I'm looking to get a new TV and have narrowed my choices down to the Sony 60a2000 and the Samsung HLT6187S.

Which one might deal with a semi-sunny room? sunlight would not directly hit the tv

I can get them both for about the same price, so its gonna come down to a few other factors. The most important being PQ. Whichever TV I end up with, I will most likely shell out for proper professional calibration. Second factor is vertical viewing angle....post calibration....how does each fare, typically?

That being said....how does the PQ compare between these two when calibrated?

I wish I could see each set calibrated and side by side, but I am guessing this is generally not an option. Can anyone offer an opinion or give a link to such a comparison? I haven't been able to track anything down on the 'net as of yet.


I'll understand if I'm instructed to go check out the individual owner threads for each...and i've thought about it....but i'd figure i'd just get responses in favor of the tv for that particular forum.

In a recent 1080p shootout in Home Theater, Samsung (61" HLS model) came out on top over Sony and others, and Samsung has always been a favorite among professional calibrators for the best post-calibration PQ. However, vertical angle viewing is not great with DLPs (side angle viewing is fine). Go see them in stores to best decide which is the better choice for you.

Here's the link to that 1080p RPTV shootout.
http://hometheatermag.com/rearprojectiontvs/207rptvface/

thanks for the synopsis and the link to that shoot out, i'll check it out

Happy purchasing!

In a recent 1080p shootout in Home Theater, Samsung (61" HLS model) came out on top over Sony and others, and Samsung has always been a favorite among professional calibrators for the best post-calibration PQ. However, vertical angle viewing is not great with DLPs (side angle viewing is fine). Go see them in stores to best decide which is the better choice for you.

From what I know the 3 issues that make the Samsung a poorer choice than the Sony would be that it's way too bright to comfortably watch in a dark room, and you might be bothered by rainbow effect on it. Also it appears that Samsung customer service is very spotty. Sony has problems, but seems more willing to make things right without a long drawn out experience. One guy on here with a Samsung has been posting his woes with their customer service for several months, and still has not received a replacement for his totally inoperable set. That would give me pause.

from what i've read and been told by knowledgeable pros, a calibrated a2000 will give you slightly better hd pq than the sammy 87. sammy is better with sd. neither gap is huge and, after all, these assessments are all subjective. i don't know where you can compare these 2 sets, calibrated, side by side, but that's my input
good luck

thanks for the input...its definitely food for thought, which I appreciate


right now, i'm leaning towards the hlt6187t

The fact that it is new is actually working against it in my book. Safe to assume that general issues are known by now with the 60a2000, right? Who knows what lies down the road for the HLT...?


The brightness factor is not a big deal for me. The room it would sit in is appx 14'x16' with the cardinal west facing wall composed entirely of 6' tall windows. I am ~9 stories up.

In other words...when entering the apt. in the evening after work, the sun is right in my face. Even with the blinds drawn to shut out the light, its not completely shut out....there's a healthy (although not as overwhelming) amount of ambiance.


Isn't watching TV in the dark supposed to be bad for your eyes anyway? Additionally, when watching movies, wouldn't the brightness typically be reduced compared to say sports or other TV programming? That seems like a discussion for a different thread. :D


All else being equal, tie would go to the girlfriend and 'aesthetics'. Ergo, the a2000's bottom grey bezel is not as nice as the a2020's full black facade. I'd feel real nutty paying an extra couple hundred $$ for a full black facade, hard to justify that much of a leap. Which would mean a showdown between the 60a2020 and the hlt6187s.....which would make the hlt the better pick in our books.


Can anyone expand on any of those thoughts or point out if i'm just plain mis-informed/wrong?

From what I know the 3 issues that make the Samsung a poorer choice than the Sony would be that it's way too bright to comfortably watch in a dark room, and you might be bothered by rainbow effect on it. Also it appears that Samsung customer service is very spotty. Sony has problems, but seems more willing to make things right without a long drawn out experience. One guy on here with a Samsung has been posting his woes with their customer service for several months, and still has not received a replacement for his totally inoperable set. That would give me pause.
First, I've been watching my samsung DLP in the dark for over 3 1/2 years and love it (despite this complaint by Home Theater, it still came out on top). Sony came out 4th in the shootout, and it was the XBR2, which is better than the A2000. Second, Samsung service is definitely dependent on which local service store they contract with. I recently had great service with a problem on a 30" samsung CRT. Sony is definitely known for poor service, so I'm not sure which company is worse off on this. Lastly, most people do not see rainbows with DLPs. Moreover, the model in question (HLT6187S) is an LED model, so you should definitely not see rainbows with it.

First, I've been watching my samsung DLP in the dark for over 3 1/2 years and love it (despite this complaint by Home Theater, it still came out on top). Sony came out 4th in the shootout, and it was the XBR2, which is better than the A2000. Second, Samsung service is definitely dependent on which local service store they contract with. I recently had great service with a problem on a 30" samsung CRT. Sony is definitely known for poor service, so I'm not sure which company is worse off on this. Lastly, most people do not see rainbows with DLPs. Moreover, the model in question (HLT6187S) is an LED model, so you should definitely not see rainbows with it.

I beg to differ. The SXRD offers an adjustable iris to set the light output of the tv to match your viewing conditions. That is a HUGE plus in my opinion. Home Theater Mag basically said the Samsung is almost painful to watch in dark room when going from dark to bright scenes. That would be a deal breaker for me. If you never watch in a dark room though it would not be a problem.

As for the ratings the differences were minor, and none of the tested sets were poorly rated. The test was for a 6188 color wheel set, NOT the LED set. Some people are saying they still see RBE on the LED models. I have not looked at one, and cannot comment on that issue. I do know it is very bothersome to me on color wheel models.

As for service, I agree the LOCAL servicers are pretty sad for all brands, but I have never read stories about Sony corporate customer relations leaving customers with totally inoperative sets for months on end as seems to be the case with Samsung.

Interestingly the delivery people brought my new Sony A-2020 today to replace a bum, but at least operable A-2000. Sony only tried one repair, and promptly agreed to replace my set. The delivery guys said 'never buy a Samsung. All we do is deliver new ones to replace bad ones all day long.' Buyer beware.

I beg to differ.
That's why all these posts are nothing more than opinions, and if you ask 10 people, you'll get 12 answers as to the "best." There is no substitute for people going and seeing for themselves because tastes and preferences do differ, and what is best for one person may not be best for another.

That's why all these posts are nothing more than opinions, and if you ask 10 people, you'll get 12 answers as to the "best." There is no substitute for people going and seeing for themselves because tastes and preferences do differ, and what is best for one person may not be best for another.

I also suspect almost no one has seen both of those calibrated to their best. I know I have only seen one and have no opinion on the other. Getting an answer that is useful for the question asked is highly unlikely to be truly informed at this time.

Looking at displays in stores is also not very useful. There are just too many variables at play unless the store allows you to insert your own source and perform at least some simple adjustments.

right now, i'm leaning towards the hlt6187tKeep in mind that there haven't been any professional calibration reports from either owners or calibrators. The LED owner's thread is waiting for a professional report from Eliab. If I were in your position that's one of the things I would want to read.

The fact that it is new is actually working against it in my book.This is the second model year that Samsung has included sets based on LED light and color processing. Color wheels have in the past contributed to failure rates. From that prospective it's possible the LED sets will have fewer problems that need repair. The LED unit itself is intended to last the life time of the set. We don't know how good or bad that will be. ;)

Safe to assume that general issues are known by now with the 60a2000, right? Who knows what lies down the road for the HLT...?You also need to know what's down the ageing road for the SXRD version of LCoS in the Sony sets.

The brightness factor is not a big deal for me. The room it would sit in is appx 14'x16' with the cardinal west facing wall composed entirely of 6' tall windows. I am ~9 stories up. Extra brightness might come in handy for day time viewing depending on your widow coverings.

Isn't watching TV in the dark supposed to be bad for your eyes anyway?It is, and that's why a lot of people at AVS use bias lighting behind their RPTV sets. If you do either user or professional calibration the excess brightness will be under your control.

Can anyone expand on any of those thoughts or point out if i'm just plain mis-informed/wrong?Either set will do the job. :)

You should spend time in the owner's threads to get a feel for what is going on with each set, but you have to be able to filter out the excessively optimistic or pessimistic opinions that you will run into.

As BillP and UMR pointed out, you need to make your own judgement. There are owner's reports for calibrations done on 2006 models in the link at the bottom of my post. You will find that UMR and Eliab along with David Abrams are significantly represented there.

Just remember that the negative reports always stand out more at AVS. Anyone with a complaint and Google will probably wind up here. How many people do you suppose Google for a place to write how happy that are with their new TV. ;)

I beg to differ. The SXRD offers an adjustable iris to set the light output of the tv to match your viewing conditions. That is a HUGE plus in my opinion. Home Theater Mag basically said the Samsung is almost painful to watch in dark room when going from dark to bright scenes. That would be a deal breaker for me. If you never watch in a dark room though it would not be a problem.


The Samsung also has an adjustable iris. For some (stupid) reason, the only way it is adjustable is through the service menu, but since you are going to have the set calibrated that shouldn't be an issue. They tested the set with the iris "off" because it is a non user adjustable item.

You would probably be happy with either set. I just ordered a Samsung HL-S 5687W (It will be here Thursday) but might have gone with the Sony instead if the price was right. The Samsung came very highly recommended by the ISF calibrator coming to adjust my set.

It sounds like the answer is in and it is the A2000.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10439840&&#post10439840

It sounds like the answer is in and it is the A2000.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10439840&&#post10439840Until the calibration issue is cleared up I would also look for an alternative to the HL-T models from Samsung. In this case that would be the A2000 or A2020.

Until the calibration issue is cleared up I would also look for an alternative to the HL-T models from Samsung. In this case that would be the A2000 or A2020.
Or an HLS Samsung.

thanks some of the senior members from chiming in, as well

htwaits makes an excellent point that hit the chord with me. I definitely will wait for a calibration report on some of the HLT models from the calibrators around here.

D'oh! Right about now (10 minutes later while composing this reply), I finished catching up on jn2k's findings in the sammy owner's thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10441390&&#post10441390


Patience is a virtue at this point....I would still be willing to get the HLT as long as there is a promise of a fix and a guestimated date that is reasonable.


However, if Sammy drops the ball....Sony may win by process of elimination.....more thoughts when jn2k has more info

Patience is a virtue at this point....Always a virtue with computers, computer like TV sets, and certain relationships. ;)