Welcome!
For Posterity in this thread.. if you could post your firmware version and country purchased as well. that would be great! My firmware is 2011/02/11_001007.(CAN) you can check the firmware version from "menu, support---software upgrade"
The D550 series is IMO the best panel for the PQ/BUCKS! It has virtually the same panel as the higher end models of the Samsung '11 lines. Series 5,6,7,8.
The only thing the 6,7,8 series have is AR filter/RealBlackFilter/10pt Calibration/Smart TV Functions.
We now have a way to unlock the 10point advanced calibration on our awesome mid range TV's in the D550 series. This makes IMO our sets a high range set. With this we can have virtually the same PQ as the highest end set. Better color accuracy and grayscale.
I am not talking about blacks... that is another thing.. but imo it's totally subjective unless you have the panels side by side.. and even then.. i think it's 50% wishfull thinking and 50% placebo. lol..
anyways..
onto the instructions.. eh?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I, AND NO-ONE ELSE IN THIS THREAD ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISHAPS WITH YOUR SET.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn off display and punch in the following "Mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - Power" to enter service menu.
Enter the Option menu.
Highlight the set name it should say D550. click left until you come upon D7000. Select it and then exit option menu back to main menu.
Now if you want you can enable Cal-Day, Cal-Night. this will give you 2 more picture modes so you can store some more settings for PQ.
it is in the Expert menu. Enable the d/n and then exit to main menu.
Now shut off display. and turn back on.
You now have extra options as the d7000 d6500/d6900 d8000 have.
The only catch is.. the hdmi ports get muddled and you have to crossmatch them for them to work.. crossmatching is explained below.. basically you need all 4 ports plugged in for crossmatching to function 100% and give you all ports working fine.. if you don't have access to 4 devices to use hdmi with.. then you can use the "idle port" fix that is explained below and in this thread as well. previously it was thought that you couldn't have all ports working maybe only 3 and the using of the idle port.. but when full crossmatching is applied.. the is totally negated and we can indeed use all 4 ports fine and dandy!
The HDMI ports get crossmatched to the port names in the source menu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crossmatching Explained.. Further information about Idle ports and Crossmatching to obtain and use all 4 ports on your SET
Crossmatch the ports you need.. Note--((the ps3 on my set when turned off ceases to function via HDMI this causes a break in the chain and screws ups the crossmatch/idle port. (total crossmatching Gives you the total use of all 4 ports)
Idle port still applies if you are using say 2 or 3 its essentially still a crossmatch because you need the opposite side for it to work *idle port* and if you crossmatch the idle port.. the idle port will function.. and so on and so forth.
In this thread. the term crossmatching is used to denote the unusual problem we have when needing a port to function correctly. you need a matched port on the other side.. (cross-match). the crossmatching is normally fine because we usually have all the devices on and plugged in via hdmi in the chain and of course having the (idle port).. so if all devices function correctly and the idle port is working then crossmatching is fine.
but.. when you have an idle port and another link in the chain(ps3-hdmi) that turns off.. it can cause issues with crossmatching. (e.g. the port crossmatching to the ps3 will cease to function.. causing a chain problem...
this can be moot if you just crossmatch the port to an port that doesn't need to be used all the time.. and again.. this may not be an issue to all.. and just my bug.
it's just good to hash this out.. i was going to post more about the crossmatching but needed to figure out some more things first. now i have posted it we can see what if any other issues we have.
you an see the crossmatch for your ownself by plugging in each port via hdmi. then checking all sources. now unplug each one and you see that they are all matched to one another.
The crossmatching theory that i have found negates the idle port.. because if you have all 4 ports plugged in and HOT WIRED to a LIVE SOUCE... All Ports Function Fine!
Hence the Crossmatching.
so... there it is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You need 2 HDMI plugged in to have 1 HDMI. You need 3 HDMI plugged in to have 2 Sources. and last but not least.. you need 4 HDMI plugged in to have 3 sources..
This is the catch.. it's not a big deal.. because with HDMI splitters and AVR's.. it isn't a problem.. but for some it may be an issue.. You have to have an actual HDMI LIVE WIRE plugged in.. as in it has to be SOURCE TO SOURCE.
For instance.. i have my devices as so.
HDA1-HD DVD player. Plugged into port 2. it shows up in menu as port 4
I have my PS3 plugged into port 3 and it shows up as port 2 in menu.
I have my pc plugged into port 4 and it shows up in menu as port 1 DVI/PC.
Now because of the crossmatch between ports.. We in this thread have determined that you need what we have coined as an IDLE port.
My "idle" port is port 1 on the back of the unit. It presumably would have been port 3 but i haven't tested it as i have no sources left.. It is simply plugged into the "HDMI OUT" port on my AVR. I have currently decided to matrix all the sound to 2.1 through my AVR via Optical from my TV. This is easier for me now.. when i get a better AVR and Better Player e.g Top of the line Samsung, or the like with Analogs.. i an do HD sound.. but it is what it is..
I dug around the threads and found these to be my favorite settings for the set.
They were from the d8000 calibration thread you will no doubt parse and see below.
The set was calibrated by CHAD. He is a very good calibrator by virtue of his reputation on AVS and elsewhere.
Here are my Advanced Calibration Settings.
Mode:Movie
-------------
Cell Light---20
Contrast---95
Brightness---53
Sharpness---5 (((I prefer 20)))
Color---50
Tint---50/50
Black Tone---off
Dynamic---off
Gamma--- *(-1)* I prefer 0 or +1 i think it was calibrated for very dark room?
Rgb Only---off
Flesh Tone---0
Motion Light---off
xvYcc---off
Color Tone---warm2 (i prefer warm1) Standard for 3d settings.
Digital Noise---off
Mpeg Noise---off
I choose to run cinema smooth for BD's.
----------------
Color Space
_______
Red_r-----43
Red_g-----6
Red_b-----5
_______
Green_r-----14
Green_g-----50
Green_b-----1
_______
Blue_r-----3
Blue_g-----0
Blue_b-----47
_______
Yellow_r-----48
Yellow_g-----50
Yellow_b-----5
_______
Cyan_r-----15
Cyan_g-----49
Cyan_b-----51
_______
Magenta_r-----44
Magenta_g-----6
Magenta_b-----48
________________
White Balance
----------------
r_offset-----25
g_offset-----25
b_offset-----25
r_gain-----25
b_gain-----25
g_gain-----30
________________
10 Point Calibration
-----------------------
r1--------(1
g1-------(0
b1-------(1
r2-------(-4
g2-------(-3
b2-------(-4
r3-------(1
g3-------(1
b3-------(0
r4-------(0
g4-------(1
b4-------(1
r5-------(2
g5-------(2
b5-------(3
r6-------(1
g6-------(1
b6-------(2
r7-------(0
g7-------(0
b7-------(0
r8-------(-1
g8-------(-1
b8-------(-1
r9-------(0
g9-------(0
b9-------(-1
r10-------(1
g10-------(0
b10-------(-3
For 3d. I use this mode. but turn on dynamic contrast to high. black level to max. make sure the gamma is +1 and brightness is at 60.
Hope this works for u.
It took me 2 hours to calculate and find all these things and type out.
enjoi. and please keep this thread alive and post!!! and contribute.
Hopefully we get more interest in this and lots more folks.
I will post Blwn's settings and others below soon. so we can hopefully get some good info and contrast between what we find good with our advanced calibration settings for this set.
For Posterity in this thread.. if you could post your firmware version and country purchased as well. that would be great! My firmware is 2011/02/11_001007.(CAN) you can check the firmware version from "menu, support---software upgrade"
The D550 series is IMO the best panel for the PQ/BUCKS! It has virtually the same panel as the higher end models of the Samsung '11 lines. Series 5,6,7,8.
The only thing the 6,7,8 series have is AR filter/RealBlackFilter/10pt Calibration/Smart TV Functions.
We now have a way to unlock the 10point advanced calibration on our awesome mid range TV's in the D550 series. This makes IMO our sets a high range set. With this we can have virtually the same PQ as the highest end set. Better color accuracy and grayscale.
I am not talking about blacks... that is another thing.. but imo it's totally subjective unless you have the panels side by side.. and even then.. i think it's 50% wishfull thinking and 50% placebo. lol..
anyways..
onto the instructions.. eh?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I, AND NO-ONE ELSE IN THIS THREAD ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISHAPS WITH YOUR SET.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn off display and punch in the following "Mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - Power" to enter service menu.
Enter the Option menu.
Highlight the set name it should say D550. click left until you come upon D7000. Select it and then exit option menu back to main menu.
Now if you want you can enable Cal-Day, Cal-Night. this will give you 2 more picture modes so you can store some more settings for PQ.
it is in the Expert menu. Enable the d/n and then exit to main menu.
Now shut off display. and turn back on.
You now have extra options as the d7000 d6500/d6900 d8000 have.
The only catch is.. the hdmi ports get muddled and you have to crossmatch them for them to work.. crossmatching is explained below.. basically you need all 4 ports plugged in for crossmatching to function 100% and give you all ports working fine.. if you don't have access to 4 devices to use hdmi with.. then you can use the "idle port" fix that is explained below and in this thread as well. previously it was thought that you couldn't have all ports working maybe only 3 and the using of the idle port.. but when full crossmatching is applied.. the is totally negated and we can indeed use all 4 ports fine and dandy!
The HDMI ports get crossmatched to the port names in the source menu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crossmatching Explained.. Further information about Idle ports and Crossmatching to obtain and use all 4 ports on your SET
Crossmatch the ports you need.. Note--((the ps3 on my set when turned off ceases to function via HDMI this causes a break in the chain and screws ups the crossmatch/idle port. (total crossmatching Gives you the total use of all 4 ports)
Idle port still applies if you are using say 2 or 3 its essentially still a crossmatch because you need the opposite side for it to work *idle port* and if you crossmatch the idle port.. the idle port will function.. and so on and so forth.
In this thread. the term crossmatching is used to denote the unusual problem we have when needing a port to function correctly. you need a matched port on the other side.. (cross-match). the crossmatching is normally fine because we usually have all the devices on and plugged in via hdmi in the chain and of course having the (idle port).. so if all devices function correctly and the idle port is working then crossmatching is fine.
but.. when you have an idle port and another link in the chain(ps3-hdmi) that turns off.. it can cause issues with crossmatching. (e.g. the port crossmatching to the ps3 will cease to function.. causing a chain problem...
this can be moot if you just crossmatch the port to an port that doesn't need to be used all the time.. and again.. this may not be an issue to all.. and just my bug.
it's just good to hash this out.. i was going to post more about the crossmatching but needed to figure out some more things first. now i have posted it we can see what if any other issues we have.
you an see the crossmatch for your ownself by plugging in each port via hdmi. then checking all sources. now unplug each one and you see that they are all matched to one another.
The crossmatching theory that i have found negates the idle port.. because if you have all 4 ports plugged in and HOT WIRED to a LIVE SOUCE... All Ports Function Fine!
Hence the Crossmatching.
so... there it is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You need 2 HDMI plugged in to have 1 HDMI. You need 3 HDMI plugged in to have 2 Sources. and last but not least.. you need 4 HDMI plugged in to have 3 sources..
This is the catch.. it's not a big deal.. because with HDMI splitters and AVR's.. it isn't a problem.. but for some it may be an issue.. You have to have an actual HDMI LIVE WIRE plugged in.. as in it has to be SOURCE TO SOURCE.
For instance.. i have my devices as so.
HDA1-HD DVD player. Plugged into port 2. it shows up in menu as port 4
I have my PS3 plugged into port 3 and it shows up as port 2 in menu.
I have my pc plugged into port 4 and it shows up in menu as port 1 DVI/PC.
Now because of the crossmatch between ports.. We in this thread have determined that you need what we have coined as an IDLE port.
My "idle" port is port 1 on the back of the unit. It presumably would have been port 3 but i haven't tested it as i have no sources left.. It is simply plugged into the "HDMI OUT" port on my AVR. I have currently decided to matrix all the sound to 2.1 through my AVR via Optical from my TV. This is easier for me now.. when i get a better AVR and Better Player e.g Top of the line Samsung, or the like with Analogs.. i an do HD sound.. but it is what it is..
I dug around the threads and found these to be my favorite settings for the set.
They were from the d8000 calibration thread you will no doubt parse and see below.
The set was calibrated by CHAD. He is a very good calibrator by virtue of his reputation on AVS and elsewhere.
Here are my Advanced Calibration Settings.
Mode:Movie
-------------
Cell Light---20
Contrast---95
Brightness---53
Sharpness---5 (((I prefer 20)))
Color---50
Tint---50/50
Black Tone---off
Dynamic---off
Gamma--- *(-1)* I prefer 0 or +1 i think it was calibrated for very dark room?
Rgb Only---off
Flesh Tone---0
Motion Light---off
xvYcc---off
Color Tone---warm2 (i prefer warm1) Standard for 3d settings.
Digital Noise---off
Mpeg Noise---off
I choose to run cinema smooth for BD's.
----------------
Color Space
_______
Red_r-----43
Red_g-----6
Red_b-----5
_______
Green_r-----14
Green_g-----50
Green_b-----1
_______
Blue_r-----3
Blue_g-----0
Blue_b-----47
_______
Yellow_r-----48
Yellow_g-----50
Yellow_b-----5
_______
Cyan_r-----15
Cyan_g-----49
Cyan_b-----51
_______
Magenta_r-----44
Magenta_g-----6
Magenta_b-----48
________________
White Balance
----------------
r_offset-----25
g_offset-----25
b_offset-----25
r_gain-----25
b_gain-----25
g_gain-----30
________________
10 Point Calibration
-----------------------
r1--------(1
g1-------(0
b1-------(1
r2-------(-4
g2-------(-3
b2-------(-4
r3-------(1
g3-------(1
b3-------(0
r4-------(0
g4-------(1
b4-------(1
r5-------(2
g5-------(2
b5-------(3
r6-------(1
g6-------(1
b6-------(2
r7-------(0
g7-------(0
b7-------(0
r8-------(-1
g8-------(-1
b8-------(-1
r9-------(0
g9-------(0
b9-------(-1
r10-------(1
g10-------(0
b10-------(-3
For 3d. I use this mode. but turn on dynamic contrast to high. black level to max. make sure the gamma is +1 and brightness is at 60.
Hope this works for u.
It took me 2 hours to calculate and find all these things and type out.
enjoi. and please keep this thread alive and post!!! and contribute.
Hopefully we get more interest in this and lots more folks.
I will post Blwn's settings and others below soon. so we can hopefully get some good info and contrast between what we find good with our advanced calibration settings for this set.