Official Samsung LNxxD630 Owner's Thread - Page 10

With the component connection (RGB) you will probably get a little better quality than with the composite (Yellow) but not a huge improvement. I prefer connecting devices directly to the TV but either way would work with the Xbox. The Samsung has connections on the right side for composite which is pretty handy for gaming consoles.

Anyone done a side by side comparison of the samsung lnxxd550 with the lnxxd630?

How much does the 120 hz panel help?

What about amp?

Are these two features worth the difference in price?

If you go back and read this thread or google AMP you will see that most do not like it.

On the Wii concept, that XBox Kinnect she has is currently attached to the front of the DVR/VHS recorder in AV2 with the red,yellow,white. Do you imagine with the new setup it would be better served with the what, red/blue/green component wiring directly into the new Samsung or is is more likely it'll still feed into the combo? Am I making this a lot harder than it probably will be when I put it together? Thanks.[/quote]

I have the wii hooked up through component and it is a much better picture than with the composite connection. A lot brighter and less fuzzy.

I hate amp but the 630 just plain has a better picture than the 550. I've only seen the ln40d630 in the stores as I'm probably going to buy one for the bedroom but there's a ln37d550 at work that I get to see quite a bit of. I much prefer the 630.

Isn't it common knowledge that component is better than composite?

It's true but how common is it?

Well, since it's more modern than composite and takes 3 cables for video only compared to only one.
I don't want to sound like a douche though, there is so much in this industry that doesn't make any sense.

EDIT: I have the 46" model of this television, it's my first LCD ever. The television I was using before this was a 17 years old 33" (yes, 33) Hitachi CRT.
Anyways, I plugged my computer with a 35 foot long HDMI, works like a charm. It's plugged in the HDMI that's called "DVI to HDMI" in the manual. For some reason I can't put this signal in Game Mode. Not a real problem for me, I was just wondering why.

Does anyone know for sure if the LN40D630 supports ARC (Audio Return Channel)? I want to get a soundbar and let it do the HDMI switching so I need to know for certain. I have Googled and searched for the answer including the product spec sheets, Samsung's knowledge base, etc. and cannot find the answer.

Thanks. I had a chance to check out the 630 over the weekend. I can't really comment on overall picture quality, as the demo set was completely tweaked out--max contrast, brightness, color, you know how they do it.

I did demo the amp feature (via the split screen demo). If you are watching casually, and if there is little movement on-screen, it's hard to tell if it's on or off.

However, with (very) fast moving images, such as with sports, the difference in clarity is noticeable and appreciable. The same holds true with scrolling text.

I did not notice any strange artifacts with amp turned on. However, I was unable to verify the exact setting--aside from the fact that it was on "demo mode," whatever that may mean as far as specific amp settings are concerned.

Overall, I'd say it's a useful feature for sports, and more or less unobtrusive or just plain unnecessary with other sources.

The source material in no way resembled shoddy video material (i.e., the so-called soap opera effect) with amp on. Film still looked like film.

From my brief demo, it appears as if amp works pretty darn well--meaning it works when it's supposed to, and doesn't change image quality noticeably otherwise.

I must say I am still quite happy with my 60 hz tv, but this is a feature I'd be happy to shop for in the future.

You can't judge the AMP effect fully unless you're watching a movie--i.e., filmed material, not sports. You will then see the "soap opera effect" in demo mode (which splits the screen vertically and shows AMP on half the picture) or in standard mode. It's very obvious. Movement looks overly smooth for film--I find it unnatural and distracting. Some people turn it off completely; for me, I find it unobtrusive at its "Clear" setting.

Before buying this set, you might want to go back to the store and ask them to let you play with the remote to see if you like what you get. I can tell you that I'm extremely happy with the picture quality of this set in every way. My only quibble with this TV is that the arrow keys on the remote, and the ENTER key in the middle of them, are quite flat, and it's too easy to push the wrong one. I have never used the internal speakers, so I have nothing to say about the sound quality.

Nevermind. Called Samsung and they confirmed it supports ARC, but only on HDMI 2.

While it can be difficult to discern the difference in resolution (depending on screen size and viewing distance) do not underestimate the potential for SCALING artifacts. You want to minimize the amount of processing and scaling in general. If scaling is necessary then make sure that it is being done by the most competent piece of equipment you have. Usually the cable box is the worst at doing this.

I highly recommend bias lighting. If we're just flipping through the channels I'll usually just dim the lights a little, but if we're settling in for some quality viewing then the bias light comes on and the house lights go off. It reduces eye strain and gives just enough ambient light so you don't trip if you have to get up during a dark scene. It also seems to give the picture a little more "pop", perhaps because the black bars around the image seem even blacker with that little halo of light emanating from around the bezel.

Hello. I am close to getting this TV. I am interested in the ethernet connection. I'm running 2 hdmi cables and 2 cat5 cables to my tv area to my basement pc, and using pc as a htpc. I can pump the avi movies off pc to tv via hdmi, but you mentioned you're able to do this over the ethernet. Is cat5 doing well at this? I'm even wondering why I need to run the hdmi's, other that the fact of having them routed through the wall now, instead of later. Please explain. Also advise if you still think the TV is worth the $$650 price tag. I like this set for the (less than) 39" width, as is what my cabinet is. My other choice would be LED samsung, but not sold on edge lighting quite yet. Anyone is welcome to advise on any of my concerns. DM

Lan connection only works with DLNA, which is a mess. The TV reads files perfectly with a USB drive, even blu-ray quality videos, like a 10gb files...

will be using good quality hdmi. my pc to tv is 50'. too long of run (for me) with usb. dnla seems like it'd work pretty good as well. will hook it up and give it a try. take care....dm

Can you confirm that it did indeed work? It's funny, I just picked up a soundbar last night for my 46D630, and after digging around on the internet for quite some time, I was disappointed that it didn't seem to support ARC. I remember reading that Samsung only added this feature to their 3D sets. I was resigned to rustling up some optical cables to make it all work. The ability to do HDMI switching is a really cool and tidy way to organize your system. I have the same soundbar hooked up in another spare bedroom to a Sony 909 which clearly was labled for ARC support.

I'm glad I came to this thread, but something tells me that Samsung is wrong here.

I haven't tried it yet as I wanted to confirm that it did before I bought a soundbar (I'm leaning towards the Vizio VHT215 or the Sony HT-CT150).
I'm wondering if it supported it out of the box or in a later firmware update as I have not updated the firmware on my TV. There's also the possibility the person I talked to could have been misinformed, but I questioned her twice and she seemed positive it was supported on HDMI-2. I guess we won't know for sure until we give it a try.

Thanks for the follow-up Rob (My name is also Rob BTW...), and the soundbar that I just purchased for the D630 is indeed the Sony CT150. Best Buy has it on sale for $209.99 currently. In the store, it comes up $299, but online it's listed for the sale price. They matched their online price with absolutely no problem. It was nice to load it into my car and not have to worry about the thing being damaged during shipping. BB's price is actually cheaper than Amazon, which doesn't even have it in stock.

As for the 150, I initially purchased one for another TV, and I was absolutely impressed with the sound quality. I like it so much, that I just got the 2nd one. The reviews are certainly more than favorable, and it's a great little system for a bargain price of $210. It gets plenty loud, looks really sleek, and makes for a clean and simple setup. The D630 speakers are absolutely god-awful to my ears, and it's hard to even hear dialogue with the volume cranked up. This soundbar will surely add another dimension to the experience.

I'm going to hookup the soundbar tonight, and fingers crossed that it supports ARC. The manual makes no mention of it, and my Sony TV that does support ARC stamps it next to the appropriate HDMI input on the back of the set. The fact that it's missing on the Samsung leads me to believe we may be out of luck.

But we can certainly try! And you won't be disappointed in the Sony soundbar either. I have no experience with the Vizio unit. The 150 does a great job for its intended purpose. It's loud, quality sound, if not surround sound. But for most applications, it's perfect. And the subwoofer really does thump along...

Thanks Rob and can't wait to hear how you make out tonight.

Did you get the sound bar installed? Are you mounting it to the TV? I'm thinking about getting one of these.

I ended up buying one of these from Best Buy last night. Hope to get it set up today. From the reading I've done it seems the ARC only works with Sony TVs. My receiver doesn't have HDMI anyway so it's not an issue for me. Although this does sound like a neat feature.

Just wanted to say that these settings work perfectly on my setup: 35ft long HDMI from my computer to the TV.
This TV has indeed too much back light and blue on default settings.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and everyone's preference is different, so ultimately it is up to you...."

Unfortunately this type of confusion persists, even in the AV Science Forum. This statement is patently false in the context of video performance. The world of video is governed by internationally recognized standards and recommended practices. People who produce video programs want their work to look (as much as possible) the same at the delivery end of the process as they conceived them, NOT some distorted version. When the hardware is misaligned (uncalibrated) it cannot deliver the program unaltered. To purposely alter the look of a program in order to appeal to an individual's preference is their choice, but simply not what was intended by the program's creator. Image fidelity is the fundamental goal of an image-based communications system.

As Joe Kane persists in saying: "It's all about the art." Individual audience members are not expected to change the way a movie appears in a commercial cinema, or an exhibit in an art museum, or a photo gallery. Where did we get the notion that such behavior should be encouraged in a home cinema?

'Display Calibration: Root Fundamentals'
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1021933

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

I suppose the notion arises from the fact that I OWN the home cinema and have either PURCHASED or RENTED the movie and should be able to view it as I wish, in the same way that I am free to use my crayons on an Ansel Adams print that I OWN if I so desire.

My own preference is to view a properly-calibrated image but that is MY preference on MY equipment. I'm sorry, but elitism rubs some of us the wrong way.

"Elitism," as you suggest, has nothing to do with the issue. It's far too often a matter of consumers not being taught video fundamentals. No one suggests you can't do what you will with your own property. No one prevents you from experimenting with any picture control on the display. What is at issue is the option of achieving fidelity or preferring something else. Recommending or enjoying an authentic image is never a threat to anyone's autonomy as a viewer. Fidelity simply offers the artist's original program, or as close to it as the format and/or equipment allow. "Picture quality" in video terms has a precise definition, based upon video industry standards and practices.

An apt analogy would be a song composed, arranged, performed, recorded, and then played back over a high fidelity sound system in a specific musical key. Some record players have offered the ability to alter the speed ever so slightly, to deviate from the 33 1/3 RPM recording industry standard. This would result in the music sounding off-key. This might be a preference for the owner of the record and record player, but a distortion in the view of the composer, or performer, or recording engineer, or most other listeners, etc. Excellence in the recording industry is understood as preserving and delivering a performance as true to the original as possible. The same goes for the video industry. Display system calibration is a means to that end.

Hi I'm a noob to this forum, what a find! I like my Samsung LN40D630 but when using it to display my laptop via an HDMI, the image is smaller than full screen and the picture size control won't help. It's a perfect image, just has a border around it and I can't get it to enlarge. I haven't messed with the laptop's graphics card , it is an Intel on a Toshiba satellite laptop. any hints to get the laptop's display to take up the full size on the Samsung? Thanks.

Glad I could help some people out. I was the original poster of those settings (sorry I never get credit for them) and I haven't had to adjust them since I calibrated mine. The new LOTR Extended Blu Ray looks great with these settings, and there are absolutely no color issues (on this set at least). These settings can be a little dark during the day, especially in a bright room, but they should be perfect in a darker room or when the lights are off.


Earlier in the tread someone experienced this problem, and was able to resolve the issue by renaming the input to "PC" or "PC DVI". That allows the source to go up to 1920x1080 and should give you a better picture. Also you can try changing your laptop's resolution settings when you hook it up to the TV, but you may have to change it back every time you do it.

I'm interested in this tv primarily for it's amp feature. However, it seems like a significant percentage of owners are leaving it off. There are lots of complaints about jerky playback/momentary freezing. Is this issue as widespread as it seems from reading the first few pages of this thread, or is this problem largely solved by now?