Official Samsung LNxxA650 Owner's Thread

[dx31698]

I got a couple requests for an owners thread, so thats why im starting this one. Most of you who have been follwing the other thread on these know that I have had mine since Tuesday and love it. I would recommend anyone interested in one to go to a big bix store and try it out for the 30 days. I really like the color, but its a personal preference.

I think the amp has been toned down a bit but it seems to be working nicely. I mentioned last night I was able to watch Lost last night without any stutter or judder( I still dont really know the difference) where as i could never watch that show with any amp with my 69.

Give it a shot and you will enjoy!


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May 14 2008 Update:

A New firmware has been put out for this set. ver 2001.3

Click on the link to see what it does

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/do...sp_nm=LN46A650




May 3 2008 Update:


FIRMWARE UPGRADES

The LNxxA650 LCD series had a flaw in the first run production units that caused the TV to turn off & on sporadically.
Samsung released firmware 1003.G after a few weeks of the TV's release to fix this.
The firmware not only fixed the reset problem, but also increased the strength of the Auto Motion Plus feature, but it had a bug that caused the AMP to be stuck & not be turned off when set to off.
The current firmware, 1003.M, was released 3 or so days afterthe 1003.G firmware. The new firmware fixed the reset problem & the stuck AMP bug, but also toned down the AMP strength to previous levels.

The current 1003.M firmware can be found at:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jexhkgj2uhl

The previous firmware 1003.G. can be found at:
http://www.mediafire.com/?4d5lz449etu


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BUGS & KNOWN PROBLEMS

There are currently two know bugs still present with the TV. A audio bug where if you mute the sound & have it being run through a receiver or headphones, the sound will un-mute itself.
More posts talking about the audio bug can be found here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=5016
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=2743
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=6267
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=6727

There is also a bug where selecting a 1080p resolution over component will cause frequent dropouts, selecting any resolution other than 1080p will fix this.
The component dropout have also been confirmed to be on the Samsung LNxxA650 DLP series as well.

There have also been some reports of the stand of the TV being loose & wobbly.


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PURPLE HAZE

There have been reports that some models of this TV have a purple haze to them. There has been no correlation on which models have this. There have been rumors that the haze may be from anti-reflective coating, but nothing has been proven. The haze seems to be a isolated incident with few owners reporting it in. The haze some have reported might also be from off-axis vertical viewing & not off axis horizontal viewing, as the vertical viewing angles seem to not be as good as Samsungs previous 71f LCD.

Pictures of the purple haze:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=6957
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5...0135160za9.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5...0135160za9.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5...0135160za9.jpg

Here is a picture of the German model with the purple haze:
http://i28.tinypic.com/hrwom1.png

Here is a off axis vertical picture showing the purple haze:


Here is some information on dialing down the purple haze:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=7265

The majority of owners have claimed to not have this haze at all.
Here are some picture of off angle viewing with no purple haze:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=7134
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=7135


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

AUTO MOTION PLUS

The strength of the AMP by default is toned down from than the previous version in the Samsung xx71f series LCD, but it can be upped to the same levels by going into the service menu:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=5192

Originally Posted by RiVoLT

For those that need to juice up AMP - FYI - I take no responsibility this is easy but it is at your own risk. Do not mess with settings that you are unsure of.

To increase AMP in the SM what you need to do is:

1. Turn off the TV
2. Press 'Mute' '1' '8' '2' 'Power'
3. The TV will start and you will be in the SM (give it a few extra seconds).

NOTICE: On this screen you will see an 'FRCM_Option' that is greyed out. ALSO take note of the 'View Log' option - you will need this in the end.

4. The first item is 'Optionbyte' go into that menu.
5. There will be an 'FRCM Option'
6. Click and set it to ON
7. Hit Return (maybe hit it 2x) to go back to the main menu
8. Now you will notice that the FRCM_Option is not greyed out.
9. Go into the 'FRCM_Option' menu
10. You will see Film_Low - Film_Medi - Film_High listed 4 times each. (SD or HD and 22 and 32)
11. To change say AMP 'High' setting change ALL FOUR Film_High options
12. Remember that '32' is off and '0' is full blast. I assume you are looking to make all four Film_High_?D_#2 options to '0' instead of 10 (default in 1003.M)

13. Once the changes are made hit return to go back to main menu.
14. Go back to OptionByte and turn off the 'FRCM Option'
15. Go back to the Main SM menu and you will see FRCM_Option greyed out again.
16. Go to the 'View Log' option and choose 'Delete Log'
17. Press the 'Right' corner of the 'wheel' on the remote or just right direction on another universal remote. The word 'OK' should appear to confirm that its deleted.
18. Go back and select 'View Log' instead of 'Delete Log' and it should say 'Log does not exist!!'

19. Now that you've 'covered your tracks'. You can hit 'Power' to turn off the tv and then turn it back on and magically your 'AMP' will be 'Juiced up'.

20. Enjoy! .

Increasing the strength can cause more motion artifacts & Samsung states that going into the service menu will void your warranty.


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

SERVICE MENU

In case you need to know what the original values of the service menu were, RiVoLT took pictures of the service menus in all three firmwares available:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=4816

SM Screens for 1002.3 (~35MB)

SM Screens for 1003.G (~35MB)

SM Screens for 1003.M (~35MB)

His observations of the differences between the three firmware changes:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=4828


It is also possible to reset all the settings back to what they were when you bought the TV if for whatever reason you need to.
Znutz had posted how to perform a factory reset:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=7134

Originally Posted by znutz

A. Factory Reset[/b]
1. Turn off the TV
2. Press 'Mute' '1' '8' '2' 'Power'
3. The TV will start and you will be in the SM (give it a few extra seconds).
4. Select Optionbyte
5. Select Factory Reset twice

____________________________________________________________ __________________________

TOUCH OF RED & GLOSSY SCREEN

The LNxxA650 has a dark crimson colored bezel, that can be seen in extreme lighting conditions, here are some pictures that show the crimson:
http://www.fuelslut.net/ihost/files/17006/TVBlack2.JPG

Samsung also announced that there would be multi colors of the bezels for the A650 series during CES, but there has been absolutely no information of any new colors being available anytime soon:



The LNxxA650 also has a glossy screen, which is said to have slightly better anti-reflective coating over the previous Samsung 71f LCD series.

Here are some comparison pictures of the matted Samsung LNxxA550 LCD vs. the glossy LNxxA650 LCD (thanks to the A550 thread):

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attac...3&d=1206562261


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

UPSCALER

The A650 has a very good upscaler, vastly superior to the previous ones Samsung & most other LCD makers has used:
Some pics of shadow hearts running at 480i:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=6592


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

BACKLIGHT CLOUDING/MURA/FLASHLIGHTS

Some owners have complained that their sets have flashlight on the corners of the TV:
http://i26.tinypic.com/2ccmipd.jpg
or some backlight clouding/bleed/mura (example):
http://i29.tinypic.com/2zi7oqp.jpg

Here is the official LNxxA650 thread for Clouding & flashlights:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1018338

Here is a tip to try AND remove or lessen the problems:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...78&postcount=6

The official Sony backlight thread can be viewed here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=748779
The thread has nearly 9,000 posts about backlight bleeding about the Sony XBR2/3 series, but the discussion can be applied to any LCD.


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

CONTRAST & RESPONSE TIME NUMBERS

The Samsung LNxxA650 series has a quoted dynamic contrast of 50,000:1, but Podol, a Korean ISF calibrator that did a review of this set came up with different numbers:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...9&postcount=61

Originally Posted by Podol

Regarding contrast ratio, 71F's dynamic CR's are better in my measurement.
But A650 is better in panel's static CR with turning off any dynamic backlight control.
71F(Korean Model# F81BD)'s Max CR measured 27525:1(even better than Samsung's own 25000:1 spec) and then blacks read 0.012 nits that time.
That's close to Pioneer Kuro's blacks(0.013 cd/m² initially, 0.006 cd/m² after few seconds)
On the other hands, A650's max dynamic CR is limited to around 10K to 1, still better static CR than 71F.

Most new TV's from any major brand, IMO, have enough blacks and CR's unless you're watching it in a darkened room
A650 has around 2000 to 1 non-dynamic, static CR.(2291 : 1 for my measurement)
And that's pretty good enough and better than 71F, I think.
I assume Samsung changed their dynamic backlight control algorithm less aggressively this time and that's why 71F has more CR.
But A650's panels static CR's higher than 71F.

The TV is quoted to have a response time of 4ms. How that figures into real numbers has not been tested yet, but as a indication hometheatermag.com tested Samsung's previous 120hz model with 8ms. response time & they came up with 600 lines motion resolution.
http://hometheatermag.com/images/arc...8hdtest.5b.jpg

____________________________________________________________ __________________________

CALIBRATION

The Offical Samsung LNxxA650 Calibration thread is here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...9#post13515899

cNet calibration for this TV is here:
http://help.cnet.com/9602-12576_39-0...sageID=2510694


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

REVIEWS

cNet review of the LN 52A650 is here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...7.html?tag=tpr

Podol's Korean review is here (translated by google):
http://www.google.com/translate?u=ht...&hl=en&ie=UTF8

A Youtube video review can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBAXH9LvX74


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

INPUT LAG & AMP MOTION ARTIFACTS

borf posted numbers on input lag on his Samsung's xx69f 120hz LCD series here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=960548

All that information can be applied to the xxA650 series as well. The only difference is that Game mode on these sets seem to really reduce input lag.

INFORMATION & PICTURES OF MOTION INTERPOLATION ARTIFACTS

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=342

All these can be applied to the A650, except the stutter which seems to have been reduced greatly.


____________________________________________________________ __________________________

INSIDE THE PANEL

Mikl1984 has posted info & picturs on the actual panel inside the frame:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=142
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=173
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=590


THE GAMERS INPUT LAG THREAD

Samsung LNxxA650 Gamer's (Input Lag) Thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1110472



FYI Big River is a codename for Amazon.com people invented here, so quit asking.[/quote][/quote][/quote]

[D92Mike]

Thanks for starting the thread. And in case anyone is looking for the series 5 thread, you can find it here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1005722

[bleednd82]

Dx I would repost those pics you had up. Maybe also add all the specs from the Tv as well. Seeing you started it!

[dx31698]

Im at work, dont have access to the pics. Maybe the other guy who just posetd his pics, can post them on here.

[taurus2007]

Or you can save them to your computer first and then upload them to your first post, giving credit to megapopular.

[dx31698]

I really didnt even know how to upload them in the first place, it took us like 25 minutes to figure it out. I dont care who gets credit, as long as everyone enjoys the tv

[megapopular]

Pic 49 is a non flash pic... natural lighting from a side kitchen window... you can see that the outer frame (bezel) does catch the light... the screen itself doesn't reflect too much. No doubt about it, the screen is reflective to a degree but once it has an image fed to it, it isn't a problem... for me anyway... next up is a close-up pic with flash!

[gilesmcgrath]

Thanks for the pics. The TV looks great. The remote however....ugh that thing is ugly as sin. Good thing we can get universal remotes.

[fenix31]

bout time we get some good pics thanks how about with the tv on and what are your first impressions?

[metal83]

Originally Posted by gilesmcgrath

Thanks for the pics. The TV looks great. The remote however....ugh that thing is ugly as sin. Good thing we can get universal remotes.

Yeah its not the best looking remote in the world thats for sure, but it looks easier to navigate than the one for the 71. I personally could care less about the remote, more interested in the tv.

[sirris4]

I got my delivered at 7am and set it up this morning. Awesome set. I got the 40" model with my employee discount at Best Buy. I'd been watching the 71/81 models for months and months but the AMP was just terrible on both. With my little bit of tinkering this morning I have to say that so far the AMP is rock solid. I even did a crosshair test with some PS3 and Xbox 360 shooters. There was no visible halo effect or delay that I could discern. The black levels appear to be richer. Less "blue" than the 71's tendency toward that. The tweaking options are insane also. Highly recommend this set to avid 71 lovers & haters of the 81s issues.

Edit: Also the picture seems to run the best with the backlight at about 5-7. Settings 8-10 was just wayyyyy to bright.

[Eddy13]

hey so hows the pq mega how does it compare to the 71 and to the sony...

[megapopular]

What do you think?

[gilesmcgrath]

Originally Posted by metal83

Yeah its not the best looking remote in the world thats for sure, but it looks easier to navigate than the one for the 71. I personally could care less about the remote, more interested in the tv.

I agree, now I just cant figure out if I am going to go for the 52A650 or the 52A750. It's a hard life.

[megapopular]

AMP is very smooth... no dead pixels... haven't done any detailed settings besides putting it on Full Scan on all inputs...

[sirris4]

Originally Posted by metal83

Yeah its not the best looking remote in the world thats for sure, but it looks easier to navigate than the one for the 71. I personally could care less about the remote, more interested in the tv.

Yea. But the scroll wheel sucks. Just not feeling it.

[PENDRAG0ON]

Mega, that Casino Royal picture seems a bit overblown color wise, what picture mode was that taken on?

[Eddy13]

hows the glare compared to the 71 and would u say that this sets pq is equal to that of the 71 or sony

[metal83]

Originally Posted by gilesmcgrath

I agree, now I just cant figure out if I am going to go for the 52A650 or the 52A750. It's a hard life.

I hear ya, but i dont think the 750 is coming out for a little while. And if all it has is a couple useless features it may not be worth it. I am seriously thinking about just returning my 71 tomorrow and ordering the 650. Only thing that would suck is it not being any better than the 71. But i have a feeling it will be. Its kind of do or die right now, i cant wait till they actually get the 650 in stores to go look at it because my 30 days is up on monday. Tough, tough decision.

[durangojim]

I can't tell, is there a reflective (high contrast) screen on this set or is it like most other lcds with a flat screen?

[JoeBel]

oh boy I've gotta hold myself back from ordering this set from BB now. I see the earliest delivery date of 3/20, but I think I'm gonna wait to see how the prices are on Amazon for it.

Thanks for all the pics, looks awesome, can't wait!

[gilesmcgrath]

Originally Posted by metal83

I hear ya, but i dont think the 750 is coming out for a little while. And if all it has is a couple useless features it may not be worth it. I am seriously thinking about just returning my 71 tomorrow and ordering the 650. Only thing that would suck is it not being any better than the 71. But i have a feeling it will be.

I am sure it is better. Would not make a lot of sense for Samsung to release an inferior product. Any guesses as to when the 750 is going to come out? I did have the 5271 on order, but canceled the day before delivery for the 650. I am now thinking of doing it again to get the 750. That is only because I think the 750 looks slightly cooler, and It may have a better VP chip (again this is not confirmed, just speculation). If indeed it does, I will hold off for the 750.

[taurus2007]

Originally Posted by gilesmcgrath

I am sure it is better. Would not make a lot of sense for Samsung to release an inferior product. Any guesses as to when the 750 is going to come out? I did have the 5271 on order, but canceled the day before delivery for the 650. I am now thinking of doing it again to get the 750. That is only because I think the 750 looks slightly cooler, and It may have a better VP chip (again this is not confirmed, just speculation). If indeed it does, I will hold off for the 750.

750 should be out in May. I bet it would be late May.

[megapopular]

This camera isn't getting the same view that I see on this sh**ty Time Warner cable... but you can get an idea of the quality of the screen... still all natural lighting... I have an ambient light behind my TV... most watching is at night, though... about to find a Blu-Ray with dark sceens... then it's on to Call of Duty 4... what tests can I do to see about blur, smearing, TBE, etc???

[Redfoot12]

Thanks for starting this thread. I was a little worried about the TOC but it doesn't seem that pronounced in normal viewing conditions. When the price comes down some I'll probably become an owner as well. My friend and I have been looking at TV's over the last year or so and he finally got his 71 today. All the TBE and stutter talk scared me off so I decided to wait for this model.

[megapopular]

Remote control is cool... hit the ON/OFF button for the backlight to "ON" and it has a motion sensor... set it down... the light goes off... pick it up and it senses it and the backlight turns on! You have the option of turning the backlight "OFF" totally, too. Pretty well thought out!!

[capa2000]

Originally Posted by megapopular

This camera isn't getting the same view that I see on this sh**ty Time Warner cable... but you can get an idea of the quality of the screen... still all natural lighting... I have an ambient light behind my TV... most watching is at night, though... about to find a Blu-Ray with dark sceens... then it's on to Call of Duty 4... what tests can I do to see about blur, smearing, TBE, etc???

See how it handles the triple crosshair effect...have the cross hairs up and spin around madly...see if it can keep up!

C

[fenix31]

definately needs to be calibrated. not sure how i feel about the lines running vertically shown in the pic of last nights Lost episode. lets see some CoD4 action

[megapopular]

In response to the Lost pic, it's the cable company... notice none of that shows in the Casino Royale Pic.

[VarmintCong]

I don't get people looking at LCD TV images, taken with a digital camera, viewed on their PC's LCD or CRT, and trying to judge picture quality.