I am torn between two Samsung models, hl-s5086w and hl-s5087w, both of which are 50" dlp rear-projection HDTVs. The difference in price between the two is roughly $400. I understand that the main difference between the two is that one is 720p (hl-s5086w) while the other is 1080p (hl-s5087w).

I am less concerned with the resolution difference as I do not intend on watching 1080p content any time soon (with the exception of higher resolution when I hook up it up to my pc...although I can probably be just fine with the 720 lower resolution). The reason why I consider the 1080p hl-s5087w is because it has a higher contrast ratio (10000:1), a reportedly better light engine, and it looks pretty nice in the store. Also, it recieved favorable reviews online as Consumer Reports says that the hl-s5087w has very good picture quality for all types of formats including SDTV.

Though, I have been reading this forum, and it seems that the hl-s5087w has light engine problems. I'm not sure if I really want to purchase the hl-s5087w with the anticipation that I will need to get a repair and/or feel obligated to get an extended warranty.

And so, my questions are:

Has anyone else had this dilema, and what have you decided on?

Can anyone provide insight to this? Is it worth an extra $400 to get the seemingly better product? What percentage of hl-s5087w owners experience the light engine problems?

Are there other problems associated with either the hl-s5086w or the hl-s5087w that might aid in my desicion?

What do you think is the better value, the hl-s5086w or the hl-s5087w?

Although I could not find a direct comparison of these two models, I apologize if it has been posted already. Please provide a link if so. Thanks you for your time and comments.

The better model not only has higher resolution, but also better black levels and contrast. Whichever way you go, get an extended warranty.

FWIW, I've got the HL-S5086W and getting solid blacks won't happen. I can't imagine needing any more contrast than the 86W puts out, as it is extremely bright. Is the higher resolution of the 87W worth it? I don't know. I do know that I am throughly satisfied with my 86W.

FWIW, I've got the HL-S5086W and getting solid blacks won't happen. I can't imagine needing any more contrast than the 86W puts out, as it is extremely bright. Is the higher resolution of the 87W worth it? I don't know. I do know that I am throughly satisfied with my 86W.

You should be happy with the 86w then.

Then, for the money, the hl-s5086w is a better value. Anyone care to argue that?

Exactly 7.6% of HLS - 87 owners are having problems.

Actually, who knows? But just remember that this is certainly a biased sample on the board. Someone has a problem, kicks the wall, and next they go to Google and type in "Samsung DLP shadow problem" and voila, they end up here.

I think I saw that Samsung sold about 12 million DLP units in 2006 alone? So perhaps 7-8 million in the US? And we've heard from how many on the board with the problems?

That said, I did buy a 5yr EW with my recent 6187 purchase, primarily because for $200 I could then worry (less) about all the potential gremlins. I'm sure the warranty companies still make money on a net basis, which means that my chance of problem over 5 yrs is <10%, but for me it was still worth buying just for the peace of mind. Then again, the warranty companies may be stepping on a time bomb with the HLS - you won't know until time passes!

Then, for the money, the hl-s5086w is a better value. Anyone care to argue that?

I have had the HLM507w for over 4 years now. I currently have on order an HLS5087W.

To me, after seeing both the 86 and 87 perform in the store, the 87w wins easily in PQ. The difference in resolution between 720 and 1080 is very noticeable. Is this worth the $300-$400 price premium? For me it is.

What makes the PQ difference? [insert the "Its the Mirrors" girl/elephant joke here] :) Resolution and contrast ratio. 720p DLP displays are yesterday's DLP TV. 1080p DLP displays are today. Either way, the prices are at very attractive points. 8 years ago I bought a 50" SD RPTV Toshiba for $1600. The HLM507 was over $3000 4 years ago. Today, the superior HLS5087W is less than 1/2 of the HLM.

I have had the HLM507w for over 4 years now. I currently have on order an HLS5087W.

To me, after seeing both the 86 and 87 perform in the store, the 87w wins easily in PQ. The difference in resolution between 720 and 1080 is very noticeable. Is this worth the $300-$400 price premium? For me it is.

What makes the PQ difference? [insert the "Its the Mirrors" girl/elephant joke here] :) Resolution and contrast ratio. 720p DLP displays are yesterday's DLP TV. 1080p DLP displays are today. Either way, the prices are at very attractive points. 8 years ago I bought a 50" SD RPTV Toshiba for $1600. The HLM507 was over $3000 4 years ago. Today, the superior HLS5087W is less than 1/2 of the HLM.

I suppose I agree with all of these statements. The hl-s5087w does seems to be a better tv, and one can easily justify spending an additional $300-400 for it. I have seen both tvs in the store, not side-by-side, and the hl-s5087w did look much better. Although, I can't assume they had the same source. The hl-s5087w could have been fed 1080p content from a pc while the hl-s5086w could have had anolog cable that has been split many times. I suppose I should head over to CC and try the same DVD on both. Also, I can believe that the retailer will feed the more expensive product better content. Or maybe not...

The hl-s5086w vs. hl-s5087s value issue seems to be a coin flip. An extended warranty seems to be in order for either one. I think it's a sound investment. However, I have heard that many sets needed multiple repairs. Of course, this might be only a few cases in a thousand. It's still frustrating to think that eventhough you are covered with the extended warranty, you still might have to deal with all the BS of getting it repaired. On the other hand, most people love their new hdtv! I suppose this is how it is for most electronics....you never know whether you'll be the one with the lemon!

Not to go off topic here, but it seems that 720p is still in the present and even in the future. For most people, those who watch standard tv and standard DVDs, even 720p is overkill. HD content is very limited. I'm going to get my HDTV package through comcast, and I'll only be getting 10 channels. I've heard that other providers max out at 30 channels (voom). Still, when compared to the amount of channels offered (hundreds), HD content seems very small. Of course, there is HD-DVD and Blu-ray, but prices for that stuff is still too high for the normal consumer to enjoy. I would say 1080p is the future, not now. Although, the 1080p sets do look very very nice! I digress.

Would anybody else like to weigh in on the value factor for the samsung hl-s5086w and hl-s5087w?

I just posted these comments on the two the other day I will paste it here for you to read. Mike

For everyone sitting on the fence trying to decide on the 86 or 87(720p vs 1080P)series of samsung tv's. Make sure you can see a difference in the store on these sets before whipping out the cash. I am not saying that the 86 has a better picture then the 87 but, there is not awhole lotta of difference in the two side by side in my house(with any source).

I moved my hls-5086 to my bedroom and just bought a hls-5687 for my living room. Since the day I bought the 86 I was second guessing myself on not purchasing the hls-xx87. The resolution looks almost identical to me on both sets.

I have been watching 1080p movie trailers and 720p trailers download from the net and then streamed to my xbox 360 onto both sets(side by side) Also HD on my vip622 looks identical on both sets.. The biggest difference, to me is in the blacks. The 87series shows the blacks darker with better detail.

This is not meant to start some battle just trying to help someone out there if they are debating on which set to get. I did not see much difference in the store I also did not see much difference at home.. So all I am saying is choose one and be happy both are great sets. Thank god my mind is free with out all this Dam, I should have got the 1080p set.

Anyways if your interested in how much I got the hls-5687 for at circuit city just ask.. I could not pass up the deal.

I am anticipating HD DVDs (players) to be very reasonable in one year's time. That will be the 1080p source.

In the end, I think the higher resolution display will always be a better choice for PQ, everything else being equal. Price in this comparison is not equal, though.

Just negotiate a good price on the 87 and get it. Otherwise you will be kicking yourself next year when BluRay is $279 on sale at CC and BB and everyone is getting them. Plus, the contrast on the 87 is better today.

I'll bet you can slim down that "$400 difference" you speak of, and what is a couple hundred bucks in the grand scheme of things. If you're stuck with the 86 and decide to upgrade, you'll lose a lot more on trying to sell that off to someone.

That said, you are obviously trying to talk yourself into the cheaper one. My view is, go cheaper and you'll be happy for a week beaming about all the money you saved, but you will always have that doubt in the back of your mind about how good a price you might have been able to get on the 87, especially now that the 87s are going to be "dinosaured" by the 2007 models just announced.

Just my opinion of course.

Just negotiate a good price on the 87 and get it. Otherwise you will be kicking yourself next year when BluRay is $279 on sale at CC and BB and everyone is getting them. Plus, the contrast on the 87 is better today.

I'll bet you can slim down that "$400 difference" you speak of, and what is a couple hundred bucks in the grand scheme of things. If you're stuck with the 86 and decide to upgrade, you'll lose a lot more on trying to sell that off to someone.

That said, you are obviously trying to talk yourself into the cheaper one. My view is, go cheaper and you'll be happy for a week beaming about all the money you saved, but you will always have that doubt in the back of your mind about how good a price you might have been able to get on the 87, especially now that the 87s are going to be "dinosaured" by the 2007 models just announced.

Just my opinion of course.

Words of Wisdom imo. I do love my Hitachi 42HDS69 Plasma, but looking at it, I would rather have gotten a display that was 1080p native and I would feel comfortable playing games on it without a fear of burn in.

I'm enjoying movies now, but now I'm already starting to look at new 1080p displays coming out of CES 07 and I haven't had my TV more than 6months. :(

921,600 vs. 2,073,600 pixels. Any more questions? :eek:

Just negotiate a good price on the 87 and get it. Otherwise you will be kicking yourself next year when BluRay is $279 on sale at CC and BB and everyone is getting them. Plus, the contrast on the 87 is better today.

I'll bet you can slim down that "$400 difference" you speak of, and what is a couple hundred bucks in the grand scheme of things. If you're stuck with the 86 and decide to upgrade, you'll lose a lot more on trying to sell that off to someone.

That said, you are obviously trying to talk yourself into the cheaper one. My view is, go cheaper and you'll be happy for a week beaming about all the money you saved, but you will always have that doubt in the back of your mind about how good a price you might have been able to get on the 87, especially now that the 87s are going to be "dinosaured" by the 2007 models just announced.

Just my opinion of course.

Hogan, you make a valid point that I and others agree with. I am not trying to talk myself into a cheaper one. I just want the most valuable one. I know that the hl-s5087w is better and also more expensive. The point that you make about a couple hundred dollars in the grand scheme of things went through my head many times already. Prior to posting this thread, I even convinced myself that I would take the plunge, pay more, and get the hl-s5087w. And then I read posts on this forum and became worried about encountering potential problems (the light engine for example). And so I am here now, discussing my dilema!

It seems that the hl-s5087w is a better value based on everyone's contribution to this thread. Thank you all again for your comments. Now, Hogan, you suggest slimming down the price. I was planning on going to CC to make the purchase since I have quite a bit of gift cards that I have been saving for a rainy, hdtv-filled day! Do you think the CC would negotiate? I anticipate that the will really try to push their warranty on me. I think I will go elsewhere for that. Any suggestions on a place for a good extended warranty? Also, CC will price match, so I can get a refund even after my purchase. I have anticipated the price drops following the holidays, entering a new year, and of course, new goodies filling the stores following CES 2007.

Thanks again everyone. I appreciate your input very much. Please feel free to add anything else to this thread (good warranty info and any heads up to price drops). Take care.