Hey everybody, I'm on the verge of really starting to love my Samsung Slimfit, at least until the money in my pocket and the technology in the industry have both grown enough for me to be able to get an LCD a few years down the line, but there is one thing that's still giving me problems. I'm the type of person who doesn't need to have everything perfect, but if there's something going on that I don't understand, it'll bug me forever. So all I'm looking for is an explanation; if you know how to fix it, great, but it's not necessary.

The basic problem is this: there are a few lines visible on the screen that are very slighly darker than the rest of the image. One is a pair of lines a centimetre or so thick, maybe an inch apart from one another, on the left side of the screen. I had assumed that this was from my inputs in some way, since my last TV had a similar thing in the same area. The other very noticeable one is sort of crescent shaped, also on the left side of the screen, and much thinner. Both of these are only visible when the screen is mostly one color or is very bright or washed-out.

At first I thought that it (the crescent) was a smudge on the glass, since I had to clean off my TV (with a damp microfiber cloth) as soon as it was delivered due to some circular mark in the center, and might have left a few streaks. However, it isn't visible at all with the TV off, no matter how hard I look or how many reflections I make from various angles. Other smudges are. I even marked it with my finger, then turned off the TV, but it was completely invisible. To be safe, I wiped that part of the screen again, but it didn't go away.

My other theory was that it was something with the tube; however, when I mess with the geometry (I had to fix overscan out of the box, since it was pretty bad, but otherwise the geometry on mine's not as bad as you'd think, and somewhat self-correcting it seems)...ahem, that parenthetical got out of hand. When I shift the picture in the deflection menu, the lines stay put, instead of moving with the rest of the image. The same goes for the two lines on the left, which makes me question again that it has to do with my inputs. I've even seen the exact same thing in the TV's at the Student Union, oddly enough. Anyway, if it were the tube, I would think that they would shift around. My only other thought is that I somehow scratched the glass with the microfiber, but I'd think scratches would be at least somewhat visible with the screen turned off. Anybody know what this is about? Thanks a lot! I'm enjoying this TV more and more, and would actually recommend the 3082 to anyone who for some reason can't get the Sony (I can't because of cost and weight).

I take it from the lack of responses in nearly a month that nobody has any clue what the problem is, or how to help. I'm sort of bummed out, because by the time I noticed it (or maybe even by the time it developed) it was already past the end of my return period, so if I'm ever going to have it fixed I'll need to do it through the manufacturer's warranty now. For that, I think I will wait for a few months, because I'm graduating this semester and all of this stupid hassle about the TV has already cost me too much time and attention.

I can offer a few more details that I either didn't notice before, or have cropped up since then. I can be almost positive that it isn't scratches in the TV, because nothing is visible even holding a powerful flashlight to the screen at various angles. In fact, you can't see it even when the TV is on except at a distance of a few feet (this may be because the light is so bright close to, or maybe it indicates some subtle problem with the shadow mask...I'm not very knowledgeable about these things). Also, to test this, I took a big risk and tried to reproduce the circumstances in which it could have been scratched in a small area, and found no alteration in the image.

I have also noticed more and more TV's with some sort of minor problem such as this, although none as bad as mine. It seems to be an issue in general with CRT TV's larger than 30". My old TV, which cost like $100 and was about 23", didn't have any sort of problem like this, but I've seen these issues (especially the dark line on the left) crop up at the airport, on my dad's TV, and on TV's around campus. Has anybody else who moved up a few inches in TV size noticed this issue?

Right now, I'm actually more concerned with the smaller inconsistencies in the picture which give it a mottled look across the screen than with the two major lines I spoke of before. I didn't notice the intensity of the smaller inconsistencies before, or they've gotten worse. Could this be a problem with the shape of the glass, like warping? Also, in the first few days, my TV would occasionally blink off with a flash and a pop and come on again a second later. This problem stopped within a week, but could it have somehow damaged the tubes or the shadow mask to cause what I'm seeing now? Even though I think it's unlikely given my further investigations, is it even possible that I could have damaged the screen using a microfiber cloth? Finally, what are the chances of me getting it fixed/replaced through the manufacturer's warranty, and what should I say to make sure it gets done?

Thanks in advance for your time. I wish I could take a picture to show you what I'm talking about, but this kind of thing really doesn't show up well on film.

I remember reading some other posts a few months ago about a problem with some slimfits with vertical lines near the left and right sides of the screen. I think the consensus was that these were caused by insufficient "blanking" of the electron beam as it approached the sides of the tube - that is to say that the electron beam would actually hit the inner side of the tube and be reflected back onto the screen, causing vertical "rainbow" lines near the left and right sides.

Okay, I did a quick search through the official samsung slimfit thread.

Do the photos in THIS POST (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9140152&&#post9140152) look like your problem?

If so, THIS POST (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9175098&&#post9175098) talks about a service-menu solution.

Thanks for your help, but (thankfully) I don't have that problem. The lines are more transparent grey, and they become apparent when the screen is panning across a light-coloured background, like a shot of the sky. There is one long one on the left (actually two grouped close together), one crescent-shaped one also on the left (darker near the bottom), and the rest of the screen looks sort of stippled, with some patches that are darker and lighter than others. Even if I could get my camera to take an accurate picture of the screen, you probably couldn't see what I was talking about because it only becomes an issue when the screen is moving (since the eye then gets drawn to the non-moving lines). What I will probably do is have my dad take a look at it when he comes out for commencement in May, since he paid for the set. If he sees it and feels ripped off, he'll probably help me get it fixed through Samsung (he can be very persuasive, unlike me). If he sees no problem with it, I'll ignore the issue and save up for a small LCD in a few years, when I move; I'll either sell the Samsung at that point or give it to the (as yet nonexistent) kids.