Guys, I need some help in determining what's wrong with my display, if anything.

I have a Samsung HLS-6187W, with a Toshiba HD-XA2 and PS3 hooked up directly, both via HDMI. I called samsung about a little over a month ago, complaining about flickering. The tech came out a few weeks ago and installed a brand new DLP light engine, including bulb and a new component input box.

What I'm seeing now I haven't noticed until I watched Transformers. I also spun a few other discs, including V for vendetta on HD and X3 and Robocop on BD - all displaying the same problem. The picture is speckled - on skin, walls light sources in the film, etc. I've tried changing my settings, including turning DNIe on and off, tried different HDMI cables and checked them for looseness and tried different HDMI inputs on the tv. The problem isn't consistant throughout each film, but is more frequent and severe on others.

Is this common with all DLP RPTV's are is there something wrong? I attached some screengrabs from Transformers, X3 and Robocop and hopefully someone can shed some light as I'm at a total loss.

Here's my settings on my tv:

contrast - 44
brightness - 48
color - 62
tint - 50/50
sharpness - 0

I've left these all the same and have tried movie mode, custom mode with DNIe enabled with no difference in the problematic scenes. I've also tried turning the NR modes on the player, turning them on and off with the same results.

No one? Boy, you guys are lot of help.:(

No one? Boy, you guys are lot of help.:(
Insulting the very audience you want help from certainly isn't going to win you any points. :eek: Perhaps post in the relevant thread for your TV? I don't know just a thought.

After installing a new light engine, the tech is supposed to adjust settings in the tv's service menu to optimize the picture. Your pictures look like maybe he did not do the adjustments.

If that is the case, you need to get the repair company to send someone who knows how to reset everything for best pic. They should have a service manual for your tv and it's all spelled out there in a step by step description.

Looking in the thread about your tv, as suggested above, and doing a search there will probably give you more exact info about the adjustments necessary so you'll know what the tech should do.

No one? Boy, you guys are lot of help.:(

Are you kidding me? Do you expect someone to answer your very question? This is *FREE* help forum with volunteer techs helping out any way they want to. If I was a TV tech and see this kind of post, I will most definately ignore this and rest of your future posts.

I just looked at all your screenshots and all I see is normal reproduction of the film grain. I have seen the HD DVD of transformers on several different sets now and they all have the same grainy look during those scenes.

One thing about these new high resolution sets and source devices is that they are capable of displaying the grain structure in the original film source. Try looking at some HD material orginally shot with HD video cameras (HDNet, Discovery HD, etc.) and see if the grain is still there. If it's not there on an outdoor (not underwater) scene shot on HD Video there's nothing wrong with your set.

Are you kidding me? Do you expect someone to answer your very question? This is *FREE* help forum with volunteer techs helping out any way they want to. If I was a TV tech and see this kind of post, I will most definately ignore this and rest of your future posts.

Whatever. If you want to take it as an insult, fine. I wasn't trying to insult anyone, nor did I call anyone names or anything of that matter. I don't see how that was offensive. If any of the techs were insulted, I apologize.

And no Broketoo - I didn't expect to get any help, but thought I would try anyway.

I just looked at all your screenshots and all I see is normal reproduction of the film grain. I have seen the HD DVD of transformers on several different sets now and they all have the same grainy look during those scenes.

One thing about these new high resolution sets and source devices is that they are capable of displaying the grain structure in the original film source. Try looking at some HD material orginally shot with HD video cameras (HDNet, Discovery HD, etc.) and see if the grain is still there. If it's not there on an outdoor (not underwater) scene shot on HD Video there's nothing wrong with your set.


It's definately not grain, I know what grain looks like. It's white speckles/blemishes that I'm seeing. It's so bad in places that the image looks like it's completely turning white in those areas. I was able to see Transformers on another setup and it didn't look like mine. I showed the head HT guy over at BB these pics and he agrees that something is definately wrong with the tv.

For some reason, the pics came out darker than how it really looks, so it looks alot worse in real life.

Yea, those pics suck, man. That can't be normal even for a samsung ;)

Looks similar to 'solarization'.

See attachmnt. Data should have been adjusted. Looks like CCA adjusts off.

The tech came out today and replaced one of the parts he replaced a few weeks ago - DLP light engine, including new bulb and new projector. It did nothing. I showed what's posted here and he said it's "normal". It's digital artifacting coming from the data compression on the discs.

It was mentioned in this thread that the tech is suppose to go into the service menu after installing parts to tweek the settings. He didn't do that. This time or last.

Any opinions/comments? I'm a HD newbie, sort of, so I really don't know what to think. I've never seen this before since I've had this HD setup, going on over a year, so I don't know if what the tech said is indeed the case or if he's just full of it. He also said that HDMI is part of the problem.

I'd find another Samsung authorized service center, or call Samsung support.

Or just go to samsungparts.com and buy the service manual for your tv. There are instructions on how to check and adjust the settings after installation of a new light engine. Not too difficult it looks like and then your tv will work again.

Or as suggested above, call Samsung and get another service center to adjust the tv. The tech you are using is not qualified to fix your tv. I would post the instructions but my tv is a different model and it could make your tv worse. The service manual is good to have anyway in case you need more info in the future.

So the tech is for sure suppose to go in the service manual and do adjustments after installing new parts. I just want to make sure before I call samsung to tell them the tech didn't do that.

After replacing the innards, they should at least be adjusting the index delay. To be honest, to me that's kinda what looks to be the problem. That, and maybe the gamma setting being off.

Indy, In the service manual p.3-16 (in mine anyway, HLR) it says: After replacing a light engine: CCA adjustment is needed, then it goes into detail as to the steps, then it says some more about Acutator Gain adjustment, again instructions on how to do it. Also, on p 3-1 they have a table of items, and after each item (part replaced) they tell the tech what has to be adjusted, then in the following pages the exact instructions are given. In the table area (there are 9 parts listed) it says,for the optical engine (light engine?) adjust: Front lcd, Index Delay, Actuator Gain, V-Position, H-Position, CCA, and Tilt Focus.

So yes, there are things to adjust and your tech is not doing any of them. They even have pictures about how things should look when correct.

Indy, In the service manual p.3-16 (in mine anyway, HLR) it says: After replacing a light engine: CCA adjustment is needed, then it goes into detail as to the steps, then it says some more about Acutator Gain adjustment, again instructions on how to do it. Also, on p 3-1 they have a table of items, and after each item (part replaced) they tell the tech what has to be adjusted, then in the following pages the exact instructions are given. In the table area (there are 9 parts listed) it says,for the optical engine (light engine?) adjust: Front lcd, Index Delay, Actuator Gain, V-Position, H-Position, CCA, and Tilt Focus.

So yes, there are things to adjust and your tech is not doing any of them. They even have pictures about how things should look when correct.

Do you know if this applies to HLS series?

After seeing other's pics of the same scene from transformers, yes, I'll agree with the tech that it's the material. So in that scene where Sam is looking for the glasses in his room, yeah, the wall will look kinda white in areas. What I'm questioning now is the severity of it.

I went to a local store last night and they had transformers playing. They were using the same setup, Toshiba XA2 and DLP RPTV, though it was a new Mits and not a Sammy. I was able to check out that scene as well as others and it just didn't look as harsh as what mine looks like. It looked a lot smoother and ALOT more bearable. It wasn't as harsh or as gritty as mine looks. Maybe it's just the different brand of display.

I called Sammy last night and asked if the tech is suppose to go into the service menu and make adjustments after installing a light engine. They said that they weren't entirely sure but that they should be checking that stuff anyway. I told Sammy that he didn't do that. I was present both times - the whole time. All he did was switch out parts and leave.

So I then called up the tech this morning about going into the service menu after changing out major components like the light engine. He said that there is no need to do that. Components like that are preset from the factory. I can tell I was starting to irritate him. He goes on to say that making adjustments in the service menu he can't do. According to him, it requires multi-million dollar equipment to do that and he doesn't have access to that equipment. He pretty much told me to just get over it. If I want perfection, get an analog tv.

Any opinions? Any techs out there?

The economics of doing repairs is that unless they are a one-person operation without a shop to babysit, they only get about 1 hour to repair a TV to be profitable for their company. Most experienced techs are good enough to do an expert repair, but are constrained by this fact. They will do good repairs, but have to 'rob Peter to pay Paul' in order to get some good repairs done. Not to mention the time it takes to research the service manuals for 100s of makes and models.
Be it known that any Samsung DLPs are similar in procedure, they're still not identical; and like I say: they only have 1 hr. time on average. So,solution: he will definitely remember this for a couple weeks, or so.--this is where customer service steps in. lol

I might as well trump this up.
There is basically two hafs to this TV--the light engine and the signal block.
On Samsungs newer than the HLN series, there is a convenient feature that allows for copying the LE data to the digital module and vise-versa.
To change the LE, he first copies from LE to Dig. Then he changes LE and copies LE data back to new LE.
Actuator gain and index delay are one easy adj each, but CCA is 12 adj with huge ranges and varies widely per LE-- one LE may have Yred= 200, and another has =650.

The economics of doing repairs is that unless they are a one-person operation without a shop to babysit, they only get about 1 hour to repair a TV to be profitable for their company. Most experienced techs are good enough to do an expert repair, but are constrained by this fact. They will do good repairs, but have to 'rob Peter to pay Paul' in order to get some good repairs done. Not to mention the time it takes to research the service manuals for 100s of makes and models.
Be it known that any Samsung DLPs are similar in procedure, they're still not identical; and like I say: they only have 1 hr. time on average. So,solution: he will definitely remember this for a couple weeks, or so.--this is where customer service steps in. lol

Well, he wasn't even there that long - maybe 15min tops. Like I said, all he did is switch out parts - nothing else. The fact that he won't even go into the service menu to make sure that everything is set correctly and that he also uses the excuss that it takes multi-million dollar equipment to do so is making me wonder if this guy is even legit. No to mention that he blames HDMI for part of the problem. He thinks HDMI sucks and should never be used.

I just don't want to go with this guy anymore and want to get my facts straight before going to samsung and try to get them to send out someone else.

I don't blame him about the HDMI; it has had a lot of problems and sometimes you don't know what's wrong with that.
A tip is I wouldn't call Samsung and say the tech did a bad job. Just say what's wrong with it now. They're not going to want to hear how you know what the tech should or should not have done. There are some factory direct Samsung techs out there, depending on where you live, who'll come out themselves.
There's also a sticker that was supposed to come with the LE with all the adj. values for that LE.

I don't blame him about the HDMI; it has had a lot of problems and sometimes you don't know what's wrong with that.
A tip is I wouldn't call Samsung and say the tech did a bad job. Just say what's wrong with it now. They're not going to want to hear how you know what the tech should or should not have done. There are some factory direct Samsung techs out there, depending on where you live, who'll come out themselves.
There's also a sticker that was supposed to come with the LE with all the adj. values for that LE.

I also tried brand new component cables and it still looked the same, so I'm guessing it's not HDMI.

The bad thing about calling Samsung is that they already know about all of this, so I really can't call back and tell them what's wrong because they know already. I called them last night to try and find out about the whole service menu thing. So they know that the tech didn't go into the service menu to even check it. I was about to call them and tell them about what went down today when I talked to the tech.

I didn't want to deal with this tech / service company any more and asked if they (sammy) could send someone else out and they said no because it's within the 30 days since these guys serviced it, so they need to take care of it. So right now I'm kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place, if I believe what the tech said about him not able to do adjustments in the service menu.

Does that company have another tech?
In your phone book are there any other Samsung auth. servicers? If so, wait for 30 days to expire and call them directy. Maybe have your sales receipt for warr verification for them.