 4095d on tuesday, now im FORCED to buy a 360... damn technology and its irresistable lures... :o

I understand the 4096D comes w/ a cable card. Was wondering what the benefit of having a cable card is vs the 4095D which does not have one.

Do anybody have pics of there 95d displaying the hd-dvd on there screen? I just wanted to see how it would look on the hd-dvd player.

No picture will do it justice. Trust me, the picture is amazing.

I understand the 4096D comes w/ a cable card. Was wondering what the benefit of having a cable card is vs the 4095D which does not have one.

Actually the 4096 comes with a cable card *slot*; you get the cable card from your cable company....

It's a debateable issue and has been mentioned a few times in this thread but the cable card slot will allow you to view the encrypted cable channels (like the cable box) but are (or at least they are in my area) one way only so you can't use pay per view or video on demand. A lot of people will use their sattellite receivers or Tivo's or HD receiver so the cable card would be of little or no use. There has even been talk in this thread about cable companies phasing out the cable card entirely. The benefit is all a matter of opinion.

For me... the wife needs to be able to turn on the TV and work without turning on or off any other equipment so I'm looking forward to the 4696 because of the cable card slot. I NEVER use video on demand or pay per view so will not miss these features.

Jerz

I understand the 4096D comes w/ a cable card. Was wondering what the benefit of having a cable card is vs the 4095D which does not have one.

Hi Dan,

I'll give this a shot. The 4095D has the ATSC card for picking up HD and SD broadcast signals OTA. The 4096D has the cable card with the slot for the card from your cable provider.

In my book, the positive is you can return your cable box. One less box around.

The negatives:

- there's a fan that continuously runs to cool the mini cable card box. Not good for me, since I have the TV enclosed in a custom cabinet.

- Time Warner is charging the same monthly rental for the cable card as they do for the cable box, the crumb bumbs.

- there's no way to record broadcasts with the cable card

- you loose the ability to order Pay-Per-View broadcasts


If the day comes the TV has it's own recording function and HDD storage, I think the cable card will be more attractive. However, if none of the negatives matter to you, it is nice to have one less box in your rack.

Has anyone really figured out if the HDMI connection overscans everything?

It's unfortunate that this set overscans a 1080p pc through HDMI, but the manual explicitly states that a pc connection is not supported through HDMI. So that leaves me hope that it is a pc specific problem (although I'm dumbfounded as to why).

Sooo if this is still the case with anything else connected through HDMI (hd box, dvd player, hd-dvd, blue-ray, ps3, etc) that well..... would just suck..... hard.

PC problem only?

p.s. ill have my 4095d on tuesday, now im FORCED to buy a 360... damn technology and its irresistable lures... :o
My not very expert thought is that the 1:1 pixel mapping/overscan issue is unique to PCs via HDMI connection. Other consumer boxes like HD DVD, Blu-ray, cable tv, 360 are plug and play and this is most likely not an issue. In fact, some of the PC guys were ripping Westa6969 for even daring to use the term 1:1 outside of the HTPC context. Also, we've got Amir the Microsoft HD DVD insider using this as his reference monitor for testing HD DVD and Blu-ray and he hasn't said anything about this.

And hey, once you see your panel, you'll be really happy you got a 360 for that HD content. Enjoy and try to post some impressions when you can.

Hi, this forum and thread has been a tremendous help but also has arose doubts in my mind.

I currently have the 4095D from Samsung and I'm still within my return window. I really liked the picture on the samsung but seeing the westinhouse as a much better value I'm just wondering if anyone could speak to the comparision between the 47" WH and the 40" Samsung.

I'm currently feeding the samsung HTPC feed over RGB (the HDMI feed can only get to work at 1080i) and I like the WH for its inputs. Lack of tuner doesn't bother me at all. The only thing I like is that its 7 inches more for less money, so if anyone can speak to the quality comparison of these two sets that would really help me decide whether to pick up the WH and trade in the samsung or stick with the samsung.

I thought aboout going Westy 47" but I went with Samsung due to better panel quality and build quality/reliability. Read the Westy 42" forums for the nightmares some of those guys have gone through. Maybe the 47" is better better than the 42" but I didn't want to bet my money on it and get stuck with a bad unit. If you really think a DVI input or larger size is the deciding factor, then go Westy. But don't kid yourself into thinking the panel quality is at the level of the Samsung.

My not very expert thought is that the 1:1 pixel mapping/overscan issue is unique to PCs via HDMI connection. Other consumer boxes like HD DVD, Blu-ray, cable tv, 360 are plug and play and this is most likely not an issue. In fact, some of the PC guys were ripping Westa6969 for even daring to use the term 1:1 outside of the HTPC context. Also, we've got Amir the Microsoft HD DVD insider using this as his reference monitor for testing HD DVD and Blu-ray and he hasn't said anything about this.

And hey, once you see your panel, you'll be really happy you got a 360 for that HD content. Enjoy and try to post some impressions when you can.Thats what I'm hopng, but I thnk I'll hold out untill the ps3 releases just to be on the safe side

This is to address darthhen and necrolop:

I am using a motherboard-integrated ATI X300 video system; any X-class ATI video card can do what I did with mine and output the full resolution capable of this display. The text is CRYSTAL CLEAR at 1080p via the VGA input, and there is NO OVERSCAN. This means that the display is mapping the input 1:1. I did not deliberately try other resolutions...why would I want to? The best way to drive any fixed pixel display is at the native resolution of the device, so the optimal resolution for this display is 1920X1080. However, when first booting to the screen, I had a resolution of 1024x768 selected (so I could see the screen and select the higher resolution in the catalyst control panel) and I can tell you that while the text was still readable (and obviously much larger) it was by no means as sharp as when at the full resolution.

I do not understand why some people are unhappy with the VGA connection and are trying to force the TV to accept a PC input via the HDMI connectors. While I agree that VGA output is analog, this TV has excellent ability to convert from analog to digital and display a PC desktop at the full stated resolution with 1:1 pixel mapping. The HDMI inputs are designed for connection to CE devices, and that's OK.

What I would like to test (when the card is widely available) is whether the Sapphire X1600 PRO HDMI card can successfully output a 1080p signal to this TV via the HDMI connector. My prediction is that it will, but I don't know if the catalyst control panel on this card will offer an option for 1080p (I know it offers 1080i). The trick will be to make the card output a CE-compatible video signal, not a PC signal, and I don't know if the card does this. If so, then even the purists will be fully satisfied.

In the meantime, this is the best 40 inch LCD panel there is, IMHO. And I don't work for Samsung....

But don't kid yourself into thinking the panel quality is at the level of the Samsung.

I don't buy the notion that the Westinghouse line is the better bargain.

I tend to find you get what you pay for.

For me, I'm simply priced out of the upcoming Sony line, and I needed the set now so the Samsung was the choice.

LOL, it is killing my buddies. :)

They all have plasmas and LCDs, but when I calmly explain the basics of 1080p, HD-DVD, HDMI etc...., they slowly come to the conclusion that it's time to upgrade.

The text is CRYSTAL CLEAR at 1080p via the VGA input, and there is NO OVERSCAN. This means that the display is mapping the input 1:1...
I do not understand why some people are unhappy with the VGA connection and are trying to force the TV to accept a PC input via the HDMI connectors. While I agree that VGA output is analog, this TV has excellent ability to convert from analog to digital and display a PC desktop at the full stated resolution with 1:1 pixel mapping. The HDMI inputs are designed for connection to CE devices, and that's OK.How would you say that the VGA connection between the PC and the 4095 compares to the VGA connection between your PC and your old desktop monitor? I'm typing on a 20 inch PC monitor with a VGA connection set at 1280x1024 and the sharpness of the text and imagery is nearly indistinguishable from a DVI connection at the native resolution of the panel.

Right now I'm going back and forth between the Samsung 4096 and the Syntax 742i. The Syntax may be able to support a PC input at 1080P over HDMI however it weighs over twice as much as the Samsung and I'd rather have a light LCD panel if the VGA connection at 1920x1080 produces an image that is anywhere near the quality of HDMI/DVI at the same resolution.

rdewey, thanks for the clear response.

To all (hardcore) gamers,

I see a lot of responses in this thread about how good the picture looks when displaying games. But I haven't seen any responses on whether this panel, S4095D is suited for gamers. My main concern whether or not this unit will exhibit any motion blur. Can somebody please give his/her final verdict if this unit is good for gaming?

Thanks in advance!

To all (hardcore) gamers,

I see a lot of responses in this thread about how good the picture looks when displaying games. But I haven't seen any responses on whether this panel, S4095D is suited for gamers. My main concern whether or not this unit will exhibit any motion blur. Can somebody please give his/her final verdict if this unit is good for gaming?

Thanks in advance!


From what I understand, Microsoft uses this exact monitor to exhibit the xbox 360 at conferences and such.

I have a friend bringing over his xbox 360 next week; I'll let you know more. But with response times <=8ms, I can't see there being any issue with motion blur.

LCD1080--

Obviously, I am not able to test HDMI input of a PC signal to this TV, but I can tell you, the image is as close to perfect as it can be at 1920X1080 on this display coming in via VGA. I never saw any difference between VGA and DVI on my LCD computer monitor that had both inputs; the only difference was that using VGA, I could adjust color on the monitor while using DVI I could not.

I really think this TV is ideal as a large PC monitor as long as you plan to sit at least 3 feet back from the screen. Much closer than that and you will see the pixel structure, fine as it is.

LCD1080--...the image is as close to perfect as it can be at 1920X1080 on this display coming in via VGA. I never saw any difference between VGA and DVI on my LCD computer monitor that had both inputs; the only difference was that using VGA, I could adjust color on the monitor while using DVI I could not. I really think this TV is ideal as a large PC monitor as long as you plan to sit at least 3 feet back from the screen. Much closer than that and you will see the pixel structure, fine as it is.Actually I never saw much difference between VGA and DVI on my 20 inch PC monitor either. I guess that I'm close to pulling the trigger on the 4096. Thanks for the info about the 3 foot minimum viewing distance, I hadn't heard that before. So it appears that there's a sweet spot that ranges between 3 feet and 5.5 feet for viewing both the PC and HD programming on the 4095.

Can anyone give me a detailed desription of the ways this tv handles SD signals? I'm mostly talkiing about stretch modes, non-linear (none in center, more at edges, crop top/bottom slightly) stretches, and what inputs the "smart" stretches modes do/do not work via when viewing SD signals. Also what happens when changing from an SD channel to an HD channel (ie: does the tv remember the aspect/size mode or do you have to manual change the pic mode with each change of channel). The setup needed for this testing would be an HD cable box that is set to send 480i for the the SD 4:3 channels (ie: not upconverting SD channels) using the HDMI input (testing on component also would be a bonus).

Much appreciated. Thx!

I wouldn't say there is a maximum viewing distance of 5.5 feet; it is just that the further back you sit, the smaller the TV will appear (and the fewer angular degrees of your peripheral vision the TV will stimulate). There is definitely a minimum distance, however, because you do not want to see the pixel structure.

This is why a 40 inch LCD with 1920X1080 pixels is far better than the same 40 inch screen with 1366X768; in the case of the latter, you have to sit further away to avoid seeing the pixel structure thus you stimulate less of your peripheral vision for the same size panel. This is why there's no point in having a small monitor (20 inches or less) with 1920X1080 pixels because you can't sit close enough to take advantage of those extra pixels.

This is why a 40 inch LCD with 1920X1080 pixels is far better than the same 40 inch screen with 1366X768; in the case of the latter, you have to sit further away to avoid seeing the pixel structure thus you stimulate less of your peripheral vision for the same size panel.That's a good retort to all those people who scoff at the idea of providing 1080 lines on a 40" inch screen.
This is why there's no point in having a small monitor (20 inches or less) with 1920X1080 pixels because you can't sit close enough to take advantage of those extra pixels.Unless of course you're near sighted like me. Then you just take off glasses off and view the 20 inch screen from a distance of about 14 inches. At that distance you can take advantage of all 1920x1080 pixels on the screen.

... And hey, once you see your panel, you'll be really happy you got a 360 for that HD content. Enjoy and try to post some impressions when you can.

You know I will!

Man, just when I cleared all my cc debt too... oh well, who lives debt free these days anyway right?!

Quick report on ATSC tuning: I have one channel in Houston that I could not receive with either my HR10-250 (HD Tivo) or my Fusion 5 Gold (current gen LG tuner inside). The Sammy picked it up at 100%. It also grabbed one of the digital stations that is on the other side of town from the rest of the major stations' antennae (see prior discussion of front-to-back ratio being all important).

For analog, it grabbed everything as well -- despite my having only a UHF 4-bay bowtie antenna. This included several "low VHF" stations. Very impressive.

The only downside: I wish there had been an option to select only digital stations when performing the channel scan.

More later.

Bill

Bear5k, for the analog OTA viewing, how does it look?? Does the unit have a stretch mode, black pillar boxes on the left and right, or ??? I'm not familiar with Samsung units, so forgive me if this has been answered previously.

I saw Sharp LC-37d90u's "Smart Stretch" mode, which is not bad. Just curious what Samsung has to offer.

Thank you.

It has stretch modes, but since this is an LCD, I'm not inclined to give them a try (burn-in is not really an issue). As for PQ, it is very crisp, but I need to calibrate it before I will comment much more.

I do not understand why some people are unhappy with the VGA connection and are trying to force the TV to accept a PC input via the HDMI connectors.

There are a couple of issues that bother me about being forced to use the VGA D-Sub connection.

First, there is really no need to use VGA with a digital panel and by using a VGA connection they needlessly introduce a conversion process of digital to analog and back to digital. This conversion process creates the opportunity for image degredation and I simply find it hard to believe that it wouldn't have been easier to add a DVI-I connection instead. Granted, the image quality is decent over VGA, but it would be sharper over DVI/HDMI. More importantly, I and others who have the panel, have noticed some image quality issues when connecting a PC to the 4095... with the VGA D-Sub. This includes what I can only describe as a ghosted scan lines that are created when displaying certain static images. I reference this in an earlier post that you can search the thread for, but it is an issue that can and has been reproduced.

This panel has a great deal of potential and that's what has me so frustrated and conflicted. When I pay ~$3k for a TV, I expect to have no issues with it. Unfortunately, the VGA connection has proven less than ideal, the HDMI seems to have some kind of processing associated with it, and the lack of adequate quality content that can take advantage of this displays capabilities only forces to me reconsider whether I would be better off buying a lowerend model or waiting for the 37d90u, XBR2, or even the new Syntax models with the new scaler. Sorry, but that's simply my perspective.

...I and others who have the panel, have noticed some image quality issues when connecting a PC to the 4095... with the VGA D-Sub. This includes what I can only describe as a ghosted scan lines that are created when displaying certain static images.

...the VGA connection has proven less than ideal, the HDMI seems to have some kind of processing associated with it, and the lack of adequate quality content that can take advantage of this displays capabilities only forces to me reconsider whether I would be better off buying a lowerend model or waiting for the 37d90u, XBR2, or even the new Syntax models with the new scaler.
The problem is that each of the alternative LCDs has its own set of problems.

1. The 37D90U is too small at least from my perspective.
2. The 40XBR2 is a possibility but it weighs 25 pounds more than the 4095, measures 4 inches wider than the 4095 and won't be here until September.
3. The Syntax weighs twice as much as the 4095 and although it may accept a PC input over HDMI/DVI at 1920x1080 that has yet been confirmed.
4. The JVC LT-40FN97 won't even accept a PC input at 1920x1080 on the VGA port, it maxes out at 1366x768.

In short I don't see a "perfect" solution to the PC question so a compromise has to be made somewhere. If the 4096 comes out next week I think I may decide to live with the less than ideal VGA solution that it offers. Ask me tomorrow and I may have made a different decision. :confused:

Just wondering for those who have tried connecting 4095 through DVI-HDMI, has anyone tried outputing 1080p rather than 1920x1080? Because there's distinct difference between the two. 1920x1080 is in RGB space and the 4095's HDMI ports most likely won't accept this kind of signal, however 1080p is video signal same as any CE device. By outputing 1080p, you're asking the computer to behave like a HD-DVD player, and you're telling the computer that it's connected to a TV rather then a monitor.

If you are using nvidia Video card, you can firstly go to "Screen Resolution & Refresh Rates" in the nvidia driver panel to enable "Show standard HDTV formats". Then go to "nView display settings", on the right hand side click on "Device Settings" button and choose "Treat digital display as HDTV", press the same button again and you'll see "Select TV format". From there choose "1080p HDTV". When you click on "Apply", the "HDTV Overscan Compensation" dialogue box will pop out and let you choose whether to output normal signal or to underscan. Here you have to try and error the options to get 1:1 pixel mapping. ATI display driver has similar settings for outputing 1080p video signal.

For those who have bought the 4095 and have not tried this, this might be the last hope for 1:1 pixel mapping through DVI-HDMI.

Quick report on ATSC tuning: I have one channel in Houston that I could not receive with either my HR10-250 (HD Tivo) or my Fusion 5 Gold (current gen LG tuner inside). The Sammy picked it up at 100%. It also grabbed one of the digital stations that is on the other side of town from the rest of the major stations' antennae (see prior discussion of front-to-back ratio being all important).

For analog, it grabbed everything as well -- despite my having only a UHF 4-bay bowtie antenna. This included several "low VHF" stations. Very impressive.

The only downside: I wish there had been an option to select only digital stations when performing the channel scan.

More later.

Bill

That's very impressive. Sounds like we have a new king of the hill for tuners. :cool:

I guess I'll be saying bye-bye to my old LG tuner.

Once you get everything calibrated, Bill, I would be interested to hear about your impressions on the SD PQ in this set.

Cheers and have a great weekend!

Just wondering for those who have tried connecting 4095 through DVI-HDMI, has anyone tried outputing 1080p rather than 1920x1080? Because there's distinct difference between the two. 1920x1080 is in RGB space and the 4095's HDMI ports most likely won't accept this kind of signal, however 1080p is video signal same as any CE device. By outputing 1080p, you're asking the computer to behave like a HD-DVD player, and you're telling the computer that it's connected to a TV rather then a monitor.

If you are using nvidia Video card, you can firstly go to "Screen Resolution & Refresh Rates" in the nvidia driver panel to enable "Show standard HDTV formats". Then go to "nView display settings", on the right hand side click on "Device Settings" button and choose "Treat digital display as HDTV", press the same button again and you'll see "Select TV format". From there choose "1080p HDTV". When you click on "Apply", the "HDTV Overscan Compensation" dialogue box will pop out and let you choose whether to output normal signal or to underscan. Here you have to try and error the options to get 1:1 pixel mapping. ATI display driver has similar settings for outputing 1080p video signal.

For those who have bought the 4095 and have not tried this, this might be the last hope for 1:1 pixel mapping through DVI-HDMI.

This make so much sense that it makes me want to cry (happy tears).

Now if it was only proven to work...

Bear5K, you mentioned in an earlier post that you chose the 4095D Samsung LCD over the JVC LT-40FH97. Both models have basically the same (Samsung-manufactured) panel but each has its own set of internal circuitry. I've been eyeing JVC's 1080p LCD panels since the predecessor to the current model, the LT-40FH96, received an excellent rating from Consumer Reports and positive word-of-mouth from the AVS Forum members. I have no interest in hooking a computer to an LCD HDTV (not my thing), I just want to watch upconverted DVD's, regular SD TV (mostly Game Show Network), some HD sports/movie channels and play videogames (everything from SNES and TurboDuo to XBox 360 and -fingers crossed- PS3 and Wii). Based on my situation Bear5K, would you still recommend the 4095D (or a wait for soon-to-be-released Sharp, Sony and Samsung 96D series) over the LT-40FH97? Or would you say the differences between the two models are so minimal as to make the choice an even one? I know neither model does 1:1 but would that prevent either set from displaying an excellent picture of fed a 1080p signal from an HD source (1080p enabled HD-DVD, PS3, etc.)?

I ask because the JVC 1080p models are notoriously hard to track down from reliable sellers (not including the online stores) while the Samsung one's can be found/bought all over the place. I have until Monday to pull the trigger on an LT-40FN97, but your mention earlier that you thought the contrast of the 4095D was superior made me question my decision to buy JVC for the umpteen millionth time (thanks a lot BTW! :mad: ). I'm still tempted by the 37 and 47 Westy 1080p monitors (for those prices who wouldn't?) but are still willing to pay an extra grand for the peace of mind of a reliable brand, which both JVC and Samsung are.

Bear5K, you mentioned in an earlier post that you chose the 4095D Samsung LCD over the JVC LT-40FH97. Both models have basically the same (Samsung-manufactured) panel but each has its own set of internal circuitry. I've been eyeing JVC's 1080p LCD panels since the predecessor to the current model, the LT-40FH96, received an excellent rating from Consumer Reports and positive word-of-mouth from the AVS Forum members. I have no interest in hooking a computer to an LCD HDTV (not my thing), I just want to watch upconverted DVD's, regular SD TV (mostly Game Show Network), some HD sports/movie channels and play videogames (everything from SNES and TurboDuo to XBox 360 and -fingers crossed- PS3 and Wii). Based on my situation Bear5K, would you still recommend the 4095D (or a wait for soon-to-be-released Sharp, Sony and Samsung 96D series) over the LT-40FH97? Or would you say the differences between the two models are so minimal as to make the choice an even one? I know neither model does 1:1 but would that prevent either set from displaying an excellent picture of fed a 1080p signal from an HD source (1080p enabled HD-DVD, PS3, etc.)?

I ask because the JVC 1080p models are notoriously hard to track down from reliable sellers (not including the online stores) while the Samsung one's can be found/bought all over the place. I have until Monday to pull the trigger on an LT-40FN97, but your mention earlier that you thought the contrast of the 4095D was superior made me question my decision to buy JVC for the umpteen millionth time (thanks a lot BTW! :mad: ). I'm still tempted by the 37 and 47 Westy 1080p monitors (for those prices who wouldn't?) but are still willing to pay an extra grand for the peace of mind of a reliable brand, which both JVC and Samsung are.

I have not spent a lot of time looking at LCDs, and the JVC I saw next to the Sammy was most distinctly not the top-end JVC. That comparison was the 4092 vs. "the field", which included Sharp, Toshiba, JVC, Eizo(sp?), and a couple of other high-30" - 40" LCDs.

Having spent tonight watching a mix of HD and SD, the instantaneous contrast on this thing is amazing (I'm guessing north of 1,000:1 much like where the Sony's measure). What was especially impressive was the fountain in the front courtyard/driveway of the mansion in which Entourage is set. I'll post some pics later. Also, screen reflections are absolutely no issue as has been noted before, but the gloss black surround, while VERY pretty, reflects light pretty fiercely. Placement of lamps in the room should be considered when using this set.

Later,
Bill

PS: The menu sucks. It is s l o w .

Just wondering for those who have tried connecting 4095 through DVI-HDMI, has anyone tried outputing 1080p rather than 1920x1080? Because there's distinct difference between the two. 1920x1080 is in RGB space and the 4095's HDMI ports most likely won't accept this kind of signal, however 1080p is video signal same as any CE device. By outputing 1080p, you're asking the computer to behave like a HD-DVD player, and you're telling the computer that it's connected to a TV rather then a monitor.

If you are using nvidia Video card, you can firstly go to "Screen Resolution & Refresh Rates" in the nvidia driver panel to enable "Show standard HDTV formats". Then go to "nView display settings", on the right hand side click on "Device Settings" button and choose "Treat digital display as HDTV", press the same button again and you'll see "Select TV format". From there choose "1080p HDTV". When you click on "Apply", the "HDTV Overscan Compensation" dialogue box will pop out and let you choose whether to output normal signal or to underscan. Here you have to try and error the options to get 1:1 pixel mapping. ATI display driver has similar settings for outputing 1080p video signal.

For those who have bought the 4095 and have not tried this, this might be the last hope for 1:1 pixel mapping through DVI-HDMI.

The second you give me the equivalent instructions for an ati radeon is the second i test this out.

Quick report on ATSC tuning: I have one channel in Houston that I could not receive with either my HR10-250 (HD Tivo) or my Fusion 5 Gold (current gen LG tuner inside). The Sammy picked it up at 100%. It also grabbed one of the digital stations that is on the other side of town from the rest of the major stations' antennae (see prior discussion of front-to-back ratio being all important).

For analog, it grabbed everything as well -- despite my having only a UHF 4-bay bowtie antenna. This included several "low VHF" stations. Very impressive.

The only downside: I wish there had been an option to select only digital stations when performing the channel scan.

More later.

Bill

Are you using indoor HD antenna? We are thinking about the 4695d, and if this works out, we can get rid of the Dishnetwork local channel fees.

Are you using indoor HD antenna? We are thinking about the 4695d, and if this works out, we can get rid of the Dishnetwork local channel fees.
I have a 4-bay bowtie antenna in my attic, and I am 14 miles from our local antenna "farm". If you are closer, you can probably get away with a smaller antenna; if you are farther, you need a bigger one. BTW, the attic robs me of about 20dB of sensitivity, per some testing the chief engineer of our local CW affiliate did at my place and others around the city.

I guess I was right about the samsung Blue Ray PQ looking soft and noisy compared to the HDDVD units. Confirmed by samsung and a new fix was issued.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/samsung-bd-p1000-shipping-with-faulty-picture-degrading-chip/

I guess I was right about the samsung Blue Ray PQ looking soft and noisy compared to the HDDVD units. Confirmed by samsung and a new fix was issued.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/samsung-bd-p1000-shipping-with-faulty-picture-degrading-chip/


This is good news for the Blue-Ray camp. Now hopefully, we can make true head-to-head comparisons between the two formats.

The article didn't say, but does anyone know when the fix will be available from Samsung?

I guess I was right about the samsung Blue Ray PQ looking soft and noisy compared to the HDDVD units. Confirmed by samsung and a new fix was issued.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/samsung-bd-p1000-shipping-with-faulty-picture-degrading-chip/
It will most likely still "bob" chroma, so don't expect this to be the single fix that gets everything right. Samsung still needs to fix the deinterlacing issue before the player will be clean enough to just judge the format's capabilities absent player issues.

Also, we have five entire forums devoted to these issues... ;)

Later,
Bill

To all (hardcore) gamers,

I see a lot of responses in this thread about how good the picture looks when displaying games. But I haven't seen any responses on whether this panel, S4095D is suited for gamers. My main concern whether or not this unit will exhibit any motion blur. Can somebody please give his/her final verdict if this unit is good for gaming?

Thanks in advance!
Stop with the motion blur talk already. There's no motion artifacting with this baby's response time. Check my post history for my impressions on the 360 and PS2. I got it for 360 and later PS3 and it's awesome.

Hello, friends.

I am looking for a good ~46" 1080p set just for using with my PC (for games) and HTPC. There is no need for extraordinary TV features, since the set will be used mostly as a monitor.

Are the new LN-S469xD models far superior to their predecessor, LW-46G15W? The old good LW is not so bright and contrast but it is 1080p as well, has a separate DVI input, and, as far as I can see from the specs, can be used as a decent monitor.

Since the LN models seem to have PC connectivity issues and the LW is proven to have no problems with this, is it reasonable to consider the LW for a PC-adherent user?

(Please note that I am looking for the most adequate rather than the cheapest solution. I am willing to spend ~5000 USD.)

I recommend you take a look at the Westinghouse LVM-47w1. The new models appear to have all of the bugs from last year's sets resolved. It is in fact a monitor and works great hooked up to a PC with it's 2 DVI inputs. It's a 1080p set and accepts a 1080p signal via the HDMI, DVI and component inputs. I'd consider the set myself, especially given the price, for TV viewing if it had better colors.

I recommend you take a look at the Westinghouse LVM-47w1.Thanks, ned215! Indeed, the new Westy is quite promising. However, I am confused: its price is suspiciously low. :)

I just bought the 4095D on Friday and it will be at my local BB for pickup on Tuesday. Bill, can you post some pics of your 4095 setup?

It is in fact a monitorOh, I have not got it at the first time. Westy is a monitor, not a TV! It has no tuners at all and has no the advanced TV featues other panels have. This explains its lower price. Now I see that Westy suits my requests better than this thread's subject. Tanks again, ned215!

Just wondering for those who have tried connecting 4095 through DVI-HDMI, has anyone tried outputing 1080p rather than 1920x1080? Because there's distinct difference between the two. 1920x1080 is in RGB space and the 4095's HDMI ports most likely won't accept this kind of signal, however 1080p is video signal same as any CE device. By outputing 1080p, you're asking the computer to behave like a HD-DVD player, and you're telling the computer that it's connected to a TV rather then a monitor.

I understand the idea here, but unfortunately, my Windows PC is currently running a Vista Beta and for whatever reason, the most recent NVidia control panel seems to be missing a great deal of functionality... including the ability to change resolution and overscan options and I'm forced to switch between the Windows control panel and NVidia's. Hopefully, someone else will be able to look into this.

I just bought the 4095D on Friday and it will be at my local BB for pickup on Tuesday. Bill, can you post some pics of your 4095 setup?
I'm not sure what pics would be helpful of my system (assuming I'm the Bill in question). I have a handful of source units (HD-DVD player, HD DVR, D-VHS deck, etc.) feeding into a Lumagen HDQ video processor which then feeds either the Sammy 4095 or my Optoma projector. The DVI splitter cable from Monoprice gives me a case of sparklies on both the Sammy and my Optoma. I will need to add a distribution amplifier to drive both simultaneously.

For pictures, how about some shots from Entourage (1080i deinterlaced with the Lumagen to 1080p). Gamers know how hard water is to do correctly, so look at the detail in the fountain in these two shots:
http://www.datapopuli.com/ht/images/astons_arriving.jpg

http://www.datapopuli.com/ht/images/astons_leaving.jpg

The problem here is that the "pause" on the DVR loses some of the detail in the tile work inisde the fountain in the second shot. This is what 1080p does for you.

Later,
Bill

The problem is that each of the alternative LCDs has its own set of problems.

1. The 37D90U is too small at least from my perspective.
2. The 40XBR2 is a possibility but it weighs 25 pounds more than the 4095, measures 4 inches wider than the 4095 and won't be here until September.
3. The Syntax weighs twice as much as the 4095 and although it may accept a PC input over HDMI/DVI at 1920x1080 that has yet been confirmed.
4. The JVC LT-40FN97 won't even accept a PC input at 1920x1080 on the VGA port, it maxes out at 1366x768.

In short I don't see a "perfect" solution to the PC question so a compromise has to be made somewhere. If the 4096 comes out next week I think I may decide to live with the less than ideal VGA solution that it offers. Ask me tomorrow and I may have made a different decision. :confused:

did u made a different decision?? ;)

I'm not sure what pics would be helpful of my system (assuming I'm the Bill in question). Later,
Bill

Yes, thanks Bill. I was also wanting to see the unit itself set up in full light.

If I had the 9,000 or so I'd buy the new 57'' LN-S5797D (http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/LCDTV/LNS5797DXXAA.asp?page=Features)
...That would be so nice in my living room..
...it will take quite a while though for it to drop im price where I can afford it.

I recommend you take a look at the Westinghouse LVM-47w1. The new models appear to have all of the bugs from last year's sets resolved. It is in fact a monitor and works great hooked up to a PC with it's 2 DVI inputs. It's a 1080p set and accepts a 1080p signal via the HDMI, DVI and component inputs. I'd consider the set myself, especially given the price, for TV viewing if it had better colors.

Banding sucks, and unless they switched from Chi Mei to someone else, the panels will continue to have banding issues.

And yes, I have gone through three sets of the 42" panels.

Samsung panels don't have this issue.

I went on a quest to see what's new at CC & BB this day and yet again my area is behind as usual. The good news is I continue to get reaffirmed just how great the Samsung LCD's are.

I viewed it at BB up on the same wall as a Pio 5071 and a dozen other panels and while the Pio was a great looking panel to my eyes the Samsung LCD had the best PQ and wow factor in the store and it was not even one of the new 1080P panels. This standout PQ has replicated the same response at 3 stores over the past month of repeated visits. The same event occurred at CC only this time it was a Panny PDP 60U and half a dozen others it beat out to my eyes.

Samsung LCD have definitely won me over with this many visits and it's standout PQ.

Also, at CC they had a Samsung Blu-Ray playing HD to a Samsung DLP 50" Black DLP and this Blu-Ray definitely lacked the flaws reported as the level of detail was pretty amazing and it was hard to believe I was viewing a DLP as you could see no picture noise, eye popping but true to life colors. I've never seen a DLP look as good as this thing did with that Blu-Ray playing. It's mighty tempting as the 57" LCD takes me $7500. - $8K to acquire while could have a 61" DLP for less than half that and get a pro calibration. Well, in my book they are allwinners depending on buyer preference and budget. The good news is these new Samsungs you folks are waiting for and the Sony cousin ought to be kick ass Great! :)

did u made a different decision?? ;)Well I haven't seen the 4096 at BB yet. I'm hoping that they show up this week. Did you see the 4096 at The TV Store yet?

Banding sucks, and unless they switched from Chi Mei to someone else, the panels will continue to have banding issues.

And yes, I have gone through three sets of the 42" panels.

Samsung panels don't have this issue.

I just returned my LN-S4095D today because it has slight, but noticeable banding over PC input. I created a 1920x1080 gradient PNG in Photoshop and could definitely see it.

Also, at CC they had a Samsung Blu-Ray playing HD to a Samsung DLP 50" Black DLP and this Blu-Ray definitely lacked the flaws reported as the level of detail was pretty amazing and it was hard to believe I was viewing a DLP as you could see no picture noise, eye popping but true to life colors. I've never seen a DLP look as good as this thing did with that Blu-Ray playing. It's mighty tempting as the 57" LCD takes me $7500. - $8K to acquire while could have a 61" DLP for less than half that and get a pro calibration. Well, in my book they are allwinners depending on buyer preference and budget. The good news is these new Samsungs you folks are waiting for and the Sony cousin ought to be kick ass Great! :)


Yeah westa I checked that out at CC in my area. I actually sat down in their little home theater setup and watched the whole thing on the sammy DLP set. I tells ya that watch making segment speaks volumes. Too big for the bedroom though, looking forward to the 46" lcd FP

I just returned my LN-S4095D today because it has slight, but noticeable banding over PC input. I created a 1920x1080 gradient PNG in Photoshop and could definitely see it.Are you going to replace it with the Sony 40XBR2 or the Sony 40V2500? The 40XBR2 is supposedly available a week from Tuesday. They both appear to support a PC input over HDMI @ 1920x1080.

The good news is I continue to get reaffirmed just how great the Samsung LCD's are.

Is this really the best there is? If so I am very disappointed with the current state-of-the-art. I was hoping to be blown away by the 4095d and I'm far from it.

I posted this in another thread and will copy and paste it here...

I personally have better than 20/20 vision and I can "see" digital. I went to BB and looked at the 4095d / Blu-Ray combo running the demo disc. During the portion with the girl in the red dress in the desert, I could see TONS of digital noise running through the picture when panning along the red rocks. Much of the rest of the demo disc left me feeling similarly unimpressed. Granted, I have no idea what settings the Sammy was set to and was not about to ask a BB blue shirt, but I see this effect in every LCD.

I guess since I still watch a lot of SD basic cable (comedy central, The Shield on FX, etc.) and I'm not at all blown away by what is supposed to be the best picture out there, I'm just not ready to spend $3k+ on anything right now. My hope is until I'm ready, the processors / scalers get perfected and we get better source material to help ease this transition period to true HD.

Thanks to everyone for all of your opinions, thoughts and advice. :)

Is this really the best there is? If so I am very disappointed with the current state-of-the-art. I was hoping to be blown away by the 4095d and I'm far from it.

I posted this in another thread and will copy and paste it here...

I personally have better than 20/20 vision and I can "see" digital. I went to BB and looked at the 4095d / Blu-Ray combo running the demo disc. During the portion with the girl in the red dress in the desert, I could see TONS of digital noise running through the picture when panning along the red rocks. Much of the rest of the demo disc left me feeling similarly unimpressed. Granted, I have no idea what settings the Sammy was set to and was not about to ask a BB blue shirt, but I see this effect in every LCD.

I guess since I still watch a lot of SD basic cable (comedy central, The Shield on FX, etc.) and I'm not at all blown away by what is supposed to be the best picture out there, I'm just not ready to spend $3k+ on anything right now. My hope is until I'm ready, the processors / scalers get perfected and we get better source material to help ease this transition period to true HD.

Thanks to everyone for all of your opinions, thoughts and advice. :)

In the interim, you can live vicariously off everybody else's sets. Thanks.

Hey All,

I can't find a Toshiba HD-A1 thread, so I'd ask the crew here.

I got the firmware update disc in the mail last night, however I'm not having any issues.

I'm reluctant to upset the apple cart.

Does anyone know what the disc is supposed to fix? or make better?

Thanks.

edit: Never mind kids, I see now the disc is supposed to make the Linux SW boot up faster. The thing is slow, but other than that, the thing upscales well and the HD discs really shine.

i have no clue but I guarantee you'll find a discussion about it in the HD DVD forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=151)

Is this really the best there is? If so I am very disappointed with the current state-of-the-art. I was hoping to be blown away by the 4095d and I'm far from it.

I posted this in another thread and will copy and paste it here...

I personally have better than 20/20 vision and I can "see" digital. I went to BB and looked at the 4095d / Blu-Ray combo running the demo disc. During the portion with the girl in the red dress in the desert, I could see TONS of digital noise running through the picture when panning along the red rocks. Much of the rest of the demo disc left me feeling similarly unimpressed. Granted, I have no idea what settings the Sammy was set to and was not about to ask a BB blue shirt, but I see this effect in every LCD.

I guess since I still watch a lot of SD basic cable (comedy central, The Shield on FX, etc.) and I'm not at all blown away by what is supposed to be the best picture out there, I'm just not ready to spend $3k+ on anything right now. My hope is until I'm ready, the processors / scalers get perfected and we get better source material to help ease this transition period to true HD.

Thanks to everyone for all of your opinions, thoughts and advice. :)

I agree handiwipe.

I have been to Best Buy nearly a dozen times to look at the 4095D and while it looks good with good source material, I am really concerned about how it looks with a less than perfect(HD-DVD) source. The fact of the matter is that most people watch HDTV using a box from their provider. The problem is that all providers(Dish, Directv and cable) are all having bandwidth issues so I think it is of upmost importance how a tv deals with a less than stellar source.

It's tough to disern the real reviews of this unit on this forum, but reading between the lines it appears that this tv does not do well with less than perfect sources. Some people justify that by calling SD turdvision, or garbage in, garbage out and that may be fine for them, but the majority of the channels are still in SD.

What I am looking for is a television that maintains the SD quality of my mediocre CRT while still giving me the upside of HD on channles that are broadcast in that format.

I don't want to see the look on my wife's face when she turns our new $3k tv to HGTV and it looks far worse than my $300 CRT. :)

...What I am looking for is a television that maintains the SD quality of my mediocre CRT while still giving me the upside of HD on channles that are broadcast in that format.The best bet for improved SD quality most likely is the Olevia 7 Series also known as the Syntax 742i. It's due out in August and features the Silicon Optix video processor which has the potential to clean up SD images. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060719005107&newsLang=en
The downside is that it will probably weigh just over a hundred pounds however that shouldn't be too much of a problem if it's going to remain stationary most of the time.

I agree handiwipe.

It's tough to disern the real reviews of this unit on this forum, but reading between the lines it appears that this tv does not do well with less than perfect sources.

That just isn't correct.

The 4095-D does a fine job with sub-HD. It just does such a great job with HD that the sub-HD looks worse in comparison.

I watch Bloomberg TV each morning in SD, and it looks great. Whites and blacks are way better than my old plasma, and the colors and brightness are fantastic.

There simply isn't anything you can do about SD unless you invest in an expensive processor unit.

With the new DVD players upscalling, the 4095-D loves that stuff. Then you have HD-DVD, and way more broadcasting in HD and more coming.

To be frank, I'm finding I'm exposed to SD less and less.

Heck, my Rockford Files DVDs are upscalling to 1080i now!!! :D

The best bet for improved SD quality most likely is the Olevia 7 Series also known as the Syntax 742i. It's due out in August and features the Silicon Optix video processor which has the potential to clean up SD images. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060719005107&newsLang=en
The downside is that it will probably weigh just over a hundred pounds however that shouldn't be too much of a problem if it's going to remain stationary most of the time.

Good post.

Over the past few years, I've found I've weaned myself slowly from even watching SD broadcasts.

My plasma looked pretty bad in SD, but SD looks brighter and richer on the 4095-D. Only problem is it doesn't look sharper.

There's going to be strides made in sharpening SD, and if you're into Soap Operas and the A-Team, help is on the way. ;)

But for me, the Yankees are in HD, I love Discovery HD, PBS-HD, upscalled and HD DVD. It's MORE than enough for me.

Well I haven't seen the 4096 at BB yet. I'm hoping that they show up this week. Did you see the 4096 at The TV Store yet?

no, they still dont have it! :mad: anyways im undicided now, I dont know if a Sharp 37d90u, a jvc 40 Lt-Fn97, sony 40xbr 2 or the Samsung is my better choice!! arrrrgghh!! :( :(

That just isn't correct.

The 4095-D does a fine job with sub-HD. It just does such a great job with HD that the sub-HD looks worse in comparison.

I watch Bloomberg TV each morning in SD, and it looks great. Whites and blacks are way better than my old plasma, and the colors and brightness are fantastic.

There simply isn't anything you can do about SD unless you invest in an expensive processor unit.

With the new DVD players upscalling, the 4095-D loves that stuff. Then you have HD-DVD, and way more broadcasting in HD and more coming.

To be frank, I'm finding I'm exposed to SD less and less.

Heck, my Rockford Files DVDs are upscalling to 1080i now!!! :D

That's good to hear Cocteau.

I am trying to decide between the Samsung 4095D and the NEC 42XR4.

The Samsung has lack of burn-in and 1080P in its favor, but the NEC has superior processing in its favor.

Your statement about upscaling dvd players confirms my suspicion about the Samsung scalar. The people over in the NEC forum have found that the processing inside the NEC is better than upscaling dvd players and is even superior to external processors.

I think that 1080P is a double edged sword. It provides the highs of HD-DVD, but the lows of having to compensate a great deal for 480i. In addition, I am not sure if I would notice the detail of 1080P on a 40" set.

Like I said, I have been debating this for weeks. I am almost to the point of buying both the 4095D and the 42XR4 and returning one.

What I am looking for is a television that maintains the SD quality of my mediocre CRT while still giving me the upside of HD on channles that are broadcast in that format.

I don't want to see the look on my wife's face when she turns our new $3k tv to HGTV and it looks far worse than my $300 CRT. :)

You are misinterpreting the owners' impressions of SD. The Sammy 4095, etc. will crush your CRT and most other displays out there when it comes to displaying SD. Just don't plan to sit 5 ft. from the screen when you are watching SD. Like Cocteau said, HD and even DVD look so great that you will find yourself searching out higher resolution content. The high end is so high that SD is revealed for what it is, 480i, get it?. It doesn't mean the new 95/96 series panels will make SD look worse than on a CRT. I have a 36" HD CRT and the 4095 easily displays better SD.

Granted, I have no idea what settings the Sammy was set to


That's your problem right there buddy.

Thanks for telling us all that you won't be buying one. :-)

I went on a quest to see what's new at CC & BB this day and yet again my area is behind as usual. The good news is I continue to get reaffirmed just how great the Samsung LCD's are.

I viewed it at BB up on the same wall as a Pio 5071 and a dozen other panels and while the Pio was a great looking panel to my eyes the Samsung LCD had the best PQ and wow factor in the store and it was not even one of the new 1080P panels. This standout PQ has replicated the same response at 3 stores over the past month of repeated visits. The same event occurred at CC only this time it was a Panny PDP 60U and half a dozen others it beat out to my eyes.

Samsung LCD have definitely won me over with this many visits and it's standout PQ.

Also, at CC they had a Samsung Blu-Ray playing HD to a Samsung DLP 50" Black DLP and this Blu-Ray definitely lacked the flaws reported as the level of detail was pretty amazing and it was hard to believe I was viewing a DLP as you could see no picture noise, eye popping but true to life colors. I've never seen a DLP look as good as this thing did with that Blu-Ray playing. It's mighty tempting as the 57" LCD takes me $7500. - $8K to acquire while could have a 61" DLP for less than half that and get a pro calibration. Well, in my book they are allwinners depending on buyer preference and budget. The good news is these new Samsungs you folks are waiting for and the Sony cousin ought to be kick ass Great! :)

C'mon, you gotta buy the 5797! You are destined for this set. And after you sell part of your existing home inventory, the bite won't even hurt.

You are misinterpreting the owners' impressions of SD. The Sammy 4095, etc. will crush your CRT and most other displays out there when it comes to displaying SD. Just don't plan to sit 5 ft. from the screen when you are watching SD. Like Cocteau said, HD and even DVD look so great that you will find yourself searching out higher resolution content. The high end is so high that SD is revealed for what it is, 480i, get it?. It doesn't mean the new 95/96 series panels will make SD look worse than on a CRT. I have a 36" HD CRT and the 4095 easily displays better SD.

Ryu, do you have cable or satellite? I am curious if you have ever seen an analog channel on the 4095D.

I went over to someone's place to see his 37" LG lcd and the analog channels looked terrible and to be honest I wasn't that impressed by DiscoveryHD. I figure it could have been one of 3 things:

1. The LG isn't very good
2. Analog channels in general look bad on LCDs
3. The fact that a 4:3 signal was strecthed to 16:9 made it look much worse than if the apsect ratio had been 4:3.

Thanks for all of your input.

Ryu, do you have cable or satellite? I am curious if you have ever seen an analog channel on the 4095D.

I went over to someone's place to see his 37" LG lcd and the analog channels looked terrible and to be honest I wasn't that impressed by DiscoveryHD. I figure it could have been one of 3 things:

1. The LG isn't very good
2. Analog channels in general look bad on LCDs
3. The fact that a 4:3 signal was strecthed to 16:9 made it look much worse than if the apsect ratio had been 4:3.

Thanks for all of your input.

I tried analog cable TV via the coaxial in and it was acceptable, but I prefer the HDMI in for digital cable (SD and HD channels). I watch SD only in 4:3 original aspect ratio. I also prefer to sit about 9-10 ft. away when watching SD.

LG aren't very good, that has been confirmed our recent discovery that LG=LuckyGoldstar=Zenith="zenith of all crap" to quote Necrolop.

Ryu, do you have cable or satellite? I am curious if you have ever seen an analog channel on the 4095D.

I went over to someone's place to see his 37" LG lcd and the analog channels looked terrible and to be honest I wasn't that impressed by DiscoveryHD. I figure it could have been one of 3 things:

1. The LG isn't very good
2. Analog channels in general look bad on LCDs
3. The fact that a 4:3 signal was strecthed to 16:9 made it look much worse than if the apsect ratio had been 4:3.

Thanks for all of your input.
I took my wife's cousin to our local Fry's to give her a rundown on the various HDTV options she is considering. To her eye, and mine, the Samsung LCD has the best looking torch mode out there. The instantaneous contrast is just phenomenal. Given the differences in panels, I would say that you should not judge the Samsung by what any other panel can do. It is in a class by itself (until, perhaps, the Sony equivalents ship).

Bill

I spent a considerable amount of time this weekend fiddling with my 4095, and I could not get rid of the overscan on HDMI. This is really a dumb move on Samsung's part which can hopefully be fixed via firmware. It also clips BTB/WTW on HDMI, but that is easily remedied.

Bear5k,

Did you have any luck trying to do a digital PC input. Thats the only thing holding me back from making this display permanent in my living room. I love the display just hate the fact I'm limited in one of the main things I want to do with this display.

If this fails I think it comes down to all of the following 1080p panels:
The XBR2, 4095D, the Westinhouse 47, Sharp LC-45GD7U

It also clips BTB/WTW on HDMI, but that is easily remedied.


Ok, I'm still new. What is "clips BTB/WTW" and why is it an issue?

thanks

Bear5k,

Did you have any luck trying to do a digital PC input. Thats the only thing holding me back from making this display permanent in my living room. I love the display just hate the fact I'm limited in one of the main things I want to do with this display.

If this fails I think it comes down to all of the following 1080p panels:
The XBR2, 4095D, the Westinhouse 47, Sharp LC-45GD7U
For some reason, my HTPC was acting up this weekend. I could get the PC to sync with the 4095D at 640x480, but nothing higher. The HTPC was also having issues talking to my scaler, so I need to figure out what was going on with it, prior to casting aspersions to the 4095D.

For signals to the 4095D, I used my Lumagen video processor (scaler) and my Accupel signal generator. The overscan is about 1.5% top and bottom, and 2% on the sides.

Oh, yeah, the CR is rated at 1300:1 for the panel (I believe it, but still no measurements), and the x,000:1 is not even enabled by default in the shipping panel. This is downright silly, and may open Samsung up to a potential false advertising claim. (IANAL)

BTB = blacker than black. The unit shows all signals below digital 16 as digital 16.
WTW = whiter than white. The unit shows all signals above digital 235 as 235.

These can be set to 1 and 254, like they are supposed to be, in the SM (calibration targets). I am trying to work some contacts to get ahold of a product manager to ask about the overscan issue.

Later,
Bill

Your statement about upscaling dvd players confirms my suspicion about the Samsung scalar. The people over in the NEC forum have found that the processing inside the NEC is better than upscaling dvd players and is even superior to external processors.

To clarify, I was referring to the scaling of the Toshiba HD-A1. The fact that old DVDs now scale up pretty well, just opens up the library of HD viewing in one fell swoop.

[/QUOTE]
I think that 1080P is a double edged sword. It provides the highs of HD-DVD, but the lows of having to compensate a great deal for 480i. [/QUOTE]

Well it is, because the SD broadcasts now look worse IN COMPARISON. There's nothing inherent in the technology of 1080p that robs from SD.

SD pictures seem to benefit from the better white and black levels, better contrast rations, colors and brightness. However, they aren't sharper, like the DVD scalers generate.

[/QUOTE]
Like I said, I have been debating this for weeks. I am almost to the point of buying both the 4095D and the 42XR4 and returning one.[/QUOTE]

If you have that ability, do it. Good idea.

I went over to someone's place to see his 37" LG lcd and the analog channels looked terrible and to be honest I wasn't that impressed by DiscoveryHD.

It takes a lot to make Discovery HD Theater look unimpressive.

I remember when I first turned on my 5 year old Sony plasma, and went to Discovery HD, I was blown away.

That same channel on the 4095-D is bananas.

Trust me, you'll find that you simply seek HD broadcasting.

Has anyone seen any information about the electronic program guide that will be included on the LN-S4696D and LN-S4096D. Since they are both digital cable ready, I just assumed that they would have some kind of EPG included with them. If it's not the TV Guide on Screen, perhaps it is a Samsung proprietary guide.

BTB = blacker than black. The unit shows all signals below digital 16 as digital 16.
WTW = whiter than white. The unit shows all signals above digital 235 as 235.

These can be set to 1 and 254, like they are supposed to be, in the SM (calibration targets).
Later,
Bill

How do you get to that settings calibration?

And you switch them to 1 and 254?

Thanks. :)

Does the overscan affect the component inputs as well? My Toshiba 4:3 set has terrible overscan in 1080i (but not 480p for some reason). This was the main reason I wanted to upgrade to the Samsung.
Could the overscan be fixed in the service menu?

Could the overscan be fixed in the service menu?
I'm working on it, but nothing so far.

I spent a considerable amount of time this weekend fiddling with my 4095, and I could not get rid of the overscan on HDMI. This is really a dumb move on Samsung's part which can hopefully be fixed via firmware. It also clips BTB/WTW on HDMI, but that is easily remedied.

:( sad news.

Is it that you couldnt fix the overscan on just the HTPC? I hope this isnt a problem with other HDMI devices.

My 4095d arrives tomorrow :D ill definitely put up impressions soon...

I'm not super educated on all this, but just bought a 4095D and was wondering if there are any type of initial setting changes (colors, etc) that I should look at changing vs the factory settings? I will be using this for tv and movie viewing and down the road a PS3. Has anyone else bought one and done anything that made it look even better?

Drop brightness considerably (I have it at 10). Contrast can stay relatively high (90 for me). I use "medium" for the backlight "power saving" feature. More once I get some measurements on it. (I've been slammed lately)

Bill

Hey Dan30152.Someone in the calibration forum suggested that changing the color tone to warm 2 will get you closer to the D6500 standard.From what I've read on here most people use medium for the energy saver setting.

Are you going to replace it with the Sony 40XBR2 or the Sony 40V2500? The 40XBR2 is supposedly available a week from Tuesday. They both appear to support a PC input over HDMI @ 1920x1080.

I'll do some research on them after they come out. I'm actually leaving for a two week Eurotrip in the beginning of August so I'll have to see what's available/coming out soon when I get back.

As of right now though, I'm considering a plasma again. My friend got a 50" Vizio plasma for $1k less than what I paid for the 40" Samsung. The picture quality on the Vizio just blew away my Samsung.

After fiddling around with 1080p for the last three weeks, I'm starting to think that it's not really worth it. From normal viewing distances, it's just not very noticeable if noticeable at all.

As of right now though, I'm considering a plasma again. My friend got a 50" Vizio plasma for $1k less than what I paid for the 40" Samsung. The picture quality on the Vizio just blew away my Samsung .

I seem to be reaching some of the same conclusions. Yet, considering the issues plasmas are notorious for, I'd be worried about how well the Vizio would wear over time. If I go plasma, I'd have to go with a tier 1 product. At nearly $10k msrp, the 1080p Pioneer promises to be the king of the hill, as it should for that price.

I'm not super educated on all this, but just bought a 4095D and was wondering if there are any type of initial setting changes (colors, etc) that I should look at changing vs the factory settings?

One of the pros here felt the set could take 100% brightness, mine is at 90%.

I find I flip it around quite a bit. The menu is fast and easy, so I change it around quite a bit.

Enjoy the set. :)

One of the pros here felt the set could take 100% brightness, mine is at 90%.

I find I flip it around quite a bit. The menu is fast and easy, so I change it around quite a bit.

Enjoy the set. :)
One minor point: "brightness" refers to the brightness of the set at all signal levels. As a result, you do not want brightness at 100, or you will lose a LOT of contrast with the panel. It is fine to leave the contrast at 100, but you most definitely do not want brightness anywhere close to that.

Bill

One minor point: "brightness" refers to the brightness of the set at all signal levels. As a result, you do not want brightness at 100, or you will lose a LOT of contrast with the panel. It is fine to leave the contrast at 100, but you most definitely do not want brightness anywhere close to that.

Bill

Thanks Bill.

I like moving the settings around, and the presets aren't half bad either.

I'm pretty sure Amir said the set could take 100 brightness, but I may have read that wrong. He's usually spot on, that guy.

Thanks Bill.

I like moving the settings around, and the presets aren't half bad either.

I'm pretty sure Amir said the set could take 100 brightness, but I may have read that wrong. He's usually spot on, that guy.
It's your set, you definitely won't do any damage, but image quality and contrast will suffer with Brightness set to 100. You have been warned. :)

Thanks Bill.

I like moving the settings around, and the presets aren't half bad either.

I'm pretty sure Amir said the set could take 100 brightness, but I may have read that wrong. He's usually spot on, that guy.

Yeah I read that and initially I set it that high but then I realized I was losing actual contrast with brightness so high. Now I usually keep it from 50-70 depending on what I'm watching. Perhaps he meant contrast can be at 100. I usually keep that in the 80-95 range.

Perhaps he meant contrast can be at 100. I usually keep that in the 80-95 range.

I agree.

The set can take a lot of contrast.

I think it's really at the viewers discretion. I also flip between the Dynamic and Standard. Movie looks too dark during the day.

I miss my TV. ;)

I agree.

The set can take a lot of contrast.

I think it's really at the viewers discretion. I also flip between the Dynamic and Standard. Movie looks too dark during the day.

I miss my TV. ;)

I usually use standard but I should try dynamic.

For other owners posting settings, it would be helpful if you could specify:
picture mode (standard, dynamic, movie, etc),
backlight setting (aka energy saving off, low, med, hi),
color temp
brightness, contrast, etc.

For me, I usually have standard picture mode, med backlight, neutral color temp, brightness is like 50-70, contrast 80-95. For late night viewing I sometimes set backlight energy saving to high.

I'm still not convinced I have this thing completely dialed in so I'd like to hear other's settings.

I'm still not convinced I have this thing completely dialed in so I'd like to hear other's settings.

Spoken like a Ferrari owner. ;)

Seriously, it's a powerful piece of equiptment.

Spoken like a Ferrari owner. ;)


Speaking of Ferraris, when you get a chance, can you give us your impressions of that nice HD DVD player you got vs. watching a movie on HBO HD (live or DVR)? It's only a matter of time before I cave in on the HD DVD player but I would like to hear some more impressions of it on the 4095.

I just got back from BB where the sales rep said that the 4096 still is not in their system. The funny thing was that they had a Toshiba HD-DVD player feeding a 720p Samsung 4051 LCD while the Blu-Ray was feeding a 1080p Samsung 4095. After de-interlacing the 1080i signal the 4051 had to scale it down to 720 lines while the 4095 could avoid scaling altogether by mapping all 1080 lines directly onto the display's 1080 rows of pixels. Meanwhile they had two other 4095s on the floor that could have easily have been hooked up to the Toshiba HD-DVD player but were not.

They aren't the brightest bunch all the time.

not all HD-DVD movies are 1080p. Some are 720p.

not all HD-DVD movies are 1080p. Some are 720p.Right but they were showing a 1080i movie, Apollo 13, on the 720p Samsung LCD as sent from the Toshiba HD-DVD player.

not all HD-DVD movies are 1080p. Some are 720p.
Which ones would those be?

Speaking of Ferraris, when you get a chance, can you give us your impressions of that nice HD DVD player you got vs. watching a movie on HBO HD (live or DVR)? It's only a matter of time before I cave in on the HD DVD player but I would like to hear some more impressions of it on the 4095.

I'll do so tonight.

I'll try to post a couple screen shots, to see if my pro camera can pick up any differances.

I just got back from BB where the sales rep said that the 4096 still is not in their system. The funny thing was that they had a Toshiba HD-DVD player feeding a 720p Samsung 4051 LCD while the Blu-Ray was feeding a 1080p Samsung 4095. After de-interlacing the 1080i signal the 4051 had to scale it down to 720 lines while the 4095 could avoid scaling altogether by mapping all 1080 lines directly onto the display's 1080 rows of pixels. Meanwhile they had two other 4095s on the floor that could have easily have been hooked up to the Toshiba HD-DVD player but were not.

Yeah, Samsung has BB on a pretty tight leash.

I'm going to be curious to hear from people when the 4096 arrives on the scene.

Which ones would those be?

Blazing Saddles?

LOL, it's amazing how well that movie looks on HD DVD.

Just got back from my local BB (Chicago area) and they did not have the 4696. They do have the 4096 playing a blueray demo disk on a samsung blueray player.

They also have the $10k 5797 (looked amazing with Discovery HD theater playing), but no 4696. I went today because last week the rep said it was due to arrive monday. Today no tv and this rep said, "It was due to arrive yesterday but we don't have it yet and there are none in our warehouse." When asked what that means he said, "We could get it in a week or two, but I can't say for sure when."

I don't understand what the hold up is.

He said that if they had one in the warehouse he could order it for me and it would be there next day. I'm not sure why anyone would lay down $4-5k on anything without test driving it first, but ok.

I'm wondering if and when they do have it set up, if they will let me tool around with it, I'd like to put to rest this SD signal controversy for myself.

It's sad how they don't keep their employees up to date on things.

Just got back from my local BB (Chicago area)...They do have the 4096 playing a blueray demo disk on a samsung blueray player.You mean the 4095 right? The 4095 and 4096 are easy to distinguish from each other because the 4096 has a glass strip along the bottom of the bezel while the 4095 has a metal strip.

right, my bad. sorry 'bout that.

i find it strange though that the 4095 is released, but the 4695 isn't going to be released until after the 4696. But the 4096 isn't released yet.

Wouldn't it make more sense to go from 4095 to 4695, then released 4096 to 4696 after

Here's a quick question about all of these TV's

they are VESA compatible but what number? I see a lot of TV mounts saying things like "VESA 200" or "VESA 50" what one should I be looking for in a TV mount?

I'm thinking about getting a 4695D or 4696D. Is it a good idea to connect this display to a receiver with both an HDMI and component cable to take advantage of the individual input memories? My understanding is that the display stores the picture settings for each input mode. So using two inputs should provide additional flexibility. In my case, I will be connecting a DVD player to my receiver with an HDMI cable and an 8300HD DVR with a component cable. I'm thinking it may be good to send the 8300HD output from the receiver to the display via component and take advantage of the separate input memory for the settings vs. the DVD player which will be HDMI all the way.

Blazing Saddles?

LOL, it's amazing how well that movie looks on HD DVD.
I thought that one was 1080p on disc. Maybe folks are thinking of the 1080i master issue?

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/blazingsaddles.html

I thought that one was 1080p on disc. Maybe folks are thinking of the 1080i master issue?

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/blazingsaddles.html

I was just speculating, considering how old the movie is.

So if I'm playing one of the few HD-DVD discs, like I have The Fugitive tonight, the Toshiba HD-A1 says 1080i....

Is it playing 1080p, or not? or what do I do?

Thanks all...

http://bearleton.smugmug.com/gallery/1681695

Oh yeah,


Here's the 4095 mounted in the wall.

Dudes, if a slob like me can do it, anyone can. :)

edit: click to enlarge pics, then click again to make really big, if you care. :D

http://bearleton.smugmug.com/gallery/1681695
Oh yeah,Here's the 4095 mounted in the wall.Wow that's nice. It looks like you have taken the steps necessary to ensure domestic harmony ;)

Oh yeah,


Here's the 4095 mounted in the wall.

Dudes, if a slob like me can do it, anyone can. :)

edit: click to enlarge pics, then click again to make really big, if you care. :D


Wow, good job. That looks really good man, I'm jealous. :)

So if I'm playing one of the few HD-DVD discs, like I have The Fugitive tonight, the Toshiba HD-A1 says 1080i....Is it playing 1080p, or not? or what do I do?Yeah I think your Samsung upconverts all formats to 1080p, so that in the case of 1080i the circuitry combines the first data field of the 1080i signal consisting of one set of 540 lines and second data field of the 1080i signal consisting of the remaining 540 lines into a single set of 1080 lines that are generated from left to right across the screen every 1/60 of a second.

hey guys. i just wanted to say that i was at best buy and kinda fell in love with the samsungs i saw.

i'm a bit torn over what model i should get though. i want to be able to use the TV as my computer monitor as well (viewing distance for pc usage will be 6 feet, though). here's my dilemma. i saw a 720p samsung (32" -- it was the Samsung LNR328WX) hooked up to a computer and it looked great. however, i fear that if i go up to 40" or certainly 46", i'll get a grainy picture at 1366x768 resolution... but i've never gotten to see it, so i really don't know. i am relatively certain, however, a 1920x1080 resolution on a 40 or 46 inch monitor would look as good as the 1366x768 resolution on the 32"... but by increasing the size of the display to 46 inches AND the resolution up to 1080p, i fall squarely out of my price range (2500 firm says the wife).

if you guys were in my position, would you go with a 47" westinghouse, or hold out for 9 months to a year and hope the 46" samsung falls to my price range? (or even pull the trigger on a 46" samsung 720p model)

Yeah I think your Samsung upconverts all formats to 1080p, so that in the case of 1080i the circuitry combines the first data field of the 1080i signal consisting of one set of 540 lines and second data field of the 1080i signal consisting of the remaining 540 lines into a single set of 1080 lines that are generated from left to right across the screen every 1/60 of a second.
This is called a "weave" deinterlacing algorithm. If it just interpolates the missing data within one field, then it is called a "bob" algorithm.

What you want with the HD-A1 is called "inverse telecine", abbreviated IVTC, so that you do not lose any resolution going from 1080i to 1080p. I am not sure whether the Samsung does this or not. My Lumagen scaler does do it (one of its selling points), and the difference is noticeable.

Bill

hey guys. i just wanted to say that i was at best buy and kinda fell in love with the samsungs i saw.

i'm a bit torn over what model i should get though. i want to be able to use the TV as my computer monitor as well (viewing distance for pc usage will be 6 feet, though). here's my dilemma. i saw a 720p samsung (32" -- it was the Samsung LNR328WX) hooked up to a computer and it looked great. however, i fear that if i go up to 40" or certainly 46", i'll get a grainy picture at 1366x768 resolution... but i've never gotten to see it, so i really don't know. i am relatively certain, however, a 1920x1080 resolution on a 40 or 46 inch monitor would look as good as the 1366x768 resolution on the 32"... but by increasing the size of the display to 46 inches AND the resolution up to 1080p, i fall squarely out of my price range (2500 firm says the wife).

if you guys were in my position, would you go with a 47" westinghouse, or hold out for 9 months to a year and hope the 46" samsung falls to my price range? (or even pull the trigger on a 46" samsung 720p model)
The Samsung panels are the best looking ones on the market (I finally got to see the JVC models, and I am skeptical they come from the same plant). Sony may equal them with its new generation, but I would doubt Samsung can be beaten.

Later,
Bill

http://bearleton.smugmug.com/gallery/1681695

Oh yeah,


Here's the 4095 mounted in the wall.

Dudes, if a slob like me can do it, anyone can. :)

edit: click to enlarge pics, then click again to make really big, if you care. :D

Crisp and clean. Brutha, that is real NICE. :D

This is called a "weave" deinterlacing algorithm. If it just interpolates the missing data within one field, then it is called a "bob" algorithm.

What you want with the HD-A1 is called "inverse telecine", abbreviated IVTC, so that you do not lose any resolution going from 1080i to 1080p. I am not sure whether the Samsung does this or not. My Lumagen scaler does do it (one of its selling points), and the difference is noticeable.

Bill

If memory serves, Amir from MS did confirm the inverse telecine in one of his initial posts on the 4095.

hey guys. i just wanted to say that i was at best buy and kinda fell in love with the samsungs i saw.

i'm a bit torn over what model i should get though. i want to be able to use the TV as my computer monitor as well (viewing distance for pc usage will be 6 feet, though). here's my dilemma. i saw a 720p samsung (32" -- it was the Samsung LNR328WX) hooked up to a computer and it looked great. however, i fear that if i go up to 40" or certainly 46", i'll get a grainy picture at 1366x768 resolution... but i've never gotten to see it, so i really don't know. i am relatively certain, however, a 1920x1080 resolution on a 40 or 46 inch monitor would look as good as the 1366x768 resolution on the 32"... but by increasing the size of the display to 46 inches AND the resolution up to 1080p, i fall squarely out of my price range (2500 firm says the wife).

if you guys were in my position, would you go with a 47" westinghouse, or hold out for 9 months to a year and hope the 46" samsung falls to my price range? (or even pull the trigger on a 46" samsung 720p model)
buy a 40 for twenty eight handle.

The Samsung panels are the best looking ones on the market (I finally got to see the JVC models, and I am skeptical they come from the same plant). Sony may equal them with its new generation, but I would doubt Samsung can be beaten.

Later,
Bill


What are your impressions of the JVC 1080p compared to Samsung. I've read on the forum they are just about neck and neck with the Sammys being better with blacks and the JVC having a more vivid picture

buy a 40 for twenty eight handle.
or be like me, twenty two and some uncle sam with the help of a super sibling

What are your impressions of the JVC 1080p compared to Samsung. I've read on the forum they are just about neck and neck with the Sammys being better with blacks and the JVC having a more vivid picture
The JVCs I saw the other day were about equivalent to the Sharp models. However, the Samsung was clearly superior to both to my eyes. That being said, none of them were terribly accurate out of the box, so that is not as blanket of a statement as one might think.

I've got a few more chores to do with the latest release of my software, and then I will be sitting down with the Samsung for real. Of course, my HTPC has picked now to have issues getting above 800x600, but that's a different story.

Bill

If memory serves, Amir from MS did confirm the inverse telecine in one of his initial posts on the 4095.
That would make this a truly phenomenal set, if true. There are some scenes in Miranda from Serenity which I like to use to see if IVTC is being done. I'll have to give it a look.

So my 4095 arrived tonight!

Here's the thing. When I opened up the box the invoice was inside the box and the syrafoam was all busted up. the foam was in place but it was obviously broken apart to take the TV out fast and then put back together. :( Plus the box was stuffed with a one mile length of bubble wrap which im sure is not how it's supposed to come.

I expected there to be a film over the glass, but there wasnt. But there is some tape on the corners of the set, for protection i guess.

Is it normal for them to open up the box and check the contents?

Anyway, I only had about 3 minutes to play with it (just to make sure it worked) and everything SEEMS to be in order. No cosmetic damage, the tv functions. I attached a dvd player to it with composite (i know im sorry! i was in a rush!) just to see if it worked and it did.

Then I had to run off to work (thems the breaks of working in the game industry)...

What do you guys think?

impressions to come!

You definitely got an open box, but the question is where did it happen. I'd call the dealer, first, to ask them whether that was how they shipped. My guess is "no" since dealers are typically much more careful about making it "new". A mile of bubble wrap sounds like the freight company messed up. If so, then your dealer needs to know.

BTW, the tape is normal. My unit only came with the outer gauze to protect the screen; no extra film at all.

Bill

the box was most definitely opened. The question is, if my tv is functioning correctly, is there anything i should be worried about?

Hopefully they just opened it up to make sure everything is in order. :confused:
The remote and manual and everything else was sealed like new.

The ups guys marked the delivery as "opened box" but he said I'm even just lucky its not broken since it went from NY to CA.

but again, it looks like everything is ok. oh well... :(

also, is the swivel stand supposed to be installed on it right out of the box?

also, is the swivel stand supposed to be installed on it right out of the box?

Honestly, if you have recourse, I'd return it so quickly, it would make the dealer's head spin. It's difficult to believe that the shipper tampered with your set. More plausible that the dealer shipped you an open box set (possibly a return). Good luck, either way.

After reading way too much, I still want to get the 4095D but I'd really like the pixel mapping resolved. I had a similar problem a few years ago trying to get my ATI video card to output 1920x1200 @ 60Hz onto a Samsung 240T over DVI. After a ton of phone calls to both Samsung and ATI, we discovered that it was a problem with the video card not actually being able to support the bandwidth over DVI (although it could over VGA). ATI offered a simple workaround that could be found in WinXP by going to Display Properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> Advanced Settings. There are check boxes for "Reduce DVI frequency on high resolution displays" and "Alternate DVI Operational Mode". Checking both of these boxes resolved my issue (Although now I'm 1920x1200@ ~51Hz). I'm sure these directions are specific to my graphics card (ATI Fire GL X1), but perhaps someone who has a 4095D that is having trouble with pixel mapping over DVI/HDMI may be able to find similar settings in their Display Properties and give it a try. Please :)

-Uday

also, is the swivel stand supposed to be installed on it right out of the box?

I have the 4051 and it was tightly packaged with the foam and came with the swivel stand installed. No bubble wrap.

Strange

Ok so i decided to set up the TV. Even though the box was opened, the tv was SPOTLESS so I went ahead at set it all up and everything is working A OK.

As far as I can tell, there are no dead or stuck pixels.

I don't have HD sources yet so I'll just comment on SD.

SD TV = Eh. What I expected. Definitely watchable, but far from stellar. You can see the grainyness, but like other owners have posted, if you sit back a good 6+ feet its not a big deal at all.

Non-progressive PS2 = Eh again, but also what I expected. Picture has alot of grain and is a bit blurry, especially text, but again, tolerable and playable.

Progressive PS2 = Impressive! Picture is noticable cleaner and sharper. There is no motion blur that I have seen yet and controls seem responsive. I must say in progressive this is a huge step up from my old CRT imho.

SD DVD = Impressive. definitely a jump up from my 26 CRT.

man its like 315am and im passing out, but when im more awak and sane (and finally get some HD source) ill post a full, much more detailed review.

Overall = I'm happy. The set itself is beautiful. Menus are slow like Bear mentioned, but no big deal. Set is the perfect size for a medium sized room (I live in a large studio).

must sleep.... more to come soon...

I was just checking pre-order status for the 4696 at abt website and now see available for pre-order a new model, ln-s5296d. They say it will be available in August and have specs, dimensions and weight listed. I have heard nothing of this size and there is nothing on the Samsung website yet. Wow, 52"! Just what I need, another model to add to the list of possibilities.

After reading way too much, I still want to get the 4095D but I'd really like the pixel mapping resolved. I had a similar problem a few years ago trying to get my ATI video card to output 1920x1200 @ 60Hz onto a Samsung 240T over DVI. After a ton of phone calls to both Samsung and ATI, we discovered that it was a problem with the video card not actually being able to support the bandwidth over DVI (although it could over VGA). ATI offered a simple workaround that could be found in WinXP by going to Display Properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> Advanced Settings. There are check boxes for "Reduce DVI frequency on high resolution displays" and "Alternate DVI Operational Mode". Checking both of these boxes resolved my issue (Although now I'm 1920x1200@ ~51Hz). I'm sure these directions are specific to my graphics card (ATI Fire GL X1), but perhaps someone who has a 4095D that is having trouble with pixel mapping over DVI/HDMI may be able to find similar settings in their Display Properties and give it a try. Please :)

-Uday
thank you for the info... im hoping some other members with the tv that were having problems can check this as well

The ups guys marked the delivery as "opened box" but he said I'm even just lucky its not broken since it went from NY to CA.



If UPS themselves marked it open box, that implies to me it became open during their care, as they wouldn't have accepted it opened.

The screen doesn't have a protective film on it when it arrives, and yes, the stand is installed.

I would keep the TV, but definately call Samsung and register it and tell them about your experience, and who you bought it from.

Keep using it often over the next few days. If it's okay, it's proabaly okay for years.

And don't worry.... my buddy had troubles with his Sammy a few months back, so they sent a tech right over. The tech couldn't fix some HDMI issues, so they just ordered him a new TV and Samsung took the other one.

Also, the 4095D is too new to have been exposed to a refirb situation. It's just someone who snooped at the set, but do tell Samsung.

A mile of bubble wrap sounds like the freight company messed up. If so, then your dealer needs to know.

Bill

I agree.

He said UPS marked it opened box.

They do that if the box became opened while shipping, not before.

Man, it reminds me of when I had 3 shirts custom made and shipped to me via UPS. The box arrived with an "Opened Box" sticker on it, and one of the 3 shirts was gone!

The jerky who pinched it surely didn't take the time to check the size of the shirt. I'm 6'4" and I need custom extra long sleeves.

My guess is some UPS bozo is wearing MY shirt on the weekends with the sleeves rolled up all the time. :D

Wow that's nice. It looks like you have taken the steps necessary to ensure domestic harmony ;)

LOL.

Now I just need to get the RF universal remote going.

Poor kids won't have anything to throw around the living room now. ;)

After reading way too much, I still want to get the 4095D but I'd really like the pixel mapping resolved. I had a similar problem a few years ago trying to get my ATI video card to output 1920x1200 @ 60Hz onto a Samsung 240T over DVI. After a ton of phone calls to both Samsung and ATI, we discovered that it was a problem with the video card not actually being able to support the bandwidth over DVI (although it could over VGA). ATI offered a simple workaround that could be found in WinXP by going to Display Properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> Advanced Settings. There are check boxes for "Reduce DVI frequency on high resolution displays" and "Alternate DVI Operational Mode". Checking both of these boxes resolved my issue (Although now I'm 1920x1200@ ~51Hz). I'm sure these directions are specific to my graphics card (ATI Fire GL X1), but perhaps someone who has a 4095D that is having trouble with pixel mapping over DVI/HDMI may be able to find similar settings in their Display Properties and give it a try. Please :)

-Uday


I need to install a new video card in my HTPC since it won't go over 800x600 for some reason. However, I'll give it another shot once I've got my old Radeon 8500 put back in my HTPC (I think it will go to 1080p).

SD DVD = Impressive. definitely a jump up from my 26 CRT.



Does that DVD player scale up?

If not, go grab one that does at Costco, if you don't have the immediate cash for the Toshiba. :)

Wow, good job. That looks really good man, I'm jealous. :)

Thanks man, and never be jealous, it's a waste of time.

I'm just glad the sheetrock dust has finally cleared. :D

Crisp and clean. Brutha, that is real NICE. :D

Thanks Bro.

The kids no longer have easy access to the components, but they will be able to press that On button with ease...

*shudders*

I gotta put an quick end to that little game.

http://bearleton.smugmug.com/gallery/1681695

Oh yeah,


Here's the 4095 mounted in the wall.

Dudes, if a slob like me can do it, anyone can. :)

edit: click to enlarge pics, then click again to make really big, if you care. :DI 'm pretty sure I see a few firecodes being violated :eek:

I 'm pretty sure I see a few firecodes being violated :eek:

LOL, yeah?

The cabinet the components are in is well vented, but I do plan to turn off everything right at the surge protector if I'm away for a prolonged period.

The cold cathode TV doesn't get that hot, and there's 3" of open headroom at the top for air flow.

The real hazard was having those components and wires all flapping around.

[Fire Marshall Bill]Lemme show you somethin'.[/Fire Marshall Bill]

I don't really know what I'm talking about but would hate to see anything happen. To keep this thread back OT let me just recommend taking a look through this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=670683&page=1&pp=30) on the subject if you haven't yet. Otherwise it looks great!

Also, the 4095D is too new to have been exposed to a refirb situation. It's just someone who snooped at the set, but do tell Samsung.

Not necessarily. The "Authorized Samsung Outlet" website (not linked, but I'm sure you can find it) lists refurbished LN-S4695D's that appear to be in stock.

Not necessarily. The "Authorized Samsung Outlet" website (not linked, but I'm sure you can find it) lists refurbished LN-S4695D's that appear to be in stock.
I wonder if those are the ones with too many stuck pixels to pass QC? We could take a quick show of hands, but it seems like no one has gotten a stuck pixel on a 4095 yet.

Bill

which is the new model... the 4096 or the 4095?

The 4095 and 4096 are both new 40" models. The 4695 and 4696 are new 46" models. There are posts above which describe the differences between the 4x95 and 4x96 models, but it basically boils down to feature differences.

The serivce manual is the same for all four models, as well (40905/6, 4695/6).

I wonder if those are the ones with too many stuck pixels to pass QC? We could take a quick show of hands, but it seems like no one has gotten a stuck pixel on a 4095 yet.

Bill


The 4095 at my BB has a vertical column of pixes it seems that are all blacked out and it has been there for a while. From the top of the screen to the bottom, straight up and down

which is the new model... the 4096 or the 4095?The 4096 is the newest model due in August. The 4095 has been available since late June.

Ok so i decided to set up the TV. Even though the box was opened, the tv was SPOTLESS so I went ahead at set it all up and everything is working A OK.

As far as I can tell, there are no dead or stuck pixels.

I don't have HD sources yet so I'll just comment on SD.

SD TV = Eh. What I expected. Definitely watchable, but far from stellar. You can see the grainyness, but like other owners have posted, if you sit back a good 6+ feet its not a big deal at all.

Non-progressive PS2 = Eh again, but also what I expected. Picture has alot of grain and is a bit blurry, especially text, but again, tolerable and playable.

Progressive PS2 = Impressive! Picture is noticable cleaner and sharper. There is no motion blur that I have seen yet and controls seem responsive. I must say in progressive this is a huge step up from my old CRT imho.

SD DVD = Impressive. definitely a jump up from my 26 CRT.

man its like 315am and im passing out, but when im more awak and sane (and finally get some HD source) ill post a full, much more detailed review.

Overall = I'm happy. The set itself is beautiful. Menus are slow like Bear mentioned, but no big deal. Set is the perfect size for a medium sized room (I live in a large studio).

must sleep.... more to come soon...

spark,

How did SD TV compare to your CRT? Did you watch in 16:9 or 4:3 mode?

Hey guys, what's the status on the 1080p 1:1 pixel mapping from a PC signal through HDMI on this set, any answer yet? :)

spark,

How did SD TV compare to your CRT? Did you watch in 16:9 or 4:3 mode?

I watched a bit of SD in 4:3. Up close it is a significant step down from my old CRT, but again, 6+ ft away, it is a barely (and I mean barely) noticable degredation from my old CRT. In fact the larger screen size and brightness of the lcd make the image more appealing to watch from distances.

Like many have said before, as long as youre not watching SD 3 feet away from the screen, I'm pretty sure you wont be unhappy.

"I was just checking pre-order status for the 4696 at abt website and now see available for pre-order a new model, ln-s5296d. They say it will be available in August and have specs, dimensions and weight listed. I have heard nothing of this size and there is nothing on the Samsung website yet. Wow, 52"! Just what I need, another model to add to the list of possibilities."

:eek:

A 52 inch? :cool:

"I was just checking pre-order status for the 4696 at abt website and now see available for pre-order a new model, ln-s5296d. They say it will be available in August and have specs, dimensions and weight listed. I have heard nothing of this size and there is nothing on the Samsung website yet. Wow, 52"! Just what I need, another model to add to the list of possibilities."

:eek:

A 52 inch? :cool:
I can confirm that the 52" is for real but who knows if that August release date is realistic, it's been discussed and confirmed by a Samsung Rep from Canada on a Forum I visit there periodically. As the 57" was released some 6 weeks ago and finally getting wider distribution this 52" may not be that far off but August or maybe later as they have several new panels arriving it may get delayed like others have. Not large enough for me but puts itself ahead of the standard 50" plasma which is pretty smart. Unable to find anywhere else though. Nice job Samsung - more choices and bigger panels for those with the bucks anyways to go that high. :D

The ABT site does show the LN-S5296D. MSRP 5999.00, August availability.

Scroll down to bottom of spec sheet to a PDF link. Has 1394 connection.

I had a picture but no sound over Time Warner Cable last night.

I thought it was a problem with the TV, so I called Samsung and level 2 support said I needed a firmware upgrade from TW.

I called TW this morning, and all I needed was to switch the Audio setting menu to HDMI, and bang! sound. :)

So now *everything* works. I'm just waiting on my RF Universal remote.

Honestly, I'm having a hard time working today. I wish I was home with the TV. :)

Cocteau.. Interesting in that TW Cable is in my APT (UWS of Manhattan) right now installing and routing the cable, but he called me to say that for some reason Samsung's he's hooked up aren't working with the HDMI cable.

He said he'll try it but may have to revert to using component cables if it doesn't work.

one question though, I assume you were talking above about getting sound out of the TV's speakers. If you want to run audio to an AVR as well, I assume the TW boxes (mine will be the 8300 SA DVR model) that you can run a Toslink or such to the AVR. Do you have then go into the cable box settings each time you want to switch sound to be from tv's speakers or thru the AVR? Ie. if you set sound to HDMI output, is therefore no audio going out the optical output?

The preorder price on the Sony website for the 46XBR3 is $4599. About a month ago I saw that Sony expected this 1080p set would cost $5300. This is a substantial price drop and I expect that it will put pressure on Samsung to lower their price on the 4695 and 4696. Let's hope so!

The 40" XBR2 is running a few hundred more than the 4095, so that may mean the '95s are headed a bit further south, but that is to be expected. Samsung was first to market with a quality panel, and now they are getting some competition.

Later,
Bill

The 40" XBR2 is running a few hundred more than the 4095, so that may mean the '95s are headed a bit further south... Samsung was first to market with a quality panel, and now they are getting some competition.I think that the Sony KDL-40V2500 is more directly comparable to the Samsung 4095D given that they have roughly the same size, weight, and feature set. The 40V2500 MSRPs for $500 less than the 40XBR2.http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/television/flat_panel_displays/lcd/release/22416.html

That's probably about right. I am VERY curious to see what the Sony can do next to the Samsung. So far, no other LCD is even playing the same game, from what I've seen.

I am VERY curious to see what the Sony can do next to the Samsung. So far, no other LCD is even playing the same game, from what I've seen.Yeah me too. Samsung's had the game all locked up since the end of June. BB seems anxious to get the Sony XBR up and running by the end of next week however so we won't have long too wait. It's been hard to resist pulling the trigger on the 4095 for a whole month now however I wanted to have some fun in choosing between the 40XBR3, the 4096, the 40V2500, the 46V2500 and the (Olevia) 742i.

...to look this up myself.

Actually, exhausted from following the 1080p horse race for the past several months is more like it.

Can anyone please remind as to when the Samsung 4096 or 4696 will be on display or ship?

I know the XBR2s will be shipping and on display at Sony Style stores within two weeks if not sooner.

In the long run, a few hundred bucks extra for the XBR2 isn't a big deal, but having seen Samsung out in front of the pack the past few months first with the 4092 and now with the 4095, I'd love to see the 4096 or 4696 before I order the 46" XBR2.

Anyone?

Can anyone please remind as to when the Samsung 4096 or 4696 will be on display or ship?...In the long run, a few hundred bucks extra for the XBR2 isn't a big deal, but having seen Samsung out in front of the pack the past few months first with the 4092 and now with the 4095, I'd love to see the 4096 or 4696 before I order the 46" XBR2.At least for the 4096 there doesn't appear to be anything more definitive than sometime in August. You're probably like me in not wanting to wait until September for the 46V2500 but my gosh the more I look at that thing the more I'm tempted by it being a 46" 1080P Sony that has the same width and weight as the 40" XBR2.

Gotta keep this short because I'm at work...

So I picked up an HD cable box last night at hooked it up through component.

The first show I turned to was Leno, and I must say I was simply blown away. I watched, Leno, then Conan, then some Discovery HD and was constantly impressed by this TV. The contrast ratio is far better then other LCD hds ive seen and the images are smooth and tight.

I spent some time playing around with the settings, low engery saver, dnr &dnie off, dynamic, 90 contrast, 50 brightness, 60 color, cool1 (i like the bluer color).

The only down side is that it appears that I am seeing a SLIGHT bit of (what I think is)compression artifacting, but I'm guessing this is just from comcast hd going through the pipe. I should try OTA.

I'm on a wait list for the hdmi dvr, so maybe that will make a difference, who knows.

FYI. I'm sure we all know this by now but, DNIe is HORRIBLE! It increases the contrast yes, but IMHO just destroys the image. The higher artificial contrast introduces alot of what I think is grain or artifacting and just saturates the hell out of everything.

More to come. Sorry for the sporadic impressions, but I'm crazy swamped at work and just hope i can help you all a little as I've gotten much help from everyone here. Any questions feel free.

Cocteau.. Interesting in that TW Cable is in my APT (UWS of Manhattan) right now installing and routing the cable, but he called me to say that for some reason Samsung's he's hooked up aren't working with the HDMI cable.

He said he'll try it but may have to revert to using component cables if it doesn't work.

one question though, I assume you were talking above about getting sound out of the TV's speakers. If you want to run audio to an AVR as well, I assume the TW boxes (mine will be the 8300 SA DVR model) that you can run a Toslink or such to the AVR. Do you have then go into the cable box settings each time you want to switch sound to be from tv's speakers or thru the AVR? Ie. if you set sound to HDMI output, is therefore no audio going out the optical output?

Just an update to how this went. Well... of course the TW Cable guy hooked up the HDMI cable to the Sammy and "no signal" message. So, of course he evidently immediately went to his truck, got some component and audio cables and hooked up. UGLY said my wife about the 5 cables.

I got home to this. Unplugged the cable box from the wall, disconnected the Component and audio cables, attached the HDMI cable. Plugged back in the TW box. Turned on the Cable box and TV, switched thru "source" options once or twice and voila, Picture but no sound.

Went to settings and chose "HDMI" for Digital Audio out option on the box and voila, sound! TW Cable really hasn't a clue. Of note, they don't even have the SA instruction manuals for the SA 8300HD box. They only leave behind some crappy TW literature/instructions. I suggest anyone using TW Cable with SA boxes go to the following site:

http://www.scientificatlanta.com/explorerclub/default.asp

you'll need to register, but there's much more info available about how to setup, hook up and operate the SA boxes and some FAQs which can be helpful.

On the audio, one thing to note, when in HDMI Digital audio out setting, only 2-channel sound will go to an AVR via optical. If you want Dolby Digital, you'll have to manually switch to Dolby Digital audio out, but be aware your TV speakers won't have any sound as apparently the Samsung doesn't have decoding for this built in; so, to revert back to sound from the TV's speakers you'll have to manually go in and change back to HDMI digital audio out.

Still working on calibration settings.. I decided to turn off DNIE and try this for a while. You do lose (as others have noted) a good amount of contrast (I have my contrast at about 85) but you lose the funky blotch look in shadow scenes. I'll give calibration a shot with Avia this weekend, and report back settings from this. Anyone already gone thru this who wants to share full settings they ended up with?

I went to Ultimate Electronics (UE) last night and sat for about an hour in front of the Samsung 4692D watching Discovery HD. Even with this native resolution of this screen being 720p, the picture was fantastic. I can only imagine how great the 1080p will look on the 4695D.

However, what bugged me after a while was that I started to see some macro-blocking and artifacts in some scenes. I couldn’t tell you what the difference between one scene and the next was that caused these artifacts to show up, but it had nothing to do with response time since everything was slow moving. However, two possible reasons popped into my head for these artifacts –

1) Down-conversion from a 1080i signal or
2) HD signal being split about 200 times to feed all the sets in the store

Now these artifacts were observed from about 3 feet away from the screen. At 8 feet where I would normally watch, they’re hardly noticeable unless you have better than 20/20 vision.

I tried to compare the 4692 to a 4095/96 (older generation to current generation) but couldn’t since UE didn’t have any of the newer models on hand. I’m hoping that the processing and scaling is better on the newer generation sets. Does anyone have insight in comparing the PQ in the newer xx95/96 models to the older xx92 models? I’m guessing from the reviews here that the current generation is significantly better than the previous.

Though, for anyone looking at how well these Samsungs display SD, I can now say with confidence that at 8 feet away from the 4692 (I had the sales guy switch to an SD signal), the SD PQ looks as good if not better than on my Sony 36” CRT.

I can’t wait to see what the new sets look like in action.

On the audio, one thing to note, when in HDMI Digital audio out setting, only 2-channel sound will go to an AVR via optical. If you want Dolby Digital, you'll have to manually switch to Dolby Digital audio out, but be aware your TV speakers won't have any sound as apparently the Samsung doesn't have decoding for this built in; so, to revert back to sound from the TV's speakers you'll have to manually go in and change back to HDMI digital audio out.



I'm looking forward to your calibration tests. I didn't do AVIA.

As far as audio, can't you send HDMI from cable box to TV directly, then use the optical out on the TV to feed your audio receiver?

I'm looking forward to your calibration tests. I didn't do AVIA.

As far as audio, can't you send HDMI from cable box to TV directly, then use the optical out on the TV to feed your audio receiver?

Honestly I haven't tried this, as I've read that this doesn't work with Samsungs. I would be interested in hearing if others have had success though. I think that it doesn't work since the Samsung doesn't decode Dolby digital, it also won't simply just pass it thru.

See posts #189 onward in this thread, as well as this thread (posts 1377 and 1379).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7743356#post7743356

samsung updated their LCD page. you can now use the 3D/flash feature on 4696.

Nice job Samsung - more choices and bigger panels for those with the bucks anyways to go that high. :D

Westa,

There's a 4696 flash video now on the Samsung site.

As if you needed more prodding. ;)

Just received confirmation that my pre-ordered 4696 is on the truck to be delivered at distibution center by monday and in store by wed or thursday at the latest for both viewing and pick up. They have 11 on the way and I am number 3.

Just received confirmation that my pre-ordered 4696 is on the truck to be delivered at distibution center by monday and in store by wed or thursday at the latest for both viewing and pick up. They have 11 on the way and I am number 3.

Awesome! Did you order from Abt? I haven't received my notification yet....

Awesome! Did you order from Abt? I haven't received my notification yet....



american tv/elecronics pre-ordered [EDIT]. I hope they aren't foolin' with me though. Considering a month ago they were confident on the July 19th date.

Honestly I haven't tried this, as I've read that this doesn't work with Samsungs. I would be interested in hearing if others have had success though. I think that it doesn't work since the Samsung doesn't decode Dolby digital, it also won't simply just pass it thru.

See posts #189 onward in this thread, as well as this thread (posts 1377 and 1379).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7743356#post7743356

Yes, but you are looking at the RP thread. In the 57" 1080p LCD thread, post number 45, someone found confirmation in the manual.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7825059#post7825059

Here is the post:
"Good news about 5.1 audio support
It looks like this set "correctly" handles DD5.1 audio on the HDMI inputs and passes it thru to the optical digital audio output.

See pages 14-15 of the user guide :
http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/c...8-01047G-00.pdf


This is the first set I have seen that will do this. Congrats Sammy"

Sorry, that link to the 57" guide is broken but the quick guide for the 4095 confirms correct passing of 5.1 under SETUP, connecting a digital audio system:

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/EM/200606/20060617125509656/EN/4_sub.htm

Cocteau.. Interesting in that TW Cable is in my APT (UWS of Manhattan) right now installing and routing the cable, but he called me to say that for some reason Samsung's he's hooked up aren't working with the HDMI cable.

He said he'll try it but may have to revert to using component cables if it doesn't work.

one question though, I assume you were talking above about getting sound out of the TV's speakers. If you want to run audio to an AVR as well, I assume the TW boxes (mine will be the 8300 SA DVR model) that you can run a Toslink or such to the AVR. Do you have then go into the cable box settings each time you want to switch sound to be from tv's speakers or thru the AVR? Ie. if you set sound to HDMI output, is therefore no audio going out the optical output?

Hi Jrain, I currently have my Sammy CRT hooked up via component cables from the 8300 HD (Adelphia cable, but it will be TW come August 1st). I tested the optical out on the DVR box, and it did work. I was receiving sound over the TV speakers and from my surround sound speakers at the same time. So, it appears that the 8300 can pass audio to more than one device at the same time, at least it does with component.

My HDMI cable just arrived from monoprice yesterday (though since the CRT is so big, it bends the cable too much so I can't test HDMI). So as soon as I can get one of the new 46" Sammy's, I'll test it out.

Jared

I can attest also to that SA explorer site. It did provide a lot of helpful information on the DVR box.

I took a look on the 4696D flash view, and there is a DNIe label on the bottom left of the panel. But I must remember that disclaimer above the panel saying how that may not even be the actual model. :)

so how's the 4096?

I'm thinking whether to buy a 4096 or a sony kds50a2000?

Ill buy which ever one has a better pq.

For those interested in seeing the 4096 in person in NYC, I just noticed a new Samsung display store in the Time Warner shopping center near central park (the one with Whole Foods in the bottom floor, I am just visiting NYC, so I am not too sure what exact building it is) and they have it on the floor with a 1080p feed. I am not too great with the videophile stuff, but it looks great! I asked about the differences with the 4095 and the 4096 and they said the only real difference is the cable card and usb input. Other than that, PQ and everything else is the same.

For those interested in seeing the 4096 in person in NYC, they have it on the floor with a 1080p feed.Is the bezel on the 4096 piano black or grey? I've seen it depicted in both colors and I can't find the definite answer.

Does anyone have the 4695 yet? Being shipped? If so, from where. I'd like to order. Thanks :cool:

Is the bezel on the 4096 piano black or grey? I've seen it depicted in both colors and I can't find the definite answer.

From what I can tell, it was piano black.

Does anyone still believe the 96 will contain an upgraded video processor as opposed to the 95?

Does anyone still believe the 96 will contain an upgraded video processor as opposed to the 95?
No, the two panels will be identical for PQ. Having the same service manual just about guarantees that there is nothing terribly different between the two, other than one having a CableCard slot.

I've read that CableCard requires a fan that runs continuously when the card is in the slot. Do these fans run even when there is no card in the slot? I'm thinking about the noise factor in a quiet room.

No, the two panels will be identical for PQ. Having the same service manual just about guarantees that there is nothing terribly different between the two, other than one having a CableCard slot.

I believe you are correct. It will be interesting to see how these processors fare against Sony's drc2.5, particularly in their handling of 4:3 content. Hopefully, as well or better, but I'm certain not as well as the olevia 742i if the Optix Realta really materializes.

I've read that CableCard requires a fan that runs continuously when the card is in the slot. Do these fans run even when there is no card in the slot? I'm thinking about the noise factor in a quiet room.
A CableCard is essentially a PCMCIA card that handles the cryptography for an on-board QAM tuner. It does not require a fan, AFAIK. If someone has put one in a design and justified it due to the CableCard, then I would expect they were hiding some other design flaw.

A CableCard is essentially a PCMCIA card that handles the cryptography for an on-board QAM tuner. It does not require a fan, AFAIK. If someone has put one in a design and justified it due to the CableCard, then I would expect they were hiding some other design flaw.

several brands of LCD's have a fan that runs continuously when a Cablecard is installed, including Sharp: the fan runs 24/7 regardless if the LCD is on or off: it is very annoying

A CableCard is essentially a PCMCIA card that handles the cryptography for an on-board QAM tuner. It does not require a fan, AFAIK. If someone has put one in a design and justified it due to the CableCard, then I would expect they were hiding some other design flaw.

While you are correct in saying that the fans are not necessary to cool the CableCard itself, the card is directly responsible for the need to have a fan running in 24/7. It's the same system design issue that accounts for the loud digital cable boxes that run 24/7. Cable companies want 24/7 contact with their customers and for digital TV service this means a high speed digital processor that runs continuously and often requires a fan. The huge amount of wasted energy has resulted in the formation of a Federal Energy Star committee, but I don't see any near term solutions. Standby power consumption is generally in the 20 to 40 watt range and some fans are quieter than others. Some of the Sharp TVs used to specify standby power with and without cablecard inserted, and it was less than 1 watt without CableCard. My Pioneer, on the other hand, consumes the same 25 watts whether the CableCard is inserted or not -- a design choice on their part. I'm interested in Samsung 4095/4096 and would be interesting in finding out how they handle the cooling issue.

.... My Pioneer, on the other hand, consumes the same 25 watts whether the CableCard is inserted or not -- a design choice on their part. I'm interested in Samsung 4095/4096 and would be interesting in finding out how they handle the cooling issue.What sense does it make to run the fan circuit when there is no cable card inserted? What would it cost to put in a switch opened and closed by insertion and removal of the card -- pennies? If the fan is noisy and it runs regardless of whether the card is in or out I may turn to another LCD model without the card slot.

several brands of LCD's have a fan that runs continuously when a Cablecard is installed, including Sharp: the fan runs 24/7 regardless if the LCD is on or off: it is very annoying

The JVC LT-40FH96 has also been reported to have a (slightly) noisy fan going on constantly when the cable card is inserted. Without the cable card the set is quiet though. No word yet on whether the new JVC models (40FH97 and 40FN97) operate the same with their built-it QUAM/cable card tuners.

While you are correct in saying that the fans are not necessary to cool the CableCard itself, the card is directly responsible for the need to have a fan running in 24/7. It's the same system design issue that accounts for the loud digital cable boxes that run 24/7. Cable companies want 24/7 contact with their customers and for digital TV service this means a high speed digital processor that runs continuously and often requires a fan. The huge amount of wasted energy has resulted in the formation of a Federal Energy Star committee, but I don't see any near term solutions. Standby power consumption is generally in the 20 to 40 watt range and some fans are quieter than others. Some of the Sharp TVs used to specify standby power with and without cablecard inserted, and it was less than 1 watt without CableCard. My Pioneer, on the other hand, consumes the same 25 watts whether the CableCard is inserted or not -- a design choice on their part. I'm interested in Samsung 4095/4096 and would be interesting in finding out how they handle the cooling issue.

The problem is that CC1.0 is unidirectional, so there is no "24/7" contact to be had. With CC2.0, we get bidirectional support, but those cards may never see the light of day. Very odd.

The problem is that CC1.0 is unidirectional, so there is no "24/7" contact to be had. With CC2.0, we get bidirectional support, but those cards may never see the light of day. Very odd.

The 24/7 contact that I was referring to is the cable companie's ability to contact your TV, not your TVs ability to respond. Unfortunately, the EPA punted on the "Sleep Mode" that would have made it possible to turn digital processors off in standby when they withdrew the Energy Star specification last July. The existing cable network design requires that CableCard TVs and set top boxes always be ‘on’ so they can receive updated channel maps and security keys as well as continuous updates to programming guides. Yes; it's a stupid design, but we are stuck with it for a while. I'm just hoping for a quieter fan in the Samsung.

The JVC LT-40FH96 has also been reported to have a (slightly) noisy fan going on constantly when the cable card is inserted. Without the cable card the set is quiet though. No word yet on whether the new JVC models (40FH97 and 40FN97) operate the same with their built-it QUAM/cable card tuners.

It would seem that the price of admission for the unidirectional, near obsolete cable card slot, is a bit of fan noise. Keep it, far as I'm concerned. The loss of functionality alone makes it worthless, IMHO.

It would seem that the price of admission for the unidirectional, near obsolete cable card slot, is a bit of fan noise. Keep it, far as I'm concerned. The loss of functionality alone makes it worthless, IMHO.

I agree -- especially if you cannot turn the fan off in standby by removing the card. That is pushing me toward the 4095 over the 4096 for now, but I'm waiting to find out if the 4096 fan does turn off in standby when the card is removed. Cable boxes will get better and quieter over time and it would be nice to know that the cable card would not be a long term liability.

I picked up a 4095 this weekend at BB. When I first turn on the set in the morning or even if it has been off for a little while the picture displays reduced colors, like when you boot up Windows in safe mode. All of the colors kick in after about 5 minutes and then the picture is fantastic. It happens on component, hdmi and vga. Is it normal for the panel to have to warm up or boot up like this or do I have a problem?

This cable card discussion makes me think that a consensus is building: the 4695 is a better value than the 4696. The 4696 will probably be more expensive, and provide a cable card that very few want.

Am I wrong here?

I would not pay the premium for the '96, but others will and be perfectly happy doing so.

I picked up a 4095 this weekend at BB. When I first turn on the set in the morning or even if it has been off for a little while the picture displays reduced colors, like when you boot up Windows in safe mode. All of the colors kick in after about 5 minutes and then the picture is fantastic. It happens on component, hdmi and vga. Is it normal for the panel to have to warm up or boot up like this or do I have a problem?


Mine doesnt do that.

Im looking to purchase the either the westy 47in, sony xbr2 40" or the samsung 40" 4095d
Does anyone know how do the SD channels look on the samsung 40 4095d or 4096..also what the difference between the two panels other than teh cablecard on the 4096.??

The '96 series has IEEE 1394 (Firewire), it has USB, and (I think) RS232. The '95 does not...

Im looking to purchase the either the westy 47in, sony xbr2 40" or the samsung 40" 4095d
Does anyone know how do the SD channels look on the samsung 40 4095d or 4096..also what the difference between the two panels other than teh cablecard on the 4096.??


what's SD?






Kidding - Just do a "search this thread" for "SD"

I picked up a 4095 this weekend at BB. When I first turn on the set in the morning or even if it has been off for a little while the picture displays reduced colors, like when you boot up Windows in safe mode. All of the colors kick in after about 5 minutes and then the picture is fantastic. It happens on component, hdmi and vga. Is it normal for the panel to have to warm up or boot up like this or do I have a problem?

that has never happened to me.

that has never happened to me.

Great, just my luck. So what do I do now? Do I have to go through the hassle of packing it back up and taking it back to BB? Their website says the store no longer has any 4095s in stock.

This cable card discussion makes me think that a consensus is building: the 4695 is a better value than the 4696. The 4696 will probably be more expensive, and provide a cable card that very few want.

Am I wrong here?

http://www.moviewavs.com/php/sounds/?id=bst&media=WAVS&type=Movies&movie=Professional&quote=bingo.txt&file=bingo.wav

Great, just my luck. So what do I do now? Do I have to go through the hassle of packing it back up and taking it back to BB? Their website says the store no longer has any 4095s in stock.

Call Samsung, they'll send a tech to you, if they can't fix it, they'll send you a new TV.