Wide-Fit only works on HD sources... Which does make sense to me at all, since HD sources are widescreen and already fill the screen so what's the point of this mode?? All other TV's use the "wide" mode to stretch 4:3. Although, the only reason I would do this is to prevent screen burn, and since DLP's don't have that problem I wouldn't stretch 4:3 even if I could... but others might, so I don't know why they made it like that.

There is a large amount of 4:3 content broadcast with sidebars. I don't use wide-fit either, but I imagine some people want to fill the whole screen. What I can't figure out is how wide-fit is any different than the 16:9 setting for SD content. Seems the same to me.

ive searched thru the forum, and this thread but i cant find an answer to my question

on a HLS4266W how do i find out how many hours are on my bulb?

ive searched thru the forum, and this thread but i cant find an answer to my question

on a HLS4266W how do i find out how many hours are on my bulb?

You have to get into the service menu for that...if you dare.

You have to get into the service menu for that...if you dare.

And how does one do that?

cozkay,

Generally, the setting you have should be producing a very good picture. I would turn the DNR "on" It does improve the picture a good bit for 480i analogue source. And can do no harm to digital, that I can detect.

The other settings are close enough that you should be getting a very good picture; AND it should be a good deal better than what you see in the store.

So it sounds like it all comes back to the source. What are you feeding the set, and are the settings in your STB and the quality of service you receive.

If you are within 40 miles of the station a cheap set of rabbits ears can answer a lot of questions. Once you see some live HD sports or other super high quality feed in 1080i OTA, that will be the bench mark you want for your cable service.

Plasma vs Samsung HLS DLP's..........one thing to keep in mind is that the Samsung HLS models have the ability to produce a ton more picture detail, sharpness, and crispness then can usually been seen on a plasma.......as a result "bad signal sources" tend to show up very poorly on the HLS sets. Putting that another way: Plasmas look "good" with bad to average sources, Samsung does not. With excellent sources Samsung will usually blow the plasmas away, the plasmas still just look "good" not "excellent".

Thanks Houston,

I was wondering though why have sharpness set so low or even at zero? I think over all right now i am pretty happy with my picture i am getting especially in HD. Though i still find my self tweaking the settings every so often. Going between Movie and my custom settings also i can't seem to have one i like more than the other.
What are some of the common settings you guys have that you like and are pleased with?

So there I was, with 35 friends and family in the room, getting ready to play the video montage I did for my daughter's graduation party (baby pictures and stuff). I turn on my brand new 5086 and the matching DVD-HD860 and all I got was "no signal detected". I futzed with it for a few minutes in front of the crowd and only got it to work when I pulled and reinserted the HDMI cable from the back of the DVD. No, it wasn't loose - I pushed it in before I decided to pull and reinsert.

Maybe it's a DVD player problem, or the cable, or turning the components on in the wrong order? I dunno. But it couldn't have picked a worse time to get flaky. Worked fine after that.

Had the exact same thing happen (a few times) to my HD-860 feeding my HL-S4266 using HDMI. The fix was the same too, unplugging and reinserting the HDIM cable. Next time it happens I'm going to try pressing the DVD player front panel Video button as someone else suggested.

I've been reading this forum for a while and I purchased the HL-S5086W yesterday. I threw in my configuration dvd, played around for a while and popped in a dvd. It obviously looked better than it did at the store but some things still bothered me. Just some info, I'm using

Movie,
dnie off,
dnr off,
sharpness at 0,
contrast around 56
brightness around 54
color at about 42
warm 1

I have a samsung up-convert dvd player, the HD-850 I believe, and it is hooked up via hdmi and upconverting to 720p.

What is bothering me is that when watching a DVD like SW Episode 3, or LOTR ROTK, when I'm focused in on a face that fills the screen, the display looks great. Anytime though that it seems to do anything where I'm sort of zoomed out and viewing a lot of scenery and details, it sort of looks grainy and somewhat washed out. I expected these dvds to be very crisp and I guess I'm a little let down. Everyone on here talks about how awesome everything looks so I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on what might be going on.

By the way, I sit about 7-8 feet from the screen. I'm used to watching a 27" wega, am I just not used to having it blown up this big on a projection TV? Am I being too picky? I don't know, it still seems grainier to me in a lot of scenes than I thought it would be.

Any advice?

By the way, I sit about 7-8 feet from the screen.

Any advice?

***After looking for the formula, take the below info with a grain of salt, apparently, not everyone agrees with this info...*****

This might be your issue. I am a newb, but from reading and researching this and other sites, it seems the closest you want to sit to a 50" is about 9"-10". There is a formula floating around here somewhere. i will see if I can find it and post it for you...BTW, I am patiently waiting for BB to deliver my 5086...

The formula I've heard is screen size X 1.5. That puts my viewing distance at 6.3' so I should be ok viewing distance wise.

I've been reading this forum for a while and I purchased the HL-S5086W yesterday. I threw in my configuration dvd, played around for a while and popped in a dvd. It obviously looked better than it did at the store but some things still bothered me. Just some info, I'm using

Movie,
dnie off,
dnr off,
sharpness at 0,
contrast around 56
brightness around 54
color at about 42
warm 1

I have a samsung up-convert dvd player, the HD-850 I believe, and it is hooked up via hdmi and upconverting to 720p.

What is bothering me is that when watching a DVD like SW Episode 3, or LOTR ROTK, when I'm focused in on a face that fills the screen, the display looks great. Anytime though that it seems to do anything where I'm sort of zoomed out and viewing a lot of scenery and details, it sort of looks grainy and somewhat washed out. I expected these dvds to be very crisp and I guess I'm a little let down. Everyone on here talks about how awesome everything looks so I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on what might be going on.

By the way, I sit about 7-8 feet from the screen. I'm used to watching a 27" wega, am I just not used to having it blown up this big on a projection TV? Am I being too picky? I don't know, it still seems grainier to me in a lot of scenes than I thought it would be.

Any advice?

I have the same set, have had it for about 3 weeks now. I am having almost the same issue, it just doesn't look very crisp. I too am coming from 32" sony, so maybe it's me but even my wife has noticed the grain. Please let me know if you come up with a suitable configuration.

Exactly what I'm noticing. It just doesn't look as crisp as I expected it too. Especially when everyone else on this forum raves about how good dvds look on it.

And how does one do that?


Mute + 1 + 8 + 2 + Power

Update, I hooked up an OTA Antenna today and watched some OTA HD content tonight. Watched a little Vegas and I almost wet myself. It looks SO good. This is using the same video settings as the DVD player. Does HD content really look that much better than current 480P upconverted to 720p dvds? Do I have a setting on my dvd player wrong? Do I need a better DVD player? The HD850 seemed decent enough. I don't know. I just expected my current collection of DVDs would at least look nice and crisp on my new display, especially the high quality ones like AOTC and ROTK.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Trevor

I have the HL-S4266 and currently have connected to it:

Sony VHS tape player
Sony DVD player
Sony DHG-HDD500 (HD Recorder and HD tuner)

The DVD player has a choice of 480i and 480p output, and either S-Video or component.

The HD 500 can output anything thing you want, and has a choice of component or Automatic HDMI

Many DVD players have a user set up screen to select the "TV Type" or some such, this is often overlooked and is "very" important. The choice is usually something like 16:9 or 4:3 - this is different than format screen controls on the DVD player or the TV set. By selecting 16:9 this makes the "formatting by your TV set much more accurate AND can make your 4:3 DVD's fill the screen without distortion.........like I said "very" important.

IMO - setting the DVD player to 480i output and letting the Samsung do the "upconvert" to 720p (or 1080p if that is what your set is) is the way to go. Both S-Video and Component produce excellent results - Movie mode of course. Remember DVD's are by nature a 480i animal........Letting the TV set do the work "one" time will often (usually) produce the best results.

Some devices like my HDD-500 allow you to set the output to anything you want OR lets you select "Native" in other words letting the machine sent out the signal as it was recorded.........anything from 480i to 1080i...........in my case again I have found letting the Sony HDD-500 do "native" and let the Samsung to upconvert (or downconvert) produces the best picure. I get the best results with "native" setting output via component cables. When I use Automatic HDMI, the TV and the Sony HDD-500 go through that "handshaking" routine, and it will upconvert anything from 480i to 720p to 720p, and it will downconvert 1080i to 720p...........it does not produce the best PQ IMHO...........the HDMI seems to lack color fidelity and detail that way. Part of the problem may be in the Sony HDD-500 (it may not be able to upconvert or downconvert as good as the Samsung). Part of the problem may be in the Samsung (HDMI inputs may not be calibrated as good as the OTA or Component inputs - that could be the real problem with the Samsung HDMI inputs). I have actually compared in as detailed manner as I possibly can the same high quality signals and shows: Both OTA and HDD-500 Component to me are 100% identical...........the HDD-500 on the HDMI connection IS NOT (not even close). Again, I think he lack of quality is poor calibration of the HDMI connection on the Samsung.

Another interesting twist: I have found that the show sent to the Samsung at 1080i produces significantly better PQ then at 720p - this all on a HL-S4266 a 720p set. I have also found that live 1080i sports on NBC and CBS are significantly better than 720p live sports on ABC or FOX..........again this is on a 720p set. It is just the way it is and it is easy to see the difference.

As I join the ranks of new HL-S4666W owners...just ordered mine ten minutes ago. Should be here in about ten days. Got it from TVA allmost the best price I found online. With cables thrown in, I'm a happy, but impatient camper. :D :D

I'm getting some intermittent horizontal lines at an angle on my HL-S5086W.

Any ideas what could be causing this? Could it be the TV? Could it be the cable source?

I have the same set, have had it for about 3 weeks now. I am having almost the same issue, it just doesn't look very crisp. I too am coming from 32" sony, so maybe it's me but even my wife has noticed the grain. Please let me know if you come up with a suitable configuration.

Ditto. I posted this in the general HL-SxxxxW thread, because I didn't realize there as an 86W specific thread:

------

I have to say, I am fairly dissapointed with my HL-S5086W.

I don't think this is simply a Sammy thing, since my friends SDRX (or whatever the sony LCos is called) has the same problem. I am not sure if it is the digital nature of these sets (which I doubt) or if it is the screens. However, if you sit at a reasonably close distance it seems like you are looking through a filmy, grainy look that appears to be on top of the image. Of course if you move far enough back it starts to dissapear. I don't know if this is from the anti-glare coatings they put on or something else is causing it.

My CRT based 53" TV had a much cleaner picture from that standpoint.

Both my friend and I have front projection units. In my case, I have a 118" screen and an Infocus IN76 (720P DLP) projector and DirecTV HD. At 10' viewing distance (I generally view at 14' in my living room) that image looks MUCH cleaner than this Sammy or the Sony at 12-14'. I used to watch my old 53" CRT RPTV at about 7' in my office, but I don't think there is any way I can watch this 5086W at the same distance due to this funky grainy haze. It is almost like DirecTV's screen door effect, but different.

I know it isn't the DirecTV signal, because a 118" screen tends to show all the flaws in an image. I guess I now know why people are talking about getting 50" TV's for living rooms when they are 14' away. You have to really move back from these things to enjoy the image. :(

This article and chart on Maxed on Resolution might me helpful.

It is posted on other forums on this site. Our seating is significantly further away than the max resolution point for my 720p set (9 ft versus 12ft) and I do not see this much at all - only occasionally in areas of bright, uniform, cloudless sky. This is not an issue for me. But if I get closer that the recommended distance, I do not like the look of the PQ nearly as much.

(I had to take out the url link - site restriction until I make 5 posts! I will include immediately after this.)

Here is the link
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=5&article_id=1137

Im looking at having my parents get the HLS4266W. Does it have optical output? I was planning on them getting a reciever and some speakers also. My plan was running HDMI from the cable box to the TV and optical output from the TV to the reciever. Anyone??

Yes it has an optical output that works great.

Also, don't become hesitant because of some of the recent comments. I've found some settings that make dvds and everything look awesome on my new set. It takes some playing, but you can get it there.

Plasma vs Samsung HLS DLP's..........one thing to keep in mind is that the Samsung HLS models have the ability to produce a ton more picture detail, sharpness, and crispness then can usually been seen on a plasma.......as a result "bad signal sources" tend to show up very poorly on the HLS sets. Putting that another way: Plasmas look "good" with bad to average sources, Samsung does not. With excellent sources Samsung will usually blow the plasmas away, the plasmas still just look "good" not "excellent".

Hi,

Can you explain this a bit please? I've heard this before but I don't understand why it would be so.

thanks.

IMO - setting the DVD player to 480i output and letting the Samsung do the "upconvert" to 720p (or 1080p if that is what your set is) is the way to go. Both S-Video and Component produce excellent results - Movie mode of course. Remember DVD's are by nature a 480i animal........Letting the TV set do the work "one" time will often (usually) produce the best results.


Interesting. I have the Oppo 970 and have configured it to pass a 720p signal to my hls4266w. I will try out what you suggest and have it send a 480i. Is there something in the tv setup that I have to do to have it handle the scaling rather than the oppo? Or will it handle it automatically from the hdmi input?

My setup:
hdmi from oppo to tv, digital coax from oppo to marantz surround sound receiver. composite video cable from standard def, digital cable box to av1 of tv, composite audio cables from cable box to marantz receiver (my cable box only offers regular coax or composite).

hdmi (dvd): Movie
contrast- 55
bright - 41
sharp - 48
color - 35
r/g - 50/50
temp - normal
dnr - on
dnie - off

With the Movie setting, I lose the ability to do more fine tuning of the color, so I may switch it to Custom. Question: If I put the same settings that I have in the movie setup, will it look the same if I just switch it to custom? Or are there changes that result from that in areas that I can't access/control?

Received my HL-S4266W on June 12th. I also have the black grass effect which is mostly noticable when I watch anamorphic widescreen dvds on dark scenes.

I also have this horrible buzzing noise which comes and goes and I have called samsung regarding it and have a tech coming to my place next week to (hopefully) fix it. After some reading I assume its the colorwheel.

Overall I love the set, especially like being able to hookup my laptop through VGA.

If you find a solution to the black grass effect please let us know :)

Did you ask the tech about the black grass effect? What was the buzzing noise? Inquiring minds want to know :p

I have a strange question. We bought a new Samsung DPL HL-S4266W which is now 3 weeks old. I've noticed that when the TV is off and I look at the black screen I see a white colored area which start at the bottom-middle of the screen and go's up 2/3 of the way up. It first looked like a reflection but now I'm starting to think its not a reflection. When I close the blinds and make the room darker I can still see it somewhat. When I turn the TV on the picture looks great.

Has anyone else ever seen this on their Samsung DLP? Is it something to worry about? I did call Samsung about it and of course the first thing they wanted to do is send a tech out. I would prefer trading the TV in for a new one since Best buy will do this within the first 30 days. The truth is, that ghost-white thing doesn't seen to affect the picture so if its normal I can live with it. The question here is, is it normal?

Rich

I have a HL-S5086W connected to my comcast dvr dct3412 via HDMI cable, i was wondering what is the best setting for my cable box in the menu mode? Should it be 720p or 1080i and should 4:3 be stretched?

Thanks

I have a strange question. We bought a new Samsung DPL HL-S4266W which is now 3 weeks old. I've noticed that when the TV is off and I look at the black screen I see a white colored area which start at the bottom-middle of the screen and go's up 2/3 of the way up. It first looked like a reflection but now I'm starting to think its not a reflection. When I close the blinds and make the room darker I can still see it somewhat. When I turn the TV on the picture looks great.

Has anyone else ever seen this on their Samsung DLP? Is it something to worry about? I did call Samsung about it and of course the first thing they wanted to do is send a tech out. I would prefer trading the TV in for a new one since Best buy will do this within the first 30 days. The truth is, that ghost-white thing doesn't seen to affect the picture so if its normal I can live with it. The question here is, is it normal?

Rich

Now that you mention it, i have that too. I thought it was normal.

Im looking at having my parents get the HLS4266W. Does it have optical output? I was planning on them getting a reciever and some speakers also. My plan was running HDMI from the cable box to the TV and optical output from the TV to the reciever. Anyone??

Yes it has optical out. And yes you can pass audio from HDMI to the set and then back to your receiver. BUT it does not pass Dolby multichannel. I'm still running optical from my HD box directly to the receiver for this reason. Best you can do from the set is process it with ProLogic (or DTS Neo if that's your bag)

Actually, if you are running OTA through the television, and you have the optical output going to an AV Receiver, it does send dolby digital.

Actually, if you are running OTA through the television, and you have the optical output going to an AV Receiver, it does send dolby digital.

Yeah without going through a cable box you're golden. Unfortunately I have a HD recorder/STB set-up and it all has to go through the box :-(

Getting my 4666W tomorrow and wondered if anyone had any good suggestions for stands, other than blocks and 2X4s. They don't match my wall color. :D

I have a strange question. We bought a new Samsung DPL HL-S4266W which is now 3 weeks old. I've noticed that when the TV is off and I look at the black screen I see a white colored area which start at the bottom-middle of the screen and go's up 2/3 of the way up. It first looked like a reflection but now I'm starting to think its not a reflection. When I close the blinds and make the room darker I can still see it somewhat. When I turn the TV on the picture looks great.

Has anyone else ever seen this on their Samsung DLP? Is it something to worry about? I did call Samsung about it and of course the first thing they wanted to do is send a tech out. I would prefer trading the TV in for a new one since Best buy will do this within the first 30 days. The truth is, that ghost-white thing doesn't seen to affect the picture so if its normal I can live with it. The question here is, is it normal?

Rich


Yes, this is normal... this was the first thing I noticed when I set mine up. There is actually a little slip of paper that came with your TV (if you're like me you probably just set it aside thinking it was the typical, "Do not put your finger into the electrical outlet when plugging in your tv" type warning.) I didn't really understand what causes it, but the paper says that this white reflection is normal when the tv is off, they even provide a little picture.

Now, when the tv is on, the "black grass" effect at the bottom and top of the black screen are not mentioned, and several us are still waiting to see if we ever discover what causes it.

Getting my 4666W tomorrow and wondered if anyone had any good suggestions for stands, other than blocks and 2X4s. They don't match my wall color. :D



I have the 4266W and I got this stand for just under a hundred at my local Walmart, surprisingly it's really quite nice and I love the color (excuse the picture quality, all I have is my camera phone.) It has drawers at the bottom but I didn't install them, since I like it better without, although I still had to put the "back" part of them in for support.

It was a pain to put together for some reason (I used to put together this type of furniture at an old job, so I was surprised it gave me that much trouble.) Once I got it together though, I have been nothing but pleased.

Are there discrete codes for this TV?

Edit: I was hoping to switch inputs via my remote to specific inputs (i.e. SAT would activate the HDMI and DVD activate component1 and so forth.

Yes, this is normal...

Now, when the tv is on, the "black grass" effect at the bottom and top of the black screen are not mentioned, and several us are still waiting to see if we ever discover what causes it.

A Sumsung tech called me last week and is supposed to come out next week on black grass, black crush, and lack of blacks; but they have not yet called back to schedule. I told him he can see the black grass defect on the 4266 at Frys and Sears. Frys is best because they have a dark area to see the defect. He implied he may be doing some research on it first? From the way I described it to him, we both agreed it is some sort of design defect that is not in the 46" and larger model.

A Sumsung tech called me last week and is supposed to come out next week on black grass, black crush, and lack of blacks; but they have not yet called back to schedule. I told him he can see the black grass defect on the 4266 at Frys and Sears. Frys is best because they have a dark area to see the defect. He implied he may be doing some research on it first? From the way I described it to him, we both agreed it is some sort of design defect that is not in the 46" and larger model.

I've had my HL-S4266 since July 1st and it seems that the black grass on my set is slowly fading away. It doesn't bother me at all though. The picture is just outstanding.

I have a strange question. We bought a new Samsung DPL HL-S4266W which is now 3 weeks old. I've noticed that when the TV is off and I look at the black screen I see a white colored area which start at the bottom-middle of the screen and go's up 2/3 of the way up. It first looked like a reflection but now I'm starting to think its not a reflection. When I close the blinds and make the room darker I can still see it somewhat. When I turn the TV on the picture looks great.

Has anyone else ever seen this on their Samsung DLP? Is it something to worry about? I did call Samsung about it and of course the first thing they wanted to do is send a tech out. I would prefer trading the TV in for a new one since Best buy will do this within the first 30 days. The truth is, that ghost-white thing doesn't seen to affect the picture so if its normal I can live with it. The question here is, is it normal?

Rich

I had that with a HLP50xx I forget what it was. I called for service, they replaced the screen and the light engine - still there. I lived with if for 9 months then called again, they replaced the set - I got a HLS5086 (waited until the HLS was available at BB). Guess what - still there. I swear it is not a reflection. I can see it regardless of lighting, time of day, on or off, angle or distance, it is always noticable to some degree. I draped a blanket over the set and looked at the screen from underneath it and the light was nearly gone, but not quite. I am at a loss to explain it, but Samsung and their techs say they have never seen it.

Hello all I have just purchased a HL-S6186W, but am not fully happy with the picture quality. Has anyone had this set ISF Calibrated yet? If so, would you mind telling me what your settings ended up being
?
Thank you!!!

Hi,

Can you explain this a bit please? I've heard this before but I don't understand why it would be so.

thanks.

Goodness, I don't know, I wrote this so long ago, it no longer makes too much sense to me know LOL.........I think what I was referring too........IMHO DLPs seem to provide so much more detail, and can handle faster speeds (fast action) then most other technology. Samsung does not in my opinion seem to handles or process bad input as well as other makers. To me Sony and Mit's can process bad input and low quality SD sources better than Samsung. Samsung seems to handle the high quality HD stuff better than Sony, IMO.

I got to spend about 20 hours in Dallas with a HL-S5088...........that 1080p set blows the 720p Samsung's away. 720p may look good in the store, but in a house the 42" set can not make "black" - - - that 1080p set can make "black"......at least equal to and maybe better than the Mit's WD52628.

I really want to get my hands on the Mit's 732 series, to see what it can do. Now that I have lived with Sammy for over two month, there are some thing I don't like.....mostly the glare smear to the corner of the screen,,,,the optical abberations, etc and of course lack of black and the black grass thing in the 42" models

I've had my HL-S4266 since July 1st and it seems that the black grass on my set is slowly fading away. It doesn't bother me at all though. The picture is just outstanding.

Yes I agree. I guess I have about 250 hours on mine. The black grass has faded some.

I think the problem is being caused by the interior of the cabinet being medium grey instead of black; therefore as the bulb dims a little, the black grass becomes less visible.

After spending 20 hours with the 5088, and coming back home to look at my set, I just went UGH. The 720p does not compare to the deep rich black the 5088 can put out (no grass either LOL). The inside of that cabinet is black.

bought the HLS 4266 a couple of days ago. I like it but I do have a issue with it. When displaying a dark scene or when the screen is black, you can see a area of white lines in the shape of a sea shell at the bottom center of the screen. This area is about the size of your open hand. It is very annoying because it plays fine in every other way.

Any idea of what is causing this.

Thanks.... James

bought the HLS 4266 a couple of days ago. I like it but I do have a issue with it. When displaying a dark scene or when the screen is black, you can see a area of white lines in the shape of a sea shell at the bottom center of the screen. This area is about the size of your open hand. It is very annoying because it plays fine in every other way.

Any idea of what is causing this.

Thanks.... James

That's the "black grass" that is being spoken of in the last couple posts (and throughout the thread.) One way to make it less noticable is to make sure the center of the TV is at eye level or just a bit below. It your tv is up high (like mine was originally) it makes it much worse.

I took a picture awhile back and you're right it does look like a seashell... It's on page 7 of this thread if you want to look.

HoustonPerson is looking into it (maybe others too, I'm not sure.)

Yeah, seems like all 42's have this issue. you can gently push on the screen and the black grass will change shapes, when you release pressure, it goes back to the same shape. I sort of believe that the problem could be the bottom of the cabinet frame putting to much pressure on the screen. Wonder if there is some adjustment that could relieve the pressure. I don't know, it's just frustrating.

Thinking about exchanging for the 4666. Dont know.

Yeah, seems like all 42's have this issue. you can gently push on the screen and the black grass will change shapes, when you release pressure, it goes back to the same shape. I sort of believe that the problem could be the bottom of the cabinet frame putting to much pressure on the screen. Wonder if there is some adjustment that could relieve the pressure. I don't know, it's just frustrating.

Thinking about exchanging for the 4666. Dont know.

I have seen about 6-8 of the HL-S4666 and have never seen the black grass in those models, and that model also does just a dash better on black detail too, when you jump to the 50" model 5086 with the black inside cabinet, the black detail gets real good.

Ok, noob dumb question of the day...will there always be black bars on the top/bottom or sides if you don't use zoom (HLS4666W)? Not one dvd I've put in my player fills the screen. Any I missing something?

Anybody using this set with SageTV?

Thanks

I sort of believe that the problem could be the bottom of the cabinet frame putting to much pressure on the screen.

I think your are correct in your diagnoses. I would add that on some sets it affects the top as well. I noticed the black grass effect is fading on my three week old HL-S4266 and I think its because the mechanics of the screen mount are relaxing as time goes on. My black grass is now smaller than my open hand.

I don't think the cabinet color has anything to do with it.

On a completely different note... I have my TV set to "stereo" and whenever I change the channel I hear sound and then after about a second the sound drops out and immediately returns (as if it goes from mono to stereo). When this happens the tv rating (TVPG, TVMA) appears and the type of audio available (Stereo+SAP for example), as if it was "loading" it or something. Is this normal?

Mine does the same thing. Its normal.

I have had this unit for about a month and I am very happy with its picture. But there is one strange problem. When I tune to WTVP's digital channels (OTA, Peoria, IL), the TV acts like it is turning off (the on/off jingle plays) for 4 or 5 times before it settles down. There have been times when it would not stop and I would have to switch to another channel. This started about 2 weeks after I got the TV. No other OTA or sat channels does this, any idea why? On all my other OTA channels, if the signal is weak, I just get a blue screen.

When I tune to WTVP's digital channels (OTA, Peoria, IL), the TV acts like it is turning off (the on/off jingle plays) for 4 or 5 times before it settles down. There have been times when it would not stop and I would have to switch to another channel. This started about 2 weeks after I got the TV. No other OTA or sat channels does this, any idea why? On all my other OTA channels, if the signal is weak, I just get a blue screen.

I would say your set is fine and it has something to do with the broadcast for that specific channel.

I think your are correct in your diagnoses. I would add that on some sets it affects the top as well. I noticed the black grass effect is fading on my three week old HL-S4266 and I think its because the mechanics of the screen mount are relaxing as time goes on. My black grass is now smaller than my open hand.

I don't think the cabinet color has anything to do with it.

Yep, you guys are correct. If you move your thumb or apply pressure to the black frame around the screen (start at Samsung at the bottom), the black grass pattern will start to change. While it has gotten a good deal "duller" on my set, it still covers pretty much the entire screen from top to bottom. Wonder if it has something to do with humidity between the panels? I still think if the picture could be made "actually" black and not gray, it would not show up at all. It does not show up when the set is off.

Talked to BB today and they said no problem in exchanging the set for the 46er before 30 days. I love the 42, it is outstanding as long as its showing daytime scenes. It's in my family room and our seating area is about 8 feet from the tv. Will I loose much picture quality going with the bigger set? I know somewhat better blacks and no grass are a plus but I'm wondering if the picture will be alot granier?

In closing have you guys considered exchanging because of the grass?

In closing have you guys considered exchanging because of the grass?

No, not me. The picture on this set is just fantastic. Last night I looked at my black grass effect again and it is definitely shrinking. When I got the set three weeks ago, the black grass had at-least a 8-inch radius from the bottom center of the screen (can't see any on the top but I'll bet its there too). Now its only about a 4-inch radius that I can completely cover up with my hand. At this rate it will be completely gone soon. I truly believe all sets have some type of small nuance that is really not a deal killer. Sooner or later someone will find some objection to the 46 inch Sammy as well.

After learning from Jamer71 and others that the black grass is a screen/frame issue, and confirming for myself.........I have taken it a little step further.

Yesterday I simply rubbed my thumb across the bottom of the frame, just above "Samsung" for about one foot wide or a little more, and of course the bottom half of the screen and black grass changed a lot.........decreased it and it all but disappeared. It reduced by maybe 90%. I only rubbed it for about 10 seconds or so.

Later this week in a fully darked room, I will do the top part of the frame. Your finger or thumb should slide easily across the frame; so you may want to use a paper towel, between your thumb and the black frame.

So this may or may not be a solution, I don't know.

I will still keep my 42" set.........the black grass is still not a big enough issue to send the set back - at least for me.

My single biggest issue with the 42" is lack of black detail on shows like:

Without a Trace
Law and Order
Crossing Jordan

When watching the Samsung 5088 the black detail is outstanding and stunning, it looks real..........when watching the same shows on the 4266, it is a big let down.

Still I will keep the set.

Yesterday I simply rubbed my thumb across the bottom of the frame, just above "Samsung" for about one foot wide or a little more, and of course the bottom half of the screen and black grass changed a lot.........decreased it and it all but disappeared. It reduced by maybe 90%. I only rubbed it for about 10 seconds or so.

That's great to hear. As I've already stated mine is steadily shrinking on its own although I may try out your special *Samsung massage*. ;)

Yesterday I simply rubbed my thumb across the bottom of the frame, just above "Samsung" for about one foot wide or a little more, and of course the bottom half of the screen and black grass changed a lot.........decreased it and it all but disappeared. It reduced by maybe 90%. I only rubbed it for about 10 seconds or so.

OK, guess I'll give my tv a massage later tonight. maybe put on some candles.

Did the tech ever come out to check your tv? If you call samsung to mention this grass problem do they even understand what you are describing?

anyone have their s4266w professionally calibrated? probably can't do anything about the grass issue, but how about the blacks?

I'm sticking with my tv mainly cause I can't fit anything larger into the space and I really like the picture most of the time. I got an antenna to bring in the ota hd channels and it looks incredible. The PBS channel here in chicago has the most incredible picture.

OK, guess I'll give my tv a massage later tonight. maybe put on some candles.
:D


I tried the "massage" but it didn't help (although I could radically change the shape of the grass.) Although, now that we know the cause, I'm confident we can find a real solution. I think once I'm settled into my new place next month I'll just have a tech come out and see it they can "loosen/tighten" the screen, that should probably do the trick, right? I doubt it's that much of a project, just remove the screen and and stick it back on but with the correct amount of pressure at the bottom.

A RPCRT is supposed to have the best picture but there's a problem with convergence and burn-in, two things that are not a problem with DLPs. However, reading this forum indicates DLPs are not without their own problems. What do you all think?

Good to see others are working on the "black grass" issue. It doesn't really bother me in normal viewing but it would be nice to see it resolved.

For those having issues with the black levels etc., what mode and settings are you using? I have mine using Movie mode, contrast = 50, brightness = 50, sharpness = 0, DNR = off for now and it looks pretty good to me. I still need to find my Video Essentials DVD to tweak it further.

b

I've gone to 3 retailers to check out the hls4666w. At the first location all the DLP sets had very obvious rainbow effects and it was very distracting. The second location had no rainbow effects on any of their DLP sets and I asked the salesperson why their's did not while the other location did. He attributed it to a device that regulated voltage -- I didn't believe him -- the product cost $500. The third place did not have the voltage regulators and did not have the rainbow effects.

Any reason why one of the three retailers had problems with rainbow effect? I was ready to purchase the hls4666w until I saw that issue. Any comments would be appreciated.

Does anyone have the hls4666 with a non digital cable service? If so, how does it look?

Also if I do purchase it, I was thinking of buying an extended warranty. I have always heard that they were a rip off but since moving the set to an dealer to have serviced would be difficult I figured an in home warranty would be best. Any recommendations on a company that offers a good extended warranty? I was intending to buy the TV from Amazon but the extended warranty they offer does not include in-home service. Can I buy the extended warranty from somewhere else even though I bought the TV from Amazon? Thanks again.

Rainbow, I suspect the rainbows you saw in "one" store were due to the lighting in the store - "sync" of the florescents bulbs etc. With regular lighting in a home it should not be a problem; at least for most people.

Settings, I have the get gray calibration disc. It is good in many respects, specifically it tells me what the set can not do - that is poor blacks. Having tried every imaginable setting that I thought was great, I simply went back too Movie factory defaults for night time, and Standard for day time (DNIe is off). The factory defaults produced the best results on the calibration disc and in real life pictures. Color on both settings is about 42-44 and sharpness about 40-50, and warm2 on both. The Samsungs are very funny animals to adjust...........just adjusting the "color" changes the brightness and contrast; a different animal indeed.

Having tried every imaginable setting that I thought was great, I simply went back too Movie factory defaults for night time, and Standard for day time (DNIe is off). The factory defaults produced the best results on the calibration disc and in real life pictures. Color on both settings is about 42-44 and sharpness about 40-50, and warm2 on both. The Samsungs are very funny animals to adjust...........just adjusting the "color" changes the brightness and contrast; a different animal indeed.

After a lot of experimenting with the settings on my HL-S4266, I ended up going with the same settings as you--the factory defaults for Standard and Movie. I'm still on the fence with having DNIe on or off when running "Standard" though. One day I like it on and the next I like it off. Right now its on.

After a lot of experimenting with the settings on my HL-S4266, I ended up going with the same settings as you--the factory defaults for Standard and Movie. I'm still on the fence with having DNIe on or off when running "Standard" though. One day I like it on and the next I like it off. Right now its on.

Yep I have changed my mind on the DNIe a dozen times too,,,,,,finally like it best "off" because I can get better black detail on both SD and especially HD.

Very little to report. Samsung factory service has forgotten to do the appointment this week. So this means I will call them back.

"Samsung Massage" - Yes it is true, it can affect Black Grass while rubbing. It did reduce the black grass at the bottom of the screen on my TV; but had absolutely no effect at the top? So the grass effect does have sometime do to with the "tension" on the plastic screen - meaning something may be a little off during assembly? BTW, loosening the screen, and or any other adjustments to the screen has absolutely no effect on the black grass; that is permanent.

I still feel if the interior of the set was black instead of grey, it would hide and eliminate the black grass affect. It is actually (IMO) the gray output (that is not being black) that makes the black grass show up. So if the TV set could actually make "black" and not "gray" - like all the other Samsung models do, then there would be no black grass. IMO

HoustonPerson, thanks for the black grass follow-up post. I'll be watching for any new updates. And as for our previous posts regarding DNIe, I'll have to try turning mine off while observing the black detail. I haven't been paying attention to blacks when I've been turning it on & off.

Ok, I called Samsung to get what the deal was with the delay, and why they had not called back. They had determined from their end, it needs a new light engine, which should be here in two weeks. Um? - I don't think so?

Guys, what do you think?

Ok, I called Samsung to get what the deal was with the delay, and why they had not called back. They had determined from their end, it needs a new light engine, which should be here in two weeks. Um? - I don't think so?

Guys, what do you think?

So, without seeing the set and properly troubleshooting the problem they're going to start throwing parts at it. ? What's that all about?

And I guess all HL-S4266 sets out there need a new light engine--yeah right. I would feel a lot better if someone really looked at the set first before changing parts.

If I were you I'd let the guy come out, show him the black grass and how it seems related to the screen mount and see what he says then. If he's somewhat competent, he won't change the light engine. Then again...

Very little to report. Samsung factory service has forgotten to do the appointment this week. So this means I will call them back.

"Samsung Massage" - Yes it is true, it can affect Black Grass while rubbing. It did reduce the black grass at the bottom of the screen on my TV; but had absolutely no effect at the top? So the grass effect does have sometime do to with the "tension" on the plastic screen - meaning something may be a little off during assembly? BTW, loosening the screen, and or any other adjustments to the screen has absolutely no effect on the black grass; that is permanent.

I still feel if the interior of the set was black instead of grey, it would hide and eliminate the black grass affect. It is actually (IMO) the gray output (that is not being black) that makes the black grass show up. So if the TV set could actually make "black" and not "gray" - like all the other Samsung models do, then there would be no black grass. IMO

I'm slightly confused on the cause still, are you saying that the tension in production has permanently damaged the screen, and that the "massage" is affecting the screen directly and not the amount of tension applied to it... or am I way off? If that's the case then they should just replace our screens and problem solved. (If all the HLS screens are this way, then couldn't Samsung give us HLR screens as a substitute?)

About the cabinet color- I am still interested to hear what would happen, so definitely keep us updated if you decide to try anything with that. It sounds like a good enough idea/theory to me to at least investigate.

No clue about the light engine, I would ask that they come out and actually look at it before they decide to do any work like that.

I'm slightly confused on the cause still, are you saying that the tension in production has permanently damaged the screen, and that the "massage" is affecting the screen directly and not the amount of tension applied to it... or am I way off? If that's the case then they should just replace our screens and problem solved. (If all the HLS screens are this way, then couldn't Samsung give us HLR screens as a substitute?)

About the cabinet color- I am still interested to hear what would happen, so definitely keep us updated if you decide to try anything with that. It sounds like a good enough idea/theory to me to at least investigate.

No clue about the light engine, I would ask that they come out and actually look at it before they decide to do any work like that.

The screen material is some sort of laminate, and placed in the frame during assembly at the factory. (I think ? the screen itself is two pieces and not one?). Anyway there is an outer frame (the part you can see) and an inner frame (you can't see it). Those two frames hold the lamination together. We are all guessing the it is that lamination that has tension (pressure) in it - causing the black grass. When move light pressure (Samsung Massage) across the bottom of the frame, the black grass pattern changes, and sometimes almost goes away completely.

I am not saying the screen material is damaged. There are a total of "four" parts that must be laminated together. I am guessing for what ever stupid reason, the "drilling and alignment" parts were not fabricated correctly on all HL-S4266........therefore when every screen is assembled, it has un-necessary tension or pressure on the screen causing this problem.

HLR and HLS are not the same screen materials.

Still, I guess it could be the light engine (I thought that originally).

Yes I will proceed with caution.

I'm hearing a fairly loud buzzing noise like a fluorescent light bulb or live wire. The sound goes away when the set is in standby (i.e. just after power off but the bulb fan is still running). Anyone experience this? I wonder if its the bulb or something else altogether. With volume at 12 and my A/C on, I can still hear the noise in the background.

I'm hearing a fairly loud buzzing noise like a fluorescent light bulb or live wire. The sound goes away when the set is in standby (i.e. just after power off but the bulb fan is still running). Anyone experience this? I wonder if its the bulb or something else altogether. With volume at 12 and my A/C on, I can still hear the noise in the background.

Nope not here....our house has very poor wiring and electrical problems. When our outside AC unit is running the picture will pulse or shift a little - only notice this when a calibration disk is in the DVD player. When the AC turns off, the picture becomes 100% steady again. Basically, the electric line to the AC is not able to carry the load, all the house lights go dull too.

I am not saying the screen material is damaged. There are a total of "four" parts that must be laminated together. I am guessing for what ever stupid reason, the "drilling and alignment" parts were not fabricated correctly on all HL-S4266........therefore when every screen is assembled, it has un-necessary tension or pressure on the screen causing this problem.

The two screens are generally just taped together. They are simply sitting between the outer bezel and the inner frame. It could be that the dimensions of the frame/bezel where the screen sit are causing some sort of flexing of the screen that shows this issue.

Found out today that the new Samsung's (7178W, 6188W, 5668W) are using the newest DLP DMD chips from TI. These new chips have a response time of .06ms!! That's 37 times faster than the new A2000 and XBR2 sets from Sony.


The DLP chip is faster than any HDTV technology, with the mirrors switching on & off 15,000 times a second to deliver a razor-sharp picture for fast moving images

Source: http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/DLPTV/HLS7178WXXAA.asp

Problem with HLS466w
I have had this unit for about a month and I am very happy with its picture. But there is one strange problem. When I tune to WTVP's digital channels (OTA, Peoria, IL), the TV acts like it is turning off (the on/off jingle plays) for 4 or 5 times before it settles down. There have been times when it would not stop and I would have to switch to another channel. This started about 2 weeks after I got the TV. No other OTA or sat channels does this, any idea why? On all my other OTA channels, if the signal is weak, I just get a blue screen.





I have this exact same problem on a OTA channel here in Rhode Island. Let me know if you figure it out...

-BL

Still, I guess it could be the light engine (I thought that originally).

Yes I will proceed with caution.

I asked my wife if the black grass warranted a service call and she said no because she can only see it when there is no picture on the screen. I then showed her how you can see it on very dark movie scenes and she said she never noticed because she's watching the movie, not analysing the screen.

So HoustonPerson, I guess your going to be the guinea pig on this one. I'll be watching for your follow up posts.

[edit]
BTW HoustonPerson, I did end up turning DNIe OFF for the Standard mode. As you said, with it OFF there is definately a lot more black detail.

I asked my wife if the black grass warranted a service call and she said no because she can only see it when there is no picture on the screen. I then showed her how you can see it on very dark movie scenes and she said she never noticed because she watching the movie, not analysing the screen.

So HoustonPerson, I guess your going to be the guinea pig on this one. I'll be watching for your follow up posts.

[edit]
BTW HoustonPerson, I did end up turning DNIe OFF for the Standard mode. As you said, with it OFF there is definately a lot more black detail.

If and when a tech from Samsung shows up, I will give them the 3rd degree. they ain't touching it, unless they know what they are doing.

My primary concern is black detail. Black grass is secondary. As the set gets older, more of the grass goes away, and the black detail does get better. I still think getting the inside of the cabinet black could be the answer, I dunno?

As a follow up to the buzzing noise, a Samsung technician came about 2 hours after I called Samsung and replaced my color wheel assembly. An hour and a half, no buzzing. I am quite pleased now with the set. Now if I could find some way to disable the TV input as I get all my inputs through HMDI/Component.

Just a question for the group: I have been thinking about buying a Samsung 720P (HLS 5686?). Leons in Canada has an HLR 6168 for a couple of bucks more. Would you go for that or stick with your HLS? I know that it is older, but does have 1080P.

Biggest reason for upgrading is move watching.

Any replies from current HLS owners is much appreciated!

Shane D

I love my HLS 5686. Its been great for movies, tv (SD and HD) and gaming (no perceptible lag from my Xbox 360). I'm just not sold on that much 1080p TV content considering how much the networks have paid for 720p or 1080i devices. And for the price I'll take downscaled 1080p content in exchange for the newer internals. Then again, I'm not a videophile so take that at as you will.

Just a question for the group: I have been thinking about buying a Samsung 720P (HLS 5686?). Leons in Canada has an HLR 6168 for a couple of bucks more. Would you go for that or stick with your HLS? I know that it is older, but does have 1080P.

Biggest reason for upgrading is move watching.

Any replies from current HLS owners is much appreciated!

Shane D

If the price of the two sets is within $100 and they should be because one is last years model..............I would go for the HLR6168 for three reasons (in order of importance):

1. Black Details (really important in a dark room)......that older set has 10,000 to 1 contrast ratio with Automatic Iris.........the newer 720p set does not !!!!! It is only 2,500 to 1, and can not give you that level of black detail............you will easily be able to tell the difference on:
CSI
NCIS
Law and Order
Other HD shows with lots of dark scenes
Nighttime HD Live Baseball, Football, Extreme Sports, etc

2. about double the resolution, better overall detail (good for the super critical like me)

3. Bigger screen means things can look more real too - Live HD 1080i sports!

Thank you Skimmilk and HoustonPerson! You both hit on my exact thoughts. The HLS has newer "innards" and supposedly more improvements (newer chip and faster color wheel). However the older set is bigger and 1080p! The price difference is about $200.00 (Canadian $).

Shane D

I think you'll probably be happy with either one. I wanted to avoid game lag issues which are apparently fairly frequent on HLR series and RBE for the wife / friends. However, I wouldn't fault anyone for the other. I find the 720p's contrast ratio to be good enough... certainly way better than most other non-CRT sets out there. I'd also check the main HLS series thread for comments regarding the automatic iris as some content favors the fixed iris despite the lower contrast ratio.

Received my new HL-S6186W today. Both Comcast and Sony HDMI DVD connected via HDMI cables for video only. DVD's looked horrible and very pixilated in all modes.

When I bring up the comcast menu of programs to watch, which is in a grid pattern, I noticed the lines and text toward the top, left to right, are curved downwards. Not geometrically curved, but straight until about 3/4 of way across and curve down about 2 inches and then back up. I put a straight edge on the top of the set and there is a 1/4" downward warp in the plastic housing. Almost like it is pushing down on the screen and causing the problem.:eek:

Was trying to explore this when the screen went blank and I got the dreaded three blinking lights. After three hours of total use! :mad:

After contacting Samsung and holding for 30 minutes, they told me a service rep would come out in 3 weeks. I finally convinced them to send me a replacement bulb, which will be here within 2 weeks. :(

When I mentioned the screen curve, he said I'd have to wait for the tech to look at it.

Since I am literally at the end of the road in Key West, FL, and 200 miles from the nearest brick and mortar, I had to buy this online. And everybody's return policy was the same. No returns once you have taken delivery. Made darn sure the box looked perfect before allowing it in the house and signing for it.

Has anybody had these kind of problems or suggest remedys?

Thanks

.........

When I bring up the comcast menu of programs to watch, which is in a grid pattern, I noticed the lines and text toward the top, left to right, are curved downwards. Not geometrically curved, but straight until about 3/4 of way across and curve down about 2 inches and then back up. I put a straight edge on the top of the set and there is a 1/4" downward warp in the plastic housing. Almost like it is pushing down on the screen and causing the problem.:eek:

Was trying to explore this when the screen went blank and I got the dreaded three blinking lights. After three hours of total use! :mad:

After contacting Samsung and holding for 30 minutes, they told me a service rep would come out in 3 weeks. I finally convinced them to send me a replacement bulb, which will be here within 2 weeks. :(

When I mentioned the screen curve, he said I'd have to wait for the tech to look at it.

...................

Thanks

If the picture distortion is that bad, it almost sounds like internal freight damage. Good On-Line store will back it up, and should send you a replacement TV asap. Lay down the law. If you put in on "your" charge card; go ahead and dispute the charges. And also file a claim with the freight company.

I had two Mit's WD52628 last year, the first one had a perfect picture, the second had so much distortion it was unreal, later I learned the cabinet was bent, it had some really bad non-visible freight damage..

Good Luck.

We are not suppose to name company names, but I bought from a big online company who's name begins with A and ends with N.

Looking at their description it only says shipped in original manufacturer's package. So what, it could still be a worked over unit.

So, how do we tell or know when we buy these DLP's that they are fresh from the factory and when they were made? Does Sammy mark products that are refurbed?

Just Curious.

Today is the 30th day which I've had my new HL-S4266W which we bought at BB. After noticing the "Black Grass" curse of this 42 inc DLP about two weeks ago I started to do research. I even went into Tweeters where they had the S4266W right next to the S4666w. I pointed out the black grass problem on the 42 to the store manager. He was shocked because he could also see it even in the stores model. He told me that he personally would never keep it knowing about this problem.
I then tried to live with it during the next two weeks but my wife and I both started to see it even while watching movies. Once you know its there you will surely start to see it more often.
We decided today on this 30th day, to go down to BB and trade up to the HL-S4666w. I got the Manager to give it to use for only another $150. Next week they will pick up the 42inc and deliver the new 46inc.

I know many of you don't mind seeing that black grass on the 42inc. Not me, I don't want to see that problem anymore. A tech buddy told me that the black grass thing could very well be a defect on the HL-S4266w and he thinks that problem could very well be a predictor of future problems with that model. He also thinks Samsung could very well do some kind of a recall soon on the S4266w.
If I'm going to pay big bucks for a new DLP why should I settle for a problem like this? Its not worth it. Trading up to the S4666w seems like a very logical thing to do. Besides, I think the 46inc has a better picture and better blacks. We shall see....

Rich

Does the HLS have a HDMI male or dvi female connection? I need to order a dvi to hdmi cable and dont know if I need male or female on the tv end.

Steve,

The HLSxx86 series has two HDMI female inputs. So you would need a HDMI male to DVI male cable OR a HDMI Female to DVI-D Male adaptor. I already had a HDMI cable and my cable company, Comcast, uses the Motorola box which only has a DVI out, so I found a HDMI Female to DVI Male adaptor at a local store.

Remember that the DVI to HDMI will not carry audio signal. I connect my cable box to the HT or TV using a digital optical cable, which are all male-male.

Maybe it's just me, but I swear I get better sound from my HT using the opticals for audio. Probably just justifying the extra few $$'s spent. :o

Thanks Houston,

Contacted my seller yesterday and they were actually very nice about it and said they would kick it up to the powers that be and give a call within two days. If the answer is no, I'll call Citibank. I know they will come down hard on them. I used that card because I'm suppose to get an extra year of warranty (underwritten by a company in Australia - don't know what that would turn into :rolleyes: ).

We are not suppose to name company names, but I bought from a big online company who's name begins with A and ends with N.

Looking at their description it only says shipped in original manufacturer's package. So what, it could still be a worked over unit.

So, how do we tell or know when we buy these DLP's that they are fresh from the factory and when they were made? Does Sammy mark products that are refurbed?

Just Curious.


If it is a brand new never before used TV. It would come in a box and the inside and outside serial numbers will match (box and TV). There would be two thin white plastic bands around the box. Those bands are snipped off, and four white plastic clips at the bottom of the box (2 on each side at the bottom edges) are removed and the top of the box slides right off. The TV itself is wrapped one large plastic bag. If I recall correctly the smooth soft side faces the screen, the rest of the bag is regular see through plastic. The books and remote is a single sealed bag at the bottom (underneath) the TV. It is actually, are very simple box; but very strong for shipping; lots of styrofoam at the four corners.

I know it does not apply to you. But I have seen various brands, both Sony and Samsung marked refurbished at Fry's before? It is marked on the outside of the box....and that includes some very high priced TV too.

As a follow up to the buzzing noise, a Samsung technician came about 2 hours after I called Samsung and replaced my color wheel assembly. An hour and a half, no buzzing. I am quite pleased now with the set. Now if I could find some way to disable the TV input as I get all my inputs through HMDI/Component.
I've got the same buzzing you had, 60 hrtz line noise. I only hope I can get get samsung to fix it as fast as you did. Otherwise, I'm happy with the 5086

Well all, my first post and it's a joyous one. I'm the proud new papa of an HL-S5086W ! I can't wait to get it broken in and adjusted. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread thus far and I'll be sure to post back with my results.

Burnout Revenge 360 here I come!

I steered my parents towards the HL-S5086W last week and just got my first chance to check it out in their house last night.

I was surprised how great the HD looked, the only problem was a clicking or ticking every 10 seconds approximately through the TV speakers only on HD broadcasts. Could this be something with the power coming to the TV or is it the wiring? They are using a HD cable box though Cox with the Cox provided cables.

What is the best way to calibrate a HL-S4266? What calibrating software does anyone suggest?

I had my HL-R5067W since January and after 3 repairs Samsung agreed to replace it with the HL-S5086. I will gain another HDMI port (which I don't need for now). Faster color wheel (10,800 rpm to 14,400 rpm) the ability to turn DNIE off in the remote rather than service menu, and Cinema Smooth Gen-5 HD vs. Single digital micro mirror device. What I can't find is the the contrast ration for my old one. The new one lists 2500:1.

Anway, I should be getting it delivered next week. Sadly, I lost the ISF calibration on my old set when they replaced another light engine. When I have more time, I'll read the entire thread for tips, settings, issues, etc. Unless someone wants to be nice and post. :) I spent all day on the phone with Samsung and I am burned out. :(

Thanks in advance everyone!

Edit: There were lip synch issues with my current, old set. Was this resolved in this model?

Did anyone here almost get a plasma? I am wondering what the benefits are of a DLP over a plasma. I have been in 3 stores now, and I find the plasmas to have a much nicer picture. (Even though I think the Sammy DLP's look great)

Did anyone here almost get a plasma? I am wondering what the benefits are of a DLP over a plasma. I have been in 3 stores now, and I find the plasmas to have a much nicer picture. (Even though I think the Sammy DLP's look great)

I have to say that I am in the same boat. I saw a wall of new Panasonic plasmas and I was blown away. The prices, while high, are not as carzy as they used to be.....



Shane D

I have to say that I am in the same boat. I saw a wall of new Panasonic plasmas and I was blown away. The prices, while high, are not as carzy as they used to be.....



Shane D


And when you take into consideration of the cost of bulb replacement, I am trying to figure out the advantages of the DLP

And when you take into consideration of the cost of bulb replacement, I am trying to figure out the advantages of the DLP

The only advantage that I can see is price. The plasma is thinner, wall mountable, much wider field of vision, and way less moving parts. No spinning colour wheel, or bulbs to change. No light engine????
The plasma is more money and you do not have the 1080p option.

My thought is that I have to learn more and see more. Talk about analysis paralysis!! Toshiba or Samsung? 720P or 1080p? And now I start looking at plasmas??

I am now subscribed to and monitoring six threads. I spent HOURS reading through huge threads until my eyes felt like they were bleeding. After doing that for many, many hours my wife asked me what I was going to do. My response was "I have no idea!"

Shane D

The only advantage that I can see is price. The plasma is thinner, wall mountable, much wider field of vision, and way less moving parts. No spinning colour wheel, or bulbs to change. No light engine????
The plasma is more money and you do not have the 1080p option.

My thought is that I have to learn more and see more. Talk about analysis paralysis!! Toshiba or Samsung? 720P or 1080p? And now I start looking at plasmas??

I am now subscribed to and monitoring six threads. I spent HOURS reading through huge threads until my eyes felt like they were bleeding. After doing that for many, many hours my wife asked me what I was going to do. My response was "I have no idea!"

Shane D

Right, and the price advantage is only an up-front advantage. I have done the same thing reading and reading and auditioning, and still not coming to any decision

IMHO the moving parts argument against DLP is a stretch. Electricity itself generates a lot of heat/energy and can burn out circuit boards and components pretty readily. My worst experiences with home theater have been with AV receivers which tend to blow up on me on a pretty frequent basis - and no moving parts.

Did anyone here almost get a plasma? I am wondering what the benefits are of a DLP over a plasma. I have been in 3 stores now, and I find the plasmas to have a much nicer picture. (Even though I think the Sammy DLP's look great)

I actually see the replaceable lamp as a benefit of DLP. Pop in another lamp and it's like new again. I did buy a warranty and it includes one lamp replacement and is not required to be burned out before replacing it. DLP sets do not run as hot and do not suffer burn-in. My Mits had burn-in as I'm a CNN/Fox news junkie and the crawler marks were there as well as a faint game icon from my X-Box. The burn-in issue is supposedly not as susceptible in plasmas now, but you would have to verify that by reading here in AVS. Brightness would have to be turned down right away. So make sure you view a plasma not in torch mode!

I saw some plasmas on display today and they do look nice. I don't know much about them but I do know some are only ED (Enhanced Deifinition) and not HD.

After much reading, I bought my set at CC but only after seeing it in a small viewing room at Ultimate Electronics. If there is a more high-end store near you, it's worth the trip to not view the plasma and DLP in a too well lit warehouse environment like BB, CC, etc. Plus, you can play with the setiings to get a more realistic setting. A tape measure helps too for checking what your viewing distance would be at home. Hopefully they have a chair or anything to sit on instead of standing it front of it, to again create a more realistic home setting. I would have bought mine at UE, but they were out of stock and had no firm arrival date.

FWIW, my calibrator recommends Panasonic if choosing plasma and Samsung if DLP.

Good luck and hope you have a bottle of eye drops for all the reading you will do. :)

Was wondering if anyone who has one of these 720p DLPs has a HD DVD player and if so how's the quality? Is it alot better than an upconverted dvd? Also, how is SD look on one of these sets as I haven't seen any at the stores showing SD? Is it better or worse then one of the 1080p sammy's? I'm going to be pulling the trigger on a TV in about 2-3 weeks. Thanks for any info.

I have an HD-DVD player and I can say WOW! Before this I was playing it on a Samsung CRT, and this DLP blows it away. I must say you have to sit back a little more to enjoy the fullness of this TV, but once you see the HD-DVD player on it you can't stop watching. Watching SD is not so bad IMO, but HD on this TV is great. The 1080p would be great but for the price of the 720p it's still a great television. Plus there's not much content out there running true 1080p.

I just ran the THX optimizer & when I get to the 4x3 aspect ratio test & the 16x9 ratio test, both are off. Is this something is covered under warranty or do I have to pay someone to calibrate this?

I have an HD-DVD player and I can say WOW! Before this I was playing it on a Samsung CRT, and this DLP blows it away. I must say you have to sit back a little more to enjoy the fullness of this TV, but once you see the HD-DVD player on it you can't stop watching. Watching SD is not so bad IMO, but HD on this TV is great. The 1080p would be great but for the price of the 720p it's still a great television. Plus there's not much content out there running true 1080p.
What size dlp did you buy?

I have an HL-S4266, it was an upgrade for my 30inch Samsung, that they replaced for me because of geometry issues. Can't be happier with the HL-S4266.

Alot are talking about smudges and black grass or something like that in the HLS 1080p thread. Is this issues with the HLS 720p sets also? In about 2 to 3 weeks I'm pulling the trigger on my first HDTV and thinking about the HLS-5686. I don't see the rainbows in the store but they don't exactly show material that would show them.

I bought the HL-S5065W about 2 weeks ago and I'm really happy with is so far. I made the switch from a 37" Sammy LCD.

I'm using a upconvert DVD player atm connected through HDMI and DVD's look good as well as the 360 with component. This is coming from a comparison of my previous LCD but the color and the picture overall just looks so much better on a DLP. Also, I don't have HD cable atm but SD does look decent on it.

I own the 5686 and I couldn't be happier. The black grass on both forums appear to be limited to the 42" 720p sets. From what I gather a number have upgraded to 46" to a problem free set.

Yep, the black grass is a 42" issue only... and speaking of that, I know a few people here had, or were arranging appointments for a tech to come take a look at the problem. Does anyone have a follow up yet?

I'm moving into my new apartment in 2 weeks, and once I'm settled I'll make my own appointment, but it would be nice to know what to expect beforehand. I had planned to just live with it, but I'm almost certain it's getting worse (I know some posters had their's shrink so changing size isn't out of the question.) Either that, or it's just getting to me.

I own the 5686 and I couldn't be happier. The black grass on both forums appear to be limited to the 42" 720p sets. From what I gather a number have upgraded to 46" to a problem free set.
Nice, I plan on getting the 5686 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I picked it over the Sony's E2000's tonight. Do you play Xbox 360 on yours? Also, do you have a HD DVD or upconverted dvd player? If so how's the quality? Can't wait for this tv.

Hi, Everyone! Thank you very much for posting all your issues / solutions / reviews. I just got done reading through all the posts and found it incredibly useful in answering my questions and doubts.
My set-up (everything will be delivered on my Birthday Aug 15th) is:
Sammy HL-S5086W
Sammy HT-TQ85 (DVD upconvert Home Theater)
DirectTV HD DVR
Xbox 360
and Avia DVD(to calibrate TV)

My question has more to do with connecting everything rather than the equipment itself.
I'm hearing a lot about connecting everything through HDMI to get better video and audio, however I'm seeing a lot of people who use the Optical for audio or component for everything.

What do you think is the best way to connect all three (TV, DVD Home theater, DirectTV HD DVR) and what exact inputs/outputs, type of wires do I need to make for the optimal set-up? How exactly am I hooking this up?

Sorry if I'm a bit of a newb.

Nice, I plan on getting the 5686 in a couple of weeks. My wife and I picked it over the Sony's E2000's tonight. Do you play Xbox 360 on yours? Also, do you have a HD DVD or upconverted dvd player? If so how's the quality? Can't wait for this tv.

I do have the xbox 360 connected to it and its incredible. The image is stable and bright and the quality easily surpasses my LCD monitor. I'm waiting until HDDVD/Blueray is more settled / lower cost but I'm pretty happy with the image quality on progressive DVD output. It seems the scalers built into TVs are much better than they used to be (such as on my parents' LCD set). I waffled for years before settling on this set but I'm very satisfied with my choice so far (at least until the bulb burns out :) . But then I'll remind myself that I can buy like 5 bulbs for the price difference between this set and the LED set).

Hi, Everyone! Thank you very much for posting all your issues / solutions / reviews. I just got done reading through all the posts and found it incredibly useful in answering my questions and doubts.
My set-up (everything will be delivered on my Birthday Aug 15th) is:
Sammy HL-S5086W
Sammy HT-TQ85 (DVD upconvert Home Theater)
DirectTV HD DVR
Xbox 360
and Avia DVD(to calibrate TV)

My question has more to do with connecting everything rather than the equipment itself.
I'm hearing a lot about connecting everything through HDMI to get better video and audio, however I'm seeing a lot of people who use the Optical for audio or component for everything.

What do you think is the best way to connect all three (TV, DVD Home theater, DirectTV HD DVR) and what exact inputs/outputs, type of wires do I need to make for the optimal set-up? How exactly am I hooking this up?

Sorry if I'm a bit of a newb.

Happy Birthday! I have D* and the H10-250. I run HDMI from the TV to the DVR. Then I run a toslink (optical) cable from the DVR to my receiver. My DVD player is hooked up via component (doesn't have HDMI port). The DVR manual has several connection scenarios and your HT will too. To help figure out what is best for you I have some links below. After all is said and done it depends on what looks best to you. I tried HDMI and component on my DVR and did not notice any difference. The articles seem biased to me but it's a starting point.

I currently have the HLR. Getting it swapped for the HLS this week.


Here is a link to an index of connection articles: http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/index.htm

DVI and HDMI versus Component Video--Which is Better article link:
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/dvihdmicomponent.htm

I bought an 4666w and I'm fairly happy, but I see the screen door effect and it somewhat distracting but this might be due to the sources I'm watching ( analog cable and DVD thru RCA ) Anyone else seee this or is it just me? Another thing is game lag, when I play NBA Live 2006 its noticable when I'm taking freee throws, but this might be due to the upconversion and might not be existent in 360 games which are 720p? Any input about these things would be appreciated.

I also bought the S4666W and we love it. We traded the S4266W in during the first 30 days because of that black grass problem. The 46 doesn't have this problem.

We bought the Yamaha YHT 370 sound system for $400 at BB and I must say, this system sounds soooooooooooo good with the Sammy TV.

I would dump the DVD player you have and get the Samsung up-convert HD860 player for $100 at BB. We hooked it up via HDMI and an optical cable to the Yamaha receiver and all I can say is WOW!

I see no screen door effect on my S4666W. Not sure why you're seeing it.

I've had a HL-S4266W for about two months and I noticed the "black grass" seashell effect when watching dark movies. Initially I thought it was a problem with my DVD or my DVD player, but now I realize it's a defect of my Samsung TV. I tried the "Samsung Massage" and it does make the black grass lines move when I apply pressure, but they come back right afterward. I generally use my TV for HD sports, so the black grass hasn't been a problem. However, I'm starting to see it when watching dim lit TV shows, or when black images come across the middle of the screen. Any news on repair possiblilties or Samsung's take on this problem? I bought my TV from CC with warrantee plan. Am wondering what my options are.

I bought an 4666w and I'm fairly happy, but I see the screen door effect and it somewhat distracting but this might be due to the sources I'm watching ( analog cable and DVD thru RCA ) Anyone else seee this or is it just me? Another thing is game lag, when I play NBA Live 2006 its noticable when I'm taking freee throws, but this might be due to the upconversion and might not be existent in 360 games which are 720p? Any input about these things would be appreciated.
You shouldn't see SDE with your DLP. That exsist with LCD tv's. Also, have you tried playing your games in game mode. That should eliminate the lag.

YEah I was using Game Mode, And when I play its really unoticable until I shoot free throws. Anyway the lag isin't an issue since I'm not much of a gamer anyway.

Now about the SDE, maybe I got my terminology wrong, so I'll try to explain what I see. Its very noticable with light colors like white or baby blue, instead of a solid color there is like a mesh or grain thats visible, and its not part of the video because it doesnt move with the colors but stays in the same place. Maybe I should go to a store and see if I see the same thing on their panels, if not therem ight be somithing wrong with mine.

From what you are explaining it sounds like silk screen effect (SSE) which is common in in both DLP's and LCD rear projection TV's. Screen Door Effect is just what it says. It looks like you are lookin through a door or window screen and see all the little squares. Do you have a calibration disk like DVE or Avia? Those help quite a bit with PQ if you can't afford a professional calibration.

I just e-mailed Samsung some photos of black grass on my HL-S4266W. I will keep you informed of progress. For those interested, here's an image of the problem.

From what you are explaining it sounds like silk screen effect (SSE) which is common in in both DLP's and LCD rear projection TV's. Screen Door Effect is just what it says. It looks like you are lookin through a door or window screen and see all the little squares. Do you have a calibration disk like DVE or Avia? Those help quite a bit with PQ if you can't afford a professional calibration. Anyone else has Silk screen effect on their 720p DLP's ? ANd would a calibration really help with this problem?

Yup, that the same black grass crap we had on out S4266W. Lucky enough we traded up to the s4666w on the 30th day of ownership from BB. I refused to live with that black grass. Why should we? Almost every s426666w has that crap. Samsung should have a recall or something. The s4666w is wonderful and zero black grass.

I just e-mailed Samsung some photos of black grass on my HL-S4266W. I will keep you informed of progress. For those interested, here's an image of the problem.

Thanks for posting the picture of black grass, for what ever reason my camera wont pick it up. The funny thing is, your picture also shows how "gray" the picture is and not "black". This "lack of black" is very bad on our set. If we are watching "Law and Order" or "Crossing Jordan" or any indoor dark scene picture; it is like watching "shadow puppets" with bright pink faces.........some pictures are just dull gray all over with faces on them? My daughter has a HL-S5086 and my dad a HL-S5088.........neither of those sets have that problem. Of course the 5088 is the killer; but the 5086 is very good and does a good job on blacks, at least it does not look like shadow puppets!

The light engine has been on order for my set for 4 weeks now. I have talked to Samsung a couple of times - - - they of course claim to have never heard of this problem.

I've had a HL-S4266W for about two months and I noticed the "black grass" seashell effect when watching dark movies. Initially I thought it was a problem with my DVD or my DVD player, but now I realize it's a defect of my Samsung TV. I tried the "Samsung Massage" and it does make the black grass lines move when I apply pressure, but they come back right afterward. I generally use my TV for HD sports, so the black grass hasn't been a problem. However, I'm starting to see it when watching dim lit TV shows, or when black images come across the middle of the screen. Any news on repair possiblilties or Samsung's take on this problem? I bought my TV from CC with warrantee plan. Am wondering what my options are.

If Samsung knows the answers they are not telling me. We watch a lot of evening dark scene shows, the black grass and shadow puppet detail is not good. The worse part is some shows are just pink faces, with a dull gray scene; when we go look at the 20 year old Sony Tube in the next room, we see we are missing about 90% of the picture.

For the record calibration disk, and all the brightness and contrast adjustments in the world have absolutely no effect on this problem.

If Samsung knows the answers they are not telling me. We watch a lot of evening dark scene shows, the black grass and shadow puppet detail is not good. The worse part is some shows are just pink faces, with a dull gray scene; when we go look at the 20 year old Sony Tube in the next room, we see we are missing about 90% of the picture.

For the record calibration disk, and all the brightness and contrast adjustments in the world have absolutely no effect on this problem.

HoustonPerson, FWIW I am getting a HLS to replace my HLR due to three issues. One of them was a light (grey) screen on the left side. They replaced the LE for that. Did you talk to Tier 2 at Samsung? My rather lengthy experience was that Tier 1 is useless. Tier 2 was not all that great, but I did get lucky a few times and spoke to someone knowledgeable. I'd call and ask for Tier 2.

Btw, after my second LE was replaced, I had the tech go into the service menu and set the gamma form zero to two. That helped a lot.

Okay When I hook up my 4666w to my PC via HDMI it cuts some of the bottom of the Image ( maybe other parts too but that was I notice due to the subtitles are are cut) Is there anyway to pan the image up?

I was just about to pull the trigger on a HL-S4266W but then read about the "black grass" problem. Thanks for the picture, Peter. I am now looking at the HL-S4666W but it seems to cost ~$200 more and I don't really need the additional 4 inches.

Is the black grass problem something that affects every 42 inch TV or is it a defect? If it's a common problem, when does Samsung release new DLP models? I might just wait until the next version of the 42 inch comes out.

I'll primarily use this TV for Xbox 360 (and Wii) gaming. Is the black grass issue a deal breaker for gaming?

I was just about to pull the trigger on a HL-S4266W but then read about the "black grass" problem. Thanks for the picture, Peter. I am now looking at the HL-S4666W but it seems to cost ~$200 more and I don't really need the additional 4 inches.

Is the black grass problem something that affects every 42 inch TV or is it a defect? If it's a common problem, when does Samsung release new DLP models? I might just wait until the next version of the 42 inch comes out.

I'll primarily use this TV for Xbox 360 (and Wii) gaming. Is the black grass issue a deal breaker for gaming?

From what I have seen the black grass and lack of black has been on every HL-S4266 I have seen. The 42" is targeted for the bedroom, so it is difficult to get the 46" in there.

I think the store will match the price on the 42" and 46" size set, if you are able to go in there and show them the problem - they want the sale - OR just have them call you when they have a 42" that does not have the problem.

Samsung has told me on the phone the problem will be taken care of? I don't know what that means?

Our TV did have a "fit" last night during "I think you have no idea how to Dance" (here, see my belly button). It like popped loudly, picture froze, and went very narrow.........I went channel "up" and then "down" and it fixed itself. It did that once about a month ago? It could have been a reaction to the belly button?

Hey everyone, this is my first post, but I have searched and at least discovered what it is called.

I just purchased a hls5086w and seem to be having a problem with "False Contouring". Has anyone else expierenced this? Any ideas on how to resolve it?


Dustin

Not sure if this was already posted, but I found a very positive review of the hl-s5686w http://www.guidetohometheater.com/rearprojectiontvs/706samsunghl/
makes me want to finally pull the trigger.

Not sure if this was already posted, but I found a very positive review of the hl-s5686w http://www.guidetohometheater.com/rearprojectiontvs/706samsunghl/
makes me want to finally pull the trigger.

The article is very accurate - having lived with three HL-S's for months now....In the HL-S5086 and above are their best 720p sets. There is some motion blur on "funny" compressed HD stations and about half the SD signals and/or shows. However, on high quality HD programming there is no motion blur, so that is source dependent. The 5086 and above screen sizes are black cabinets on the "inside" the 4666 and 4266 are not, and there is a major loss of black detail; that is particularly noticeable on the 4266 but less so on the 4666. Those cabinets are medium grey inside, which prevents those models from making black.

We watch "movie mode" on almost everything; except when the room is full of sunshine and then bump up to "standard" with DNIe "off" On last nights Live HD Football - movie mode had real grass, with fantastic detail. Standard mode lost the detail and made the grass neon looking. With that high quality feed there was no motion blur, so again that is source signal dependent.

Still the "88" series does blows them away - but they still cost a lot more.

For your information the S4666W has the best blacks of all the Samsung DLP's and the picture is awesome. Also, no black grass at all. We traded in the S4266W for the 46 and I must say, wow!

For those looking for a smaller screen I highly recommend the S4666W.

For your information the S4666W has the best blacks of all the Samsung DLP's and the picture is awesome. Also, no black grass at all. We traded in the S4266W for the 46 and I must say, wow!

For those looking for a smaller screen I highly recommend the S4666W.
Mine should arrive Monday or Tuesday. :cool:

For your information the S4666W has the best blacks of all the Samsung DLP's and the picture is awesome. Also, no black grass at all. We traded in the S4266W for the 46 and I must say, wow!

For those looking for a smaller screen I highly recommend the S4666W.
Hmmm, that's not what all the professional calibrators say.

I said "screw it" and bought the HL-S4666W today. I got a steal of a price from a major online (book-selling) retailer with free shipping.

Can't wait to get it. It's twice as big as the Sammy LNR-238W LCD it's replacing. My 360 experience is going to rock :)

Any advice on good stands for this TV? While we're not supposed to talk about price here, I'm cheap.

I hate those AV style stands. What I got which works great is a media cabinet from costco. It has 4 cabinets for my components plus I used one of the media cabinets to house my antenna / ethernet switch.

For HLS5086 owners, When I am on HDMI source and press the "TV" button on the top of the power button, Is that suppose to switch the source to TV? Mine doesn't, have you guys tried?

That button switches the function of the remote. Press the TV button and the remote now controls the TV. Press the Cable, DVD, or the other one and the remote will control those devices.

I have the Samsung S4666W and next week we're getting a $400 XBOX360. Any advice as to setting it up with the Samsung and a Yamaha Receiver?

XBOX setting?
Samsung S4666w settings?

We watch "movie mode" on almost everything; except when the room is full of sunshine and then bump up to "standard" with DNIe "off" On last nights Live HD Football - movie mode had real grass, with fantastic detail. Standard mode lost the detail and made the grass neon looking. With that high quality feed there was no motion blur, so again that is source signal dependent.


FWIW, this is what my ISF calibrator sent to me:
"As it happens, Movie mode is much closer to SMPTE C than the other modes, but it's still a good way removed from being correct. And the other modes are WAY out of range -- more so than any Samsung set I've seen before. Maybe this is one of the unintended consequences of the new color wheel."

I am finally getting the HLS5086 delivered Sunday and they are taking my HLR back. So as soon as I get 100 hours on the new lamp it will be calibrated again. My calibration guy has been doing this for a number of years, does a great job and is highly respected and recommended here in STL. So when he sends me info as the excerpt above, I pay attention. :)

SMPTE C definition: http://heh.pl/&31A

Seeing how long this thread is, I was wondering if anyone could direct me to a list of reccommended tweaks / picture settings for the HL-S5686W ?

I've had mine for about 20 hours and it's great, but an hour ago I started noticing increased picture noise and blurriness, almost comparable to Ghosting in LCD's.
I wonder if this is just the particular HD source being compressed, or if there is something I can do about it, because some HD channels look excellent, like ESPN and YES Network. However, PQ suffers on TNT and FOX....

Is this the correct forum for the HLS7178W? Anyone have experience with this set? Thanks!

A Samsung repair guy came by today to check out the black grass on my s-4266w. He said he had responded to a number of the same calls today and that nothing he had done had fixed the problem. He replaced the power source on my unit, but that didn't have any effect. The status of my unit is "not repaired." I was told Samsung will contact me about a replacement in a few days. I am going to look into trading up for an s-4666w, as I have not read about black grass affecting that unit. In general that seems to be a better television. Anyone have any problems with the s-4666w that are worth noting? Thanks.

Hello Everyone,

I just picked up my HL-S5086W yesterday after hearing great things about this series and looking at it at local stores. I originaly wanted to get an HL-R, but would not be pleased with the amount of game lag attributed to that series. I noticed however, while watching Finding Nemo through my Xbox 360 through component, that the scenes where Nemo and Dory where in the dark water, there were colored "halos" around them. Has anyone else experienced this with bright colors on dark backgrounds with this set? If so, what are your recommendations to get rid of them.

Thank you.
I think that the movie was meant to be that way, I also so a glow around the fish and I have a sony xbr crt.

A Samsung repair guy came by today to check out the black grass on my s-4266w. He said he had responded to a number of the same calls today and that nothing he had done had fixed the problem. He replaced the power source on my unit, but that didn't have any effect. The status of my unit is "not repaired." I was told Samsung will contact me about a replacement in a few days. I am going to look into trading up for an s-4666w, as I have not read about black grass affecting that unit. In general that seems to be a better television. Anyone have any problems with the s-4666w that are worth noting? Thanks.

Interesting, if they do indeed let you replace your set with the 46" let us know what the process was. If they can't fix my set I wouldn't mind just trading up as well... I just figure it probably won't be that easy, I doubt Samsung wants to give us all bigger tv's for nothing (I would pay the difference if need be in that case.) Hopefully, we'll get to the bottom of the whole black grass thing soon enough.

A Samsung repair guy came by today to check out the black grass on my s-4266w. He said he had responded to a number of the same calls today and that nothing he had done had fixed the problem. He replaced the power source on my unit, but that didn't have any effect. The status of my unit is "not repaired." I was told Samsung will contact me about a replacement in a few days. I am going to look into trading up for an s-4666w, as I have not read about black grass affecting that unit. In general that seems to be a better television. Anyone have any problems with the s-4666w that are worth noting? Thanks.

Yes the few calls with Samsung - they have promised the light engine will fix it; but I do have my doubts. I think it is just a goof-up in design. I sort of get the impression they may be working behind the scenes to figure it out; since this light engine replacement (which I did not request) was promised 4 weeks ago now. Anyway, time will tell. There are a lot of things I like about the Samsung, more so then other sets; but watching dark scenes in a dark room is not one of them.

I too am choosing between the 42 inch and the 46 inch. But all of this is mute if the repair guy thinks he can fix my 30 inch widescreen samsung direct view HD (its weird, it looks like the tube is just dying because it all the sudden cant fill horizontally, even with messing around in the service menu, it only fills like 1/3 of the tv (in the center)). Hopefully he can't fix it and I can put money towards the 42 or 46.
Does anyone know if the black grass problem with the 42's is ever going to be fixed (or maybe, HAS been)? That is the thing that concerns me the most (i really dont need the extra 4 inches or 200 bucks)

I too am choosing between the 42 inch and the 46 inch. But all of this is mute if the repair guy thinks he can fix my 30 inch widescreen samsung direct view HD (its weird, it looks like the tube is just dying because it all the sudden cant fill horizontally, even with messing around in the service menu, it only fills like 1/3 of the tv (in the center)). Hopefully he can't fix it and I can put money towards the 42 or 46.
Does anyone know if the black grass problem with the 42's is ever going to be fixed (or maybe, HAS been)? That is the thing that concerns me the most (i really dont need the extra 4 inches or 200 bucks)

It is my feeling that the black grass is a design flaw with the 42 inch dlp. I wouldn't be surprised to see a recall of some sort, or an offer from Samsung for all 42-inch owners to upgrade to a 46-inch for a nominal fee. That is, of course, unless they can really fix the problem. At this point I believe they don't have a fix for the black grass, and as Houston said, are working behind the scenes to do something for us 42-inch owners. Other than the black grass I am pretty happy with the TV. I'd be satisfied with a fix. I'd also be willing to pay a little bit extra for a unit with deeper blacks and slightly larger screen size. One thing I don't want, though, is to continue owning a defective unit.

maybe this is related, i have no clue... i just started a thread asking about the differences between a supposed "old model" hl-s4266wx and the current one hl-s4266w (yes, that "x" is the only difference). Bestbuy says they can still order the older one, and that it is 200 cheaper... any clue if there is any chance that is the defective model, and what they consider the newer one is the replacement? Just a shot in the dark, I can't seem to find much info on the supposed older one.

We bought the S4266w, saw the black grass and then went back to Best Buy on the 30th day. I paid $150 more and ordered the S4666w as a trade up. Two days later they pick up the 42 and setup the 46. Sure enough, the S4666w doesn't have any black grass. As a matter of fact, the picture is better then the 42 and the blacks are blacker.

GET THE S4666W!

Howdie all. I just ordered a 5086 does anyone have the setting to maximize it to 6500K? Thanks in advance.

We bought the S4266w, saw the black grass and then went back to Best Buy on the 30th day. I paid $150 more and ordered the S4666w as a trade up. Two days later they pick up the 42 and setup the 46. Sure enough, the S4666w doesn't have any black grass. As a matter of fact, the picture is better then the 42 and the blacks are blacker.

GET THE S4666W!I'd have to agree. I just returned my 4266 and got the 4666 as well. I am much happier with it and I was happy with the 4266. I was just sick of the black grass and I heard the 4666 had better blacks. Well, it does.

Best of all, I paid the SAME price for the 4266 that was on sale! I am ecstatic.

Seeing how long this thread is, I was wondering if anyone could direct me to a list of reccommended tweaks / picture settings for the HL-S5686W ?



I would be interested in this as well.

I'd have to agree. I just returned my 4266 and got the 4666 as well. I am much happier with it and I was happy with the 4266. I was just sick of the black grass and I heard the 4666 had better blacks. Well, it does.

Best of all, I paid the SAME price for the 4266 that was on sale! I am ecstatic.


Wow, that's pretty cool. From where did you buy the tv? Was the 46 on sale or were they just giving you a deal?

I have the black grass on my 4266 as well, though I am not as bothered by it as it seems so many others on this forum are.

How many hours did you have on your tv before you returned it? I went to circuit city the other day to look at their display 4266 and I didn't notice the black grass. I spoke to the sales guy and he said that he had not noticed it on the tv before, but commented that these tvs get played an awful lot. I have had my tv a little more than 30 days and probably have about 100 or so hours on it. He said that it might take another 100 hours for it to resolve itself. Seems unlikely if it is a design defect as we have been discussing here, but I am wondering what others experience has been.

Question, have any of you noticed game lag while playing Xbox 360 games?

Read this...
http://gear.ign.com/articles/720/720303p1.html

Question, have any of you noticed game lag while playing Xbox 360 games?

Read this...
http://gear.ign.com/articles/720/720303p1.html

Not that I've been able to tell though there are no 360 DDRs to really push the timing thing. Table Tennis / Ghost Recon are as responsive as on my CRT / LCD monitor. The HLS series has much faster internal processing. Plus there is game mode which you can disable post-processing to speed things up further.

Question, have any of you noticed game lag while playing Xbox 360 games?

Read this...
http://gear.ign.com/articles/720/720303p1.html

I read that same article and was shocked to see the HLS series mentioned. I just played some Halo 2 and didn't notice any lag at all... Of course, I'm playing on an Xbox 360 set to 720p.

I only get a very small amount of lag with my older consoles (ones that output in 480i), but gamemode corrects any issue I have, although, menus always look "shaky" when it's on. Yet, even then, it only needs to be on for games that require precise timing.

Wow, that's pretty cool. From where did you buy the tv? Was the 46 on sale or were they just giving you a deal?

I have the black grass on my 4266 as well, though I am not as bothered by it as it seems so many others on this forum are.

How many hours did you have on your tv before you returned it? I went to circuit city the other day to look at their display 4266 and I didn't notice the black grass. I spoke to the sales guy and he said that he had not noticed it on the tv before, but commented that these tvs get played an awful lot. I have had my tv a little more than 30 days and probably have about 100 or so hours on it. He said that it might take another 100 hours for it to resolve itself. Seems unlikely if it is a design defect as we have been discussing here, but I am wondering what others experience has been.

I'm closing in on 500 hours and, unfortunately, there is zero improvement.

I'm closing in on 500 hours and, unfortunately, there is zero improvement.

Overall, I would say not only zero improvement; but it may be getting worse. Black Grass about the same; but the "lack of blacks" is getting much worse. CSI last night was just a dull gray all over with pink faces, no black detail at all. This is what I call "shadow puppet pictures". I would guess our set is around 400 hours.

Houston we have a problem.

...but the "lack of blacks" is getting much worse. CSI last night was just a dull gray all over with pink faces, no black detail at all. This is what I call "shadow puppet pictures". I would guess our set is around 400 hours.

Houston we have a problem.

Houston, I'm not seeing a problem with blacks on my HL-S4266. The black grass is still there but my picture blacks are OK---actually maybe a little better than just OK. I've been using the Movie mode with Samsung default settings mostly all the time, both day & night. My set is close to 400 hours as well and I don't notice any change in blacks since new. I'm gonna start watching blacks a little more closely and see if I can see what your speaking of (re. shadow puppet pictures).

[edit]
BTW--I'll be watching for your follow-up post on your black grass service call. It'll be interesting to see if its correctable or not.

[2nd edit]
I started using the Standard mode with Digital NR and DNIe ON for SD channels and noticed the black levels are better. I still use Movie mode for HD inputs with Digital NR and DNIe both OFF and blacks are not bad at all either.

*bump* for HoustonPerson

My 3 week old 466w started turning off this week ( happened 3 times the past 3 days) and the Stanby/temp and Lamp lead flash afterwards, I skimmed thru the manual and couldn't find anything, does this mean the lamp is dying?

I just wanted to clarify something about the DLP's (both 720p and 1080p): Does anybody get any of the above named problems with DVD's? I had understood (misunderstood?) that problems on screen were related to a lousy, compressed signal. Can anybody here verify what's going on regarding DVD's?

Thank you!

Shane D

Wow, that's pretty cool. From where did you buy the tv? Was the 46 on sale or were they just giving you a deal?

I have the black grass on my 4266 as well, though I am not as bothered by it as it seems so many others on this forum are.

How many hours did you have on your tv before you returned it? I went to circuit city the other day to look at their display 4266 and I didn't notice the black grass. I spoke to the sales guy and he said that he had not noticed it on the tv before, but commented that these tvs get played an awful lot. I have had my tv a little more than 30 days and probably have about 100 or so hours on it. He said that it might take another 100 hours for it to resolve itself. Seems unlikely if it is a design defect as we have been discussing here, but I am wondering what others experience has been.Hi. Yeah, I got a deal on the 4666. I paid $1349 for it because I talked to the guy like he was my best friend and told him it was going for WAY less online than the $1699 they were asking at the store. I noted that I realized that they didn't honor online prices, but they have to stay competitive or I'm just going to take the risk and buy it on Amazon with free shipping for about $1300. I was totally bluffing. I wouldn't buy a TV from Amazon. It could be fine, but too risky for me. I was prepared to pay $1699 if I had to, but I ended up saving $350 for being persistent.

My 4266 had about 150 hours on it and the same old black grass. It's not going to go away, in my opinion. I was actually happy with the 4266. The black grass didn't really bother me too much, but hearing about all the benefits of getting the 4666, I had to look into it more. I'm so glad I did. The 4666 has NO black grass, makes better blacks, is 4 inches bigger, and seems to have a nicer picture. The picture change is probably due to superior blacks, but I'm even happier with this set.

The 4666 is on "sale" right now at Best Buy for $1550, but that's still $200 more than I paid.

I'd at least look into the 4666.

Presently have one of the 4266 models, and I believe I've noticed this black grass phenonmena so frequently mentioned on this board. Perhaps its me, but at this point its not easily visible until you play a DVD with one of those really wide panoramic displays where you end up with the black at the top and bottom of the screen. Then the black grass is visibly evident directly above the centerline (ie above the power button) fanning left and right in the "black" area. The looks of this appears to be physical in nature as it appears to symetrical to be picture distortion etc. Just an observation. If anyone has a "best test scenario" to reproduce the black grass effect I would be interested purely curious at this point.

I finally got my replacement TV for the one with the red-dots and this one seems to work perfectly. No more red dots in the dark areas of the picture, no blck grass as decribed by others. All in all I love the TV. My only complaint is that I do notice the rainbow effect in images that have a lot of black on the screen but its a small thing.

I recently bought the new Samsung 42" dlp tv which is the hl-s4266w model. I thought I was the only one having the problem with the black grass at the bottom center and top center of the screen, until I looked into these forums. It's more noticeable at the the bottom of the screen right above the power button. It reminds me of a seashell whenever I look at it. I also only notice it whenever there is a dark scene. I called Samsung and told them my problem. She told me to unplug the tv and turn it back on to reset it. That didn't work. I am waiting for a phone call from the tv repair guy, if I don't receive a call within 3 days, she told me to call her back. I asked her if anyone else has called with this problem and she said no, so I am guessing we might be the unlucky few. I was curious so I went to Circuit City to find the exact same model I have. Strangely enough, I did not notice the black grass effect on that tv, so I guess mine is defective. Hopefully, they will replace my tv or fix it soon. I'll have to wait for now.

Just ordered a HLS-5686 and it will be here by friday. Also have a E* 622 DVR on the way that will be here by friday and a copy of DVE to calibrate with. Can't wait. My first HDTV and big screen!

Just ordered a HLS-5686 and it will be here by friday. Also have a E* 622 DVR on the way that will be here by friday and a copy of DVE to calibrate with. Can't wait. My first HDTV and big screen!
Congrats, let us know how you like it, thats the same one I'm planning to buy.

I got my 4266 end of last week.. Wife came to me tonight and said it wouldn't turn on.. Was working fine 2 hours earlier.. It was giving a non working fan error.. Unplugged for a while, came back and get the lamp light blinking then they all blink indicating lamp is dead.. No big deal I guess, I can take it back and exchange it... Just wondering if anyone else had this problem... I have no other problem with the set, the black grass didn't really bother me as it is a bedroom tv.. I liked it enough to get another Samsung, the 6187w for the living room.. Hope this isn't what's to come on my new sets..

I'm getting my HL-S5686W sometime today between 10-2. Very excited as it seems to be the best 720p DLP out there for a reasonable price. I will get on here later and post some of the goods and hopefully very very few bads.

I should have something definitive regarding Black Grass by September 8th. Basically, Samsung is sending another TV direct from the factory, that does not have the problem, and I was told my set is not repairable. Sounds ok to me - I will believe it when I see it.

In regard to the comment above that Samsung does not know about the problem. Yes they do, as do all local retailers in the Houston and Dallas Fort Worth areas. Seems everyone knows about it.

More important to me, I am hoping the new set has “watch able” blacks – shadow puppets pictures is not pleasing to look at.

I will say Samsung has a 1000% better service response compared to Mit's. Samsung admits there is a problem; Mit’s works strictly on the basis of denial.

Ok, the 5686 is BEAUTIFUL. MUCH, much better than in the store. SDTV looks good, HDTV looks AMAZING. Black levels on xbox connected thru av cables are meh, but I dont have it thru component and it is a 56 inch tv, so what do u expect.

Anyway, couldnt be happier with this TV.

Well after hours of researching, I finally decided on the 4666w only to go to circuit city and find that they only have the 4266w. This is my first big TV purchase and I definately want to go with the better set (and after reading so much, it seems the 4666w is the one). I just couldn't justify spending more in store ($100 more than amazon for 4266w plus 4 yr service plan) for something I could get online with free shipping. Should I take the risk and order from amazon and not get the 4 yr protection plan? Will Circuit City be getting more of these sets in? Is the 4 yr protection plan even worth it?

EDIT: sorry about posting prices.

I wouldn't order it from amazon. Also, you don't suppose to put prices of retailers on the forums. Big sticky about it. If you look at the top of the forums there are several alliance members. The one selling TV's is a good place to get a Samsung as they are a authorized dealer. It's the only one with TV in the name by the way.

Well after hours of researching, I finally decided on the 4666w only to go to circuit city and find that they only have the 4266w. This is my first big TV purchase and I definately want to go with the better set (and after reading so much, it seems the 4666w is the one). I just couldn't justify spending more in store ($1350 for 4266w plus 4 yr service plan) for something I could get online with free shipping ($1249 for 4666w). Should I take the risk and order from amazon and not get the 4 yr protection plan? Will Circuit City be getting more of these sets in? Is the 4 yr protection plan even worth it?

I bought a 4266 from Amazon and I'll get the extended warranty from Samsung. Heck, you get an extra three months warranty from Samsung just for registering online. Great delivery service (free)--they even came on a Saturday and took away my old set.

So, I've got a HL-S5087W on order, and the more I look at the prices of the HL-S5086W ($1400 shipped, no tax) I wonder if its worth an extra $700 for the 1080p. I'll be watching some movies, mostly just regular TV and some games.

Can anyone chime in with pros and cons of the 1080p and 720p? I can't seem to find a side-by-side compare in the forums or online.

Thanks.

So, I've got a HL-S5087W on order, and the more I look at the prices of the HL-S5086W ($1400 shipped, no tax) I wonder if its worth an extra $700 for the 1080p. I'll be watching some movies, mostly just regular TV and some games.

Can anyone chime in with pros and cons of the 1080p and 720p? I can't seem to find a side-by-side compare in the forums or online.

Thanks.


ColonelCash

Back in the April/May timeframe I had ordered a 5087 from TVA. The wait time got more and more stretched out. I went to several B&M stores looking at the various different displays and at some point concluded that I wanted a larger one +hls56XX. Well, the 5687 wasn't in the budget and decide on the hls5686. Even without a professional calibration (I will get one in the near future), the 5686 is fantastic. True, it's not the cutting edge tech, but it is hard for me to see the difference in my little HT. Spend the extra $$ for the 1080P if you can, but I'm sure, from my experience, you would enjoy the XX86 experence and save some bucks. I love this set and have been enjoying it since Memorial Day weekend without any issues.

Ok, since I actually have the TV now, I will give you my honest opinion. It really is not worth it to get 1080p. Bigger is better and 56 inches still keep s all the quality you can imagine.

LOTR dvd looks AMAZING. Sports...amazing...discovery channel...most amazing.

SD channels are good. Everything is good. Works well even with a glare...i need a curtain.

Well I received the call from the repair guy and he said that he would have to replace the main board on it. The main board?? If that doesn't fix the black grass effect then he will order a replacement. The guy seemed to know the problem I was having because this wasn't the 1st time someone had the same problem. Does anybody use these tv's for gaming? I am using it for gaming and I heard reports of it lagging even in 720p. It doesn't feel laggy to me and it feels responsive. The only lag is online with games such as call of duty 2 but I think it has to do with my broadband connection. I'll keep you guys posted on the status of the black grass fix.

I didnt feel lag with Halo 2 on the 5686 so i doubt a 720p signal will have lag.

I posted this in a separate thread, but I guess it would make more sense to add this to the Samsung 720P thread:

I have been lurking in these forums for over 2 years now. I don't post too much because, frankly, my knowledge base is nowhere near the level of most of the experts here. Really, this forum is unbelievably impressive.

So...after what can only be described as a mating dance with various TVs I have finally decided on the Samsung 5686W. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted a set that was at least 55" (nothing less "felt" like a big screen). But, I also wanted to spend less than $2000 and really no more than $1,500. So, I had to wait...and wait...and wait. I have to admit that my favorite TVs are the Sony SXRDs, but its all about value. And, with the recent sale by a popular online retailer I feel that now is the time. I can't believe how far the prices are dropping on these sets.

So, what is the reason for my post? I just wanted to do one LAST final check with you guys on this forum to see if there is ANY reason that you would tell me absolutely NOT to go this route. I feel pretty good about my decision, but one last check can't hurt.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Well, I would tell you to go with the 5686w. I have only had it for a day, but I have used it w/ a progressive scan dvd player and it looks almost as good as HD channels.

HD channels are AMAZING. Better than in the store. After seeing them in my home, I am finally glad that I didn't waste money on 1080p.

SD channels are good. Not great.

And lastly, the xbox does not lag at all, even with game mode off. I played battlefront 2 and Halo 2 and neither game lagged much, although quality really sucked because you are taking a 480i/p game up to 720p on a huge screen. I probably should get the component inputs and see if that helps.

Anyway, this is the last time i will post on how awesome this TV is. If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask. I am compelled to go watch it even now..

yea, the component cables for the xbox will help tremendously, because you'll then be able to use it to output 480p, which will look alot better than what you have now.

Thanks Shark.

Where is a good place to find the components for xbox? Are they still available in stores or will I probably have to look online?

you can get third party cables at retail stores, the official microsoft ones you will only be able to find them on ebay/forums/used at video game stores.

Thanks Shark.

Where is a good place to find the components for xbox? Are they still available in stores or will I probably have to look online?
I got some monster components for xbox on an "online auction site" for just as cheap as regular from a store. Glad you are enjoying your 5686. Can't wait till friday so I can set mine up!

Well I bit the bullet. After saying I would never buy a TV off the internet, I finally succumbed. The price of the 4666w on Amazon was too good to pass up when compared to anything locally. Should be here hopefully sometime next weekend.

jtrolltidE: did you pay for white glove delivery or standard free shipping. i was wondering if they let you schedule an appt for standard free shipping.


To any owners of the stand for the 56" ... can you tell me the measurements of the shelving.. eg: depth, width and height? Id like to know how many components i can fit on it and at the same time if my massive center channel will fit on the top shelf.

I bit the bullet yesterday also. Purchased the HL-S5686W. Haven't even taken it out of the box yet. Now I need a stand and new DVD player. Looking through a lot of this thread, I was leaning towards the Sony NS75, but have seen differing opinions of upconverting vs. progressive players. Should I go with the Sony (price is right)?

How about opinions on a stand. Don't really want to spend more than $150.

Thanks for helping out a newbee. I am sure I will have a ton more questions when I get the Sammy out of the box.

I watched LOTR on a progressive scan dvd player and I dont think it could look much better. Jus tlet the tv do the work.

I am trying to decide between an HL-S4666W and a Sony 46E2000 and I was wondering if someone can confirm for me if the Samsung allows you to customize the picture settings for each input.

If it does how specific is the customization? Can you simply set each video source to use Standard, Custom, etc and then whatever levels you've set for that picture mode are used by any source assigned that mode? Or does it let you alter the levels for the picture mode on a source by source basis (in other words can each source have the Custom mode and all have different levels)?

Also if anyone has any experience with BOTH of these sets I'd love to hear your comments as well.

Thanks for the info.

jtrolltidE: did you pay for white glove delivery or standard free shipping. i was wondering if they let you schedule an appt for standard free shipping.

I just did free shipping. I didn't see an option for any other shipping on the checkout page anyway. And I have no clue if they schedule it.

I am trying to decide between an HL-S4666W and a Sony 46E2000 and I was wondering if someone can confirm for me if the Samsung allows you to customize the picture settings for each input.

If it does how specific is the customization? Can you simply set each video source to use Standard, Custom, etc and then whatever levels you've set for that picture mode are used by any source assigned that mode? Or does it let you alter the levels for the picture mode on a source by source basis (in other words can each source have the Custom mode and all have different levels)?

Also if anyone has any experience with BOTH of these sets I'd love to hear your comments as well.

Thanks for the info.

I don't have experience with both sets and I just got my HLS-5086 a week ago. I can however tell you that for now anyway, Samsung offers very good support for their sets. I had an HLR-5087W (last years model) and had some problems with it. After the third repair Samsung set up a return authorization and my set was replaced and the new one delivered by CC.

I know you wanted to know about the settings being retained, but I figured this was good info to have. FWIW, I have read that Sony does not stand behind their sets. I would suggest reading that owners thread. I know having owned a Sony Vaio laptop, even getting support information or new drivers proved to be a task.

To me, a rather large investment warrants knowing how well a company does or does not stand behind its product. For me, it was a deal breaker. I considered last years Sony A10 but I couldn't get past the SDE and having read about Sony's lack of good support made my decision a simple one.

I am trying to decide between an HL-S4666W and a Sony 46E2000 and I was wondering if someone can confirm for me if the Samsung allows you to customize the picture settings for each input.

Can you simply set each video source to use Standard, Custom, etc and then whatever levels you've set for that picture mode are used by any source assigned that mode? .

You can set each source with either Standard, Custom, etc each with their own settings.

Or does it let you alter the levels for the picture mode on a source by source basis (in other words can each source have the Custom mode and all have different levels)?


You can set each source to one setting such as Custom, each with its own settings.

I bit the bullet yesterday also. Purchased the HL-S5686W. Haven't even taken it out of the box yet. Now I need a stand and new DVD player. Looking through a lot of this thread, I was leaning towards the Sony NS75, but have seen differing opinions of upconverting vs. progressive players. Should I go with the Sony (price is right)?

How about opinions on a stand. Don't really want to spend more than $150.

Thanks for helping out a newbee. I am sure I will have a ton more questions when I get the Sammy out of the box.

The original stand I had was the all glass one from CC. It was sturdy and easy to assemble. I have two cats and didn't like the idea of open shelves so I returned it to CC and watched the ads for BB and got a Bush cabinet with two glass doors instead. It was on sale for $49 more than what you want to spend. It looks like this stand except mine has black shelves rather than cherry. I don't think you will find a 56" stand for what you want to pay. FWIW, mine is a 50"

It's very heavy and solid. It took two of us a long while to put together but it was also far less than my original shelf and I preferred the cabinet look and ability to close the doors. http://heh.pl/&32y

FWIW, people here at AVS prefer the Oppo player. May want to read that owner thread.

Steve,

Thanks I'm glad to here the custom settings are just as good as the Sony.

Mo,

You're right about the warranty stuff I have heard much better things about Samsung and I currently have a Samsung CRT that just crapped out and getting warranty repairs on it about 6 months after I bought it 7 years ago was very easy and hassle free (although from a independent shop).

You can set each source with either Standard, Custom, etc each with their own settings.



Are you sure about that? In this article (http://www.guidetohometheater.com/rearprojectiontvs/706samsunghl/) on the second page under Pros and Cons it says: Can't use one video mode for all inputs with different video settings for each.

Unless you are referring to each source which is a bit of a pain IMO.

How about opinions on a stand. Don't really want to spend more than $150.

With the stand, I'm not sure if there is one where you live, I would check out IKEA. They have all kinds of TV Stands, for almost every kind of design and they are pretty cheap. I bought the BENNO stand from them in black-brown.

Steve,

Thanks I'm glad to here the custom settings are just as good as the Sony.

Mo,

You're right about the warranty stuff I have heard much better things about Samsung and I currently have a Samsung CRT that just crapped out and getting warranty repairs on it about 6 months after I bought it 7 years ago was very easy and hassle free (although from a independent shop).

Well, I need to come clean on this. I am VERY picky and having had my set professionally calibrated TWICE after repairs I wasn't settling for any odd gliitch. Someone else may have been perfectly satisfied but I was not settling for the dark-light-dark screen many 1080p folks had or for a big circular softball that was very light on the right side of the screen. Often referred to as crop circles.

Bottom line was Samsung offered to replace it with the new one. End result is a second HDMI port, faster color wheel and newer chip. I have D* so cable card slot, TV Guide and PIP was of no use to me on the HLR.

With the stand, I'm not sure if there is one where you live, I would check out IKEA. They have all kinds of TV Stands, for almost every kind of design and they are pretty cheap. I bought the BENNO stand from them in black-brown.

Good suggestion. I love IKEA and when I lived in The SF Bay Area and in Phoenix, I loved shopping there. Here in St. Louis there are no stores yet.

I connected a powered subwoofer to the audio out of my 4666w and experienced a lack of audio sync between the subwoofer and the built in TV speakers. Any fix for this?

Thanks,

Dennis

so whats the consensus with video inputs...

can you for example set "movie" mode to each input.. and on each input have movie mode have different settings? or can you only have one movie setting , one custom setting.. etc.. and duplicate these onto different inputs?

also, anyone know the height/widdth of the shelving in the stand?

The Samsung settings are not specific to input (ie TV vs component1 vs HDMI etc), they are somewhat dependent on signal type (ie 480i film type etc)

But each of the four settings: can be customized to your liking (except movie mode must have DNIe "off"), and of course you can "tag" each one of those to a specific inpute (ie TV vs Component1 vs HDMI etc)

If you look at the "help" note on the screen you will find "movie" mode works great in dark settings (low or no room light), and "standard" in bright room light or bright sunshine coming in the window. "Dyanmic" is very useful for setting the TV outside directly facing the bright afternoon direct Texas sun - you should wear heavy duty sunglasses.

Yes you can set movie mode to each input, no they can not have different settings...........just copy them to custom, dynamic, and standard and adjust accordingly - that will be very close; but not exact.

...Yes you can set movie mode to each input, no they can not have different settings...

Well, I'm not so sure this is correct. As an example, I can set Movie mode up for TV and have Digital NR set to ON and also have Movie mode for DVD over HDMI and have Digital NR set to OFF. The set retains the different settings for each input.

Hey everyone, I am fairly new to this site. I have been wanting to upgrade to a nice HDTV for some time. The main use for the TV I would like to purchase will be for video games on my Xbox 360. I was just wondering what anyone can tell me about the HLS4266w or HLS4666W and playing video games on it. I read the IGN article about the HDTV gaming lag, and I don't want to make such a large investment on a TV that could have this problem. I am into fast paced games, so if the TV is even a little off, it will be a big disadvantage. I know some people on here have posted that they haven't had any lag in their experience, but I just want to be 100% sure that I will not have any issues. I have been able to see the 42" at Bestbuy, and I loved it. I was to buy the 46", but I will have to order it online I believe, so I want to get all the facts straight before I do so.

Also, I do understand that these TVs have a "Game Mode", but I don't really know what that entails. On top of that, the IGN article mentioned that the HLS4266W is on the list for bad lag issues for gaming.

Once again, I just want to get the facts straight before I purchase a new TV, and I appreciate any information/advice anyone can give me. Thanks a lot!

Also, I do understand that these TVs have a "Game Mode", but I don't really know what that entails. On top of that, the IGN article mentioned that the HLS4266W is on the list for bad lag issues for gaming.

Game mode switches to a faster method of scaling the image so you should get quicker response time.

I have the set you mention and haven't experienced any lag. Not clear to me how 720p game output lags on a 720p native display so I have to assume that there are other factors at play other than scaling. Possibly people are using wireless controllers or have some other bottleneck in their system. Or it's just the power of suggestion. If you think it will lag, you'll probably swear that you have it.

I connected a powered subwoofer to the audio out of my 4666w and experienced a lack of audio sync between the subwoofer and the built in TV speakers. Any fix for this?

There's no analog sub output on the set so you can't separate the LFE channel. I'm not sure how well a subwoofer will respond when it's sent high frequency audio so you may have issues there.

Possibly people are using wireless controllers or have some other bottleneck in their system. Or it's just the power of suggestion. If you think it will lag, you'll probably swear that you have it.

Those are some very, very good points. The Bestbuy I went to had a 360 setup to a Samsung CRT for testing purposes, but maybe I can talk them into moving it to the 42" DLP so I can try it out.

Well, I'm not so sure this is correct. As an example, I can set Movie mode up for TV and have Digital NR set to ON and also have Movie mode for DVD over HDMI and have Digital NR set to OFF. The set retains the different settings for each input.

Steve,

Would you mind testing this with one of the more normal picture settings like brightness or contrast and see what happens. Just wondering if DNR isn't technically tied to one of the 4 picture modes even though you can set it with each mode/input.

Thanks.

Steve,

Would you mind testing this with one of the more normal picture settings like brightness or contrast and see what happens. Just wondering if DNR isn't technically tied to one of the 4 picture modes even though you can set it with each mode/input.

Thanks.

For another data point, I've got the 4666. I cannot set the different settings individually for each input. If I set movie mode contrast to 50, that's what movie mode contrast is for every input.

For the 1080p sets (87 & 88), you can set every setting for each input. I don't know if the 86s are like this or not.

I have another variable in my HDTV hunt. I will be moving into a dorm room in about a week and if I buy the HLS4666W I don't think I would want to take it up there (I don't know if there would even be space). With that in mind, I would only be able to use the TV on some weekends when I am home (it is about 40 minutes from my dorm to my house) and any breaks. Would you guys suggest that I wait until I can actually use the TV more? The last thing I want to do is spend a certain amount, only to use it a few times and then by the time I can use it, I could buy the same TV for a bit cheaper or a better TV comes out. Any ideas?

The new HLS models are very thin and not very wide compared to their sony counterparts. I lived in a dorm at the university of texsa in austin, and trust me they dont get much smaller than that, and I think I coul dhave put this HL-s5686 in there if I had really wanted too. It takes up so little space, I am amazed.

Oh, and I am playing halo 2 thru an s-video input (sucks cause of input), but there is hardly any lag if any at all...and I am not even in game mode. I believe the component input would eliminate any lag at all..but I dont even notice any and I was very worried about it.

Also, with the xbox 360 being at 720p, there should be no conversion involved, so there shoudl definitely be NO lag at all. I would usggest you try to get them to hook one up to the 46 at best buy just to see for yourself, but I can almost garuntee that there will be absulutely noooooooo lag.

And don't trust the IGN site as to which tv lags. They just put it up there if they get an email from a random person saying it lags. I could email them right now saying mine has horrible lag and they woul dput it up there. Gaming sites are very, very quick to put out any news about anything...they dont care if it is true or not...

I wouldn't worry about lag either from everything I've read, especially since they have a GAME mode specifically for playing games and eliminating earlier problems on DLP's with playing games.

Well, I'm not so sure this is correct. As an example, I can set Movie mode up for TV and have Digital NR set to ON and also have Movie mode for DVD over HDMI and have Digital NR set to OFF. The set retains the different settings for each input.

I was referring to the brightness, contrast, color, etc page......not the header page with DNR, DNIe, etc.

I was referring to the brightness, contrast, color, etc page......not the header page with DNR, DNIe, etc.


Also, different Samsung models handle this a little different - but close enough the same that is does not matter...for example you will find a slight difference in these controls for HL-S4266 vs HL-S5088 and how the settings work of each input.

I have the Samsung S4666W and the Xbox360 which is set at 720. When game mode come on the Samsung setting go to custom. The contrast go's to 80. I've been playing games on those default custom settings and the picture is very bright and looks great but I'm noticing eye strain after playing for an hour or so.

I'm interested to know what Samsung DLP settings you use when playing games on the Xbox360. Do you tone down the contrast and brightness settings or do you just play with those custom game mode settings?

Please post your Samsung settings while using game mode.

The new HLS models are very thin and not very wide compared to their sony counterparts. I lived in a dorm at the university of texsa in austin, and trust me they dont get much smaller than that, and I think I coul dhave put this HL-s5686 in there if I had really wanted too. It takes up so little space, I am amazed.


Which dorm did you live in?? I spent a year in Jester West in 03'. Felt like living in a walk-in closet...that you had to share with a roommate.

First off, thanks to all the posters for a ton of great info -- big help so far. My question -- what's the best way to hook up my HLS4266 to an HR10-250. I receive my HD via OTA. Normally I would have thought that I'd take my coax feed into the HR10-250 and then take video to HLS4266 via HDMI and audio to my sound system via optical cable. But I think I read in this forum that the HDMI input on the HLS4266 may not be calibrated properly? Best picture, I think, would be to take coax straight to TV, but that defeats DVR! Any suggestions/opinions?

I lived in San Jac, but I definitely could have fit the tv on one of the huge desks that is there and my comp on the other. It was small, and you prolly would have been watching a little close, but that is fine with me :).

I have the new model HLS (50''), and I have tested it with a variety of PS2 and XBox games. The only lag I have seen is on MVP NCAA Baseball's pitching meter. Other than that, I have experienced no lag.

Ok, so my 4666w is on it's way and should be here by Thursday or Friday. In my haste to get everything ready, I went ahead and purchased two HDMI cables thinking I would use one for my dvd player and the other for the comcast hd/dvr box. Well I just got back from swapping out my cable boxes and I see on the back that it only has DVI out. Should I spring for the DVI to HDMI convertor or just use the componant cables that they gave me with my hd/dvr box? I guess what I mean is it that big of a difference to warrent spending a few more dollars compared to just using what I have?

Ok, so my 4666w is on it's way and should be here by Thursday or Friday. In my haste to get everything ready, I went ahead and purchased two HDMI cables thinking I would use one for my dvd player and the other for the comcast hd/dvr box. Well I just got back from swapping out my cable boxes and I see on the back that it only has DVI out. Should I spring for the DVI to HDMI convertor or just use the componant cables that they gave me with my hd/dvr box? I guess what I mean is it that big of a difference to warrent spending a few more dollars compared to just using what I have?

Assuming your box is capable of outputting higher resolutions 720p/1080i I would get the converter. Component is still an analog signal and with the DVI you would be getting the same digital signal you would over HDMI, there just isn't any audio going along with it.

Of course if you box can only output 480 then its probably a mute point.

I have the new model HLS (50''), and I have tested it with a variety of PS2 and XBox games. The only lag I have seen is on MVP NCAA Baseball's pitching meter. Other than that, I have experienced no lag.
I'm mostly concerned with xbox 360 lag , but I was just wondering what version
of MVP NCAA xbox or playstation and did you use component 480p? thx

I read on this forum some reader said they would not buy from the online book seller. I would like to hear why? They seem to have the best deal with tax and shipping factor into it. I check TVA but the CA tax kill the deal. If i have to pay tax and shipping, I might as well buy at the store.

Once you get the television from the book seller, its yours...no returns. Any problems, even if broken out of the box, must be dealt with through the manufacturer, in this case Samsung. Sure its a good deal but if something goes wrong you're screwed into long wait periods for a fix in most instances.

As I've come to understand it, in every case the deliverers have allowed people to take the TV out of the box and set it up to make sure it works. If if doesn't, then you can just refuse the package and you get a refund of your money.

As I've come to understand it, in every case the deliverers have allowed people to take the TV out of the box and set it up to make sure it works. If if doesn't, then you can just refuse the package and you get a refund of your money.I'd be surprised if they really waited there for you to set it up and check everything out.

Usually, problems are discovered of the course of a few hours or even a few days. It looked fine, until I....

I bought my HL-S4266W from *the bookseller* and their free white glove delivery service guaranteed a fully functional set before they left. They set-up my set and we all watched it for 20 minutes before they asked me to sign and take delivery. Between the free delivery on a Saturday, no tax and a price that beat the cheapest brick & mortar store by two hundred dollars it was a great experience.

Well my HL-S5086W should be delivered today from "the bookseller" and they are supposed set it up for you and everything. So I guess I'll find out.

Yesterday I called Samsung about my Phantom Turning Off ( LEDs indicate the light blub cover was not closed, after they dissapear I can turn it on again) And They sent a Techie in today! He had the light bulb, engine and something esle ready on hand if they were needed. Unfortunetly they could not find the problem and the TV didn't turn off when they came, so they checked and looked around for a good 30 minutes before they decided they had no idea what to do. I'm really happy with their service though, despite it not fixing my TV. I think I still have a couple days to return the TV, so if it turns off again its outta herre.

Hi, all. I just purchased the 5086 from an internet site along with stand and some cables. I did a lot of research before making purchase. I appreciate all of you who have contributed posts to this site as it has helped me in making my choices. I am still a little nervous about the internet purchase. It was an "amazing" deal with the low price etc. Beat the local CC by about $500 overall. TV is "supposed" to ship on 9/06 and arrive around 9/12 so I'll wait and see. This tv is going to replace a 36" analog and I am pretty excited about. hope it helps these old eyes of mine and maybe I can read the score tickers on the games. :) Now to find a good extended warranty provider.

I'd be surprised if they really waited there for you to set it up and check everything out.

From an email I got from the bookseller beginning with A today:

Once your shipment has arrived at the local delivery terminal, a representative from that facility will contact you by telephone to arrange a convenient time for delivery. Upon delivery, they will carry the parcel into your home, unpack the item and remove all packaging materials.

Upon delivery, please inspect your television carefully for damage while the shipper is still present. If you discover any damage, please refuse delivery and you will receive a refund.

I should have something definitive regarding Black Grass by September 8th. Basically, Samsung is sending another TV direct from the factory, that does not have the problem, and I was told my set is not repairable. Sounds ok to me - I will believe it when I see it.

Look forward to reading about whether it is solved. Black grass really doesn't bother me as I hardly see it during most of my viewing, but still, having paid this much for a tv, I'd like it not to have this kind of design defect.


More important to me, I am hoping the new set has “watch able” blacks – shadow puppets pictures is not pleasing to look at.

HP, did you ever get your set professionally calibrated? or talk to a calibrator? I'm wondering if the blacks can be adjusted to resolve this. I don't know if I understand what you refer to as "shadow puppets" (not as readily understood as the black grass) but I do find that dark images on my set can lean towards the blueish-purple. I have had to play with the brightness and contrast settings quite a bit so that I still had black, but didn't think that I was missing part of the picture, but I only used the thx optimizer to set mine. At some point I think I will want to get the set professionally configured.

I should have something definitive regarding Black Grass by September 8th. Basically, Samsung is sending another TV direct from the factory, that does not have the problem, and I was told my set is not repairable. Sounds ok to me - I will believe it when I see it.

In regard to the comment above that Samsung does not know about the problem. Yes they do, as do all local retailers in the Houston and Dallas Fort Worth areas. Seems everyone knows about it.

More important to me, I am hoping the new set has “watch able” blacks – shadow puppets pictures is not pleasing to look at.

I will say Samsung has a 1000% better service response compared to Mit's. Samsung admits there is a problem; Mit’s works strictly on the basis of denial.

I also will be watching for the outcome. As others have said, even though I have no problem with the black grass on my set, a set without it would be welcome. Although I have to be careful....my set's picture is fantastic and has no problems with deep blacks either. I may end up getting some new artifact that my old set didn't have.

I'm beginning to think each one of these DLPs have some sort of nuance that other sets don't have. Kinda like something thats custom built or hand crafted.

I was going to get the 4266 until I started reading about all the black grass issues and that has made me decide to just go straight to the 4666. But now I think I'll be waiting for the 4676S thats supposed to be out in September. Its retailing for $300 more than the 4666 but I absolutely love the piano-black finish over the older style that the 4266 and 4666 have. Anyone heard any more about this unit?

I posted in the (very short) thread on the 4676 because I noticed an intriguing discrepancy where the spec sheets on Samsung's site all refer to the 4676 having a color wheel, but in the warranty description it mentions the LED being covered and doesn't say anything about a bulb like all the other tv's do. So I'm almost hoping (very slim chance) that the $300 increase in price may not just be for the new finish/design. They claim its a slim version, but it is only 3" less deep that the current 46 so I have a feeling that they just redid the plastic housing and maybe moved a circuit board instead of actually redoing the inside of the TV. Also the piano black cases are an inch or two less deep than the HLR models from last year.

I bought my HL-S4266W from *the bookseller* and their free white glove delivery service guaranteed a fully functional set before they left. They set-up my set and we all watched it for 20 minutes before they asked me to sign and take delivery. Between the free delivery on a Saturday, no tax and a price that beat the cheapest brick & mortar store by two hundred dollars it was a great experience.

Thank you for all the replies. They are very helpful. It is such a good deal that it is very tempting. It is at least a $500 saving. Now I understand that there are difference between "white glove" delivery and "standard delivery". I am going to look for that when I decided to take the internet route.

Louis

Yesterday I called Samsung about my Phantom Turning Off ( LEDs indicate the light blub cover was not closed, after they dissapear I can turn it on again) And They sent a Techie in today! He had the light bulb, engine and something esle ready on hand if they were needed. Unfortunetly they could not find the problem and the TV didn't turn off when they came, so they checked and looked around for a good 30 minutes before they decided they had no idea what to do. I'm really happy with their service though, despite it not fixing my TV. I think I still have a couple days to return the TV, so if it turns off again its outta herre.

Where are you located to get such a fast service? Do you only carry the factory warranty?

Yesterday I called Samsung about my Phantom Turning Off ( LEDs indicate the light blub cover was not closed, after they dissapear I can turn it on again) And They sent a Techie in today! He had the light bulb, engine and something esle ready on hand if they were needed. Unfortunetly they could not find the problem and the TV didn't turn off when they came, so they checked and looked around for a good 30 minutes before they decided they had no idea what to do. I'm really happy with their service though, despite it not fixing my TV. I think I still have a couple days to return the TV, so if it turns off again its outta herre.

Did they not change out the power supply? Should have been the next step.

gdbet2005, make sure your send in your warranty card or register your set online with Samsung as they will extend the factory warranty for 3 more months for a total of 15. Then I would follow-up and make sure they have that record.

rick*r! No, my set has not been pro-calibrated. I have been told it really would not do too good, because, something is a little wacky with my set.

Shadow Puppets. Basically, just set up a light bulb across the room, and make shadow images on the screen (wall). Dark scenes on my TV look like shadow puppets - Law and Order - Crossing Jordan, etc. Some pictures are just a dull medium gray (no details at all) with pink faces just floating on the medium gray. It is at those time you see all the black grass. The only time my TV makes black is when it is turned "off"

When one of the first techs came out, he tried to make the set blacker, but could not - - his only reply was "this set is not right" "I don't know what is wrong with it" The second set from the dealer was actually worse then the one I have now(the first set).

I have been told by Samsung the problem has been resolved and I should know that for myself within just a few more days. So basically, if it looks like any 4666 I have seen I will be happy.

I have used the "Get Gray" calibration disk - basically, the pure black to pure white is about 20% off............meaning my deepest black on my TV is at 20% and the white is at 120%. This comes back to one of the key things I have said from day one, this set is just too darn bright. The bottom of the pictures (blacks) from 0% to 20% are all crushed up to the 20% level (shadow puppets), and the intense whites are off the chart 100% to 120% - believe me staring at direct sunlight is easier.

That is all I know for now - just a few more days and I should know more. Later

Where are you located to get such a fast service? Do you only carry the factory warranty?
I live in Brooklyn, NY with normal samsung warranty.

Did they not change out the power supply? Should have been the next step.

gdbet2005, make sure your send in your warranty card or register your set online with Samsung as they will extend the factory warranty for 3 more months for a total of 15. Then I would follow-up and make sure they have that record.
They did not, but for the last two days the set didn't turn off, so I'm hoping this went away.

TV shipped today :) the surge protector and HDMI cables shipped and supposed to be on UPS truck for delivery today. Waiting on TV stand to ship out now. Hope the TV arrives before I go on vacation in a couple of weeks. That would be a kick in the ***, TV arrives and I go on vacation before I get to set it up and watch it. However, being on vacation and knowing the TV is waiting at home for me to watch would be a pain also. MY, MY the sacrifices we must make to watch HD TV.

Hey guys I just purchased an HL-S 5086 and was wondering if anyone had any good preset basic calibration settings I could try. I don't have the money for a professional calibration and I am really a newbie audiophile so a basic setup would probably be good for me. Any advice would truly be appreciated. Thank you.

Ok, this is funny.

The new set got here today, we took it out of the box and turned it on. And it did the usual little Samsung "tune", and then it did it again and again and again with all the lights blinking, thats all it would do. I kept thinking I was smelling something burning?

Samsung is 1000% professional and very courteous on the phone, they are sending another replacement ASAP and I am keeping the old one (which still works) until the new one gets here. Ok, how does it go, the 4th one is the charm.

It is just one of those things. BTW the delivery company they use was excellent too, there was not a single scratch on the box and they handled it with kid glove care.

Hey guys I just purchased an HL-S 5086 and was wondering if anyone had any good preset basic calibration settings I could try. I don't have the money for a professional calibration and I am really a newbie audiophile so a basic setup would probably be good for me. Any advice would truly be appreciated. Thank you.

I've actually settled on the factory default settings for Movie mode when I play movies and Standard mode when I watch SD TV. In Movie mode I turn off Digital NR (in Movie mode DNIe can't be turned ON) and in Standard mode I leave both Digital NR and DNIe ON.

Here are some other popular settings for Movie mode:

Mode - Movie
Digital NR - OFF
DNIe - OFF
Contrast - 50
Brightness - 45
Sharpness - 0
Color - 45
Tint - G50/R50
Color Tone - Warm2

Ok, this is funny.

The new set got here today, we took it out of the box and turned it on. And it did the usual little Samsung "tune", and then it did it again and again and again with all the lights blinking, thats all it would do. I kept thinking I was smelling something burning?

Samsung is 1000% professional and very courteous on the phone, they are sending another replacement ASAP and I am keeping the old one (which still works) until the new one gets here. Ok, how does it go, the 4th one is the charm.

It is just one of those things. BTW the delivery company they use was excellent too, there was not a single scratch on the box and they handled it with kid glove care.

...the 4th one *is* (or better be) the charm. LOL

Well my HL-S5086W should be delivered today from "the bookseller" and they are supposed set it up for you and everything. So I guess I'll find out.

The bookseller told me they now only offer "supper Saver" free shipping but not "white glove". I am interested in knowing what your delivery experience is like.

Well mine came today. First off, WOW. It looks amazing. I was impressed with how regular cable looked, then I turned it to the HD channels. My mouth dropped open. I literally watched Discovery HD for 10 minutes not even paying attention to what the show was about. I was just blown away. (And I should be coming from a 8 yr old Orion 27" that i got from Wally World.) I don't think I got the white glove delivery, but it didn't matter. The delivery guy was more than happy to let me hook it up and make sure it worked.

I do have one problem though. After playing around with the picture settings a lot this afternoon, I tried going back tonight a tweaking them some more, but it won't let me. I go to the menu, then visual, then i go to choose the mode and I press enter, over, anything, and nothing happens. I can't edit the video settings! I'm sure i'm doing something wrong or I locked it somehow or something weird, because it was working perfectly earlier. Any suggestions?

Well mine came today. First off, WOW. It looks amazing. I was impressed with how regular cable looked, then I turned it to the HD channels. My mouth dropped open. I literally watched Discovery HD for 10 minutes not even paying attention to what the show was about. I was just blown away. (And I should be coming from a 8 yr old Orion 27" that i got from Wally World.) I don't think I got the white glove delivery, but it didn't matter. The delivery guy was more than happy to let me hook it up and make sure it worked.

I do have one problem though. After playing around with the picture settings a lot this afternoon, I tried going back tonight a tweaking them some more, but it won't let me. I go to the menu, then visual, then i go to choose the mode and I press enter, over, anything, and nothing happens. I can't edit the video settings! I'm sure i'm doing something wrong or I locked it somehow or something weird, because it was working perfectly earlier. Any suggestions?

What Samsung tier 1 support suggests is unplugging it for a few seconds and plugging it back in. Like re-booting a PC. Can you clear your current settings? I'd call Samsung and if tier 1 isn't able to figure it out, ask to talk to tier 2. While you are on the phone, make sure you register it for warranty service as it extends your warranty an additional 3 months.