Official Samsung UNxxES8000 Owner's Thread - Page 353

Originally Posted by wthephasdin 

Can you use the ES8000 remote to control a PS3?

Just for Blu-Ray watching and menu navigation purposes, not as a game controller of course.

Originally Posted by Bladerunner1959 

Totally agree with Opsguy and Arenaman. I have the HarmonyOne....its been perfect..big buttons, backlit, great touchscreen and programmability...just the right weight and size.

Originally Posted by sony1717 

Hey guys. Need some more advice please.

I am on UN65ES8000 #3 from Amazon.com. Driving me crazy.

If you remember #1 had stuck pixels, #2 had dead pixels. Unfortunately, I never looked for banding on those sets since the other issues had my attention, thus I have no baseline for comparison of where I am at now with #3 and banding.

Now #3 doesn't have stuck or dead, but does exhibit some vertical banding (see below) as I mentioned in a previous post. I think the pictures taken of a grayscale slide make it look worse than in person (I guess the CCD in the camera does a better job of picking up the effect than the eye), but it is certainly there. On a white slide it is less pronounced.

- The test picture in the menu system looks good as does normal TV viewing (mostly with the wife consisting of HGTV and Bravo - save me!).
- Haven't had a chance to view a movie yet.
- I am an avid soccer fan and games so far look good, but I can see the banding (damn this forum for making me aware of this stuff) when there are panning shots of the field.
- On panning shots of light colors you can see the banding as well. Don't know that I would see it as much if I wasn't aware and looking for it (damn these forums again!)

Based on the above and what I have read across this forum I understand that:

1) Most edge lit (LED) LCD panels exhibit some form of banding.
2) The UN65ES8000 is most susceptible to the banding problem.
3) Continuing to swap out panels may not provide any better result - and perhaps worse - witness the 7 swaps Cmay did just to end up with a Sony...

Can you guys help answer the following and give me some advice:

1) On a scale of 1-10 how bad do you think the banding looks compared to others of this model (the 65" specifically) you've seen (can you point me to some pictures on the forum)?
2) Would you risk another swap at this point? or would you keep it?
3) Would you consider waiting for the F8000 series? Any evidence that the banding issues have been resolved on the new line (specifically the 65")? (Any ideas on price and availability?) [not sure what I'd do without a TV for 60 days...hmmm]


Many thanks in advance for all the great advice and feedback you all have provided.

Originally Posted by Anthony5362 

I figured out how to get the FW on your TV if this happens. Go back in like your going to update the FW again and click the "Alternative Software" it will then tell you that you have 1041 and ask if you want 1046 and then it will shut down and turn back on. Usually this Alternative setting is greyed out, so when I saw it wasn't today, I tried it and it worked.

Originally Posted by Bladerunner1959 

Watching Samsara right now; absolutely amazing color, detail, sharpness and resolution. Audio is sweet even via soundbar. Must see tv for the 8000 owners...

Originally Posted by sabesh 

Which Soundbar are you using? Thx.

Originally Posted by Bladerunner1959 

Hey Sabesh...
I'm slumming it over here with: Samsung BDe6500 Bluray player, Samsung HW-e450 Sound bar with bluetooth subwoofer, Toshiba HD A30 HighDef dvd, player Sony SLV-N700 vcr, Monster Cable HTS-5000 power management and FIOS Motorola QIP72161 dvr ...

To all the 8000 bro's:

Issues and owner experience to Revisit: Okay, although I see a few positive statemenys, I am still on FW 1013 and not budging...HSO1 panel built may 2012...I will need to see a flood of posts from multiple forums before I run an upgrade or even add the Evo. I am 100% satisfied with my 8000. I definately think issues have diminished with usage. I'm as picky a sthe next guy trust me...I will keep lite tabs on development as I have no desire to upgrade my main tv for another 4plus years so OLED or whatever...i'll patiently sit on the sidelines and read with amusemnt about 10k to 30k panels with the next greatest picture. I've never seen a tv in a home or a store that performs better than the one in my family room.

The only upgrade i'll do in the next 1 to 3 add a mid to hi end soundbar & sub such as DefTech.

Banding: Still have never seen any on my 60" panel no matter what source is thrown at it. I dont care what slide and what setting anybody says they could use to expose it...it wont happen on my panel, not on "my watch" !

Clouding: I saw this maybe 3 times back in August when in movie mode and not since.

Flashlighting: I have to struggle to see even a hint of it in standard mode with my theater lighting on. Zero when ambient lighting is on. Micro-minimal in pitch black room...Source material would be Harry Potter and Seven type material. Flashlight on lower left corner on letterbox very tolerable. 3D is where i'll see it most but i dont notice it much at all

Settings: Best setting so far has to be Standard for me with bright set at 46 to stop the micro-dimming. Stars in space on Star Wars intro remain bright as intro story fade from view, same in Fifth Element. No crush or loss of detail in blacks as i've gone back and forth with Movie mode to compare. I used to think whites bloomed at times on football jerseys but that only happened on some NFL broadcasts, not consistent at all so I'll write that off to source. Bluray whites and darks are perfect at my settings.

AMP: discussed, all opinions vary and thats good. I love standard amp, rarely switch to clear. Rarely do i get a frame drop or stutter that bothers me but the effect of realism is so call..I could give a sh*t as to what any director intended... I only care and love what the 8000 intended, thats why i bought it.

Color: I always read that movie mode allowed the best tweaking of color. I find that in Standard mode, Native color dialed back to 48-49 is the richest color without cartooning any of my material.

Streaming: I cant say enough how seamless and smooth its been using my Samsung BDe6500 for all the convergence heavy lifting. That way it keeps all the crap away from the video brain, lets the 8000 use 100% of its muscle on the processing the picture while the player carries the load for the Smart Hub. I've had no problems with the hub after doing 2 FW upgrades at least

Originally Posted by sony1717 

Hey guys. Need some more advice please.

I am on UN65ES8000 #3 from Amazon.com. Driving me crazy.

If you remember #1 had stuck pixels, #2 had dead pixels. Unfortunately, I never looked for banding on those sets since the other issues had my attention, thus I have no baseline for comparison of where I am at now with #3 and banding.

Now #3 doesn't have stuck or dead, but does exhibit some vertical banding (see below) as I mentioned in a previous post. I think the pictures taken of a grayscale slide make it look worse than in person (I guess the CCD in the camera does a better job of picking up the effect than the eye), but it is certainly there. On a white slide it is less pronounced.

- The test picture in the menu system looks good as does normal TV viewing (mostly with the wife consisting of HGTV and Bravo - save me!).
- Haven't had a chance to view a movie yet.
- I am an avid soccer fan and games so far look good, but I can see the banding (damn this forum for making me aware of this stuff) when there are panning shots of the field.
- On panning shots of light colors you can see the banding as well. Don't know that I would see it as much if I wasn't aware and looking for it (damn these forums again!)

Based on the above and what I have read across this forum I understand that:

1) Most edge lit (LED) LCD panels exhibit some form of banding.
2) The UN65ES8000 is most susceptible to the banding problem.
3) Continuing to swap out panels may not provide any better result - and perhaps worse - witness the 7 swaps Cmay did just to end up with a Sony...

Can you guys help answer the following and give me some advice:

1) On a scale of 1-10 how bad do you think the banding looks compared to others of this model (the 65" specifically) you've seen (can you point me to some pictures on the forum)?
2) Would you risk another swap at this point? or would you keep it?
3) Would you consider waiting for the F8000 series? Any evidence that the banding issues have been resolved on the new line (specifically the 65")? (Any ideas on price and availability?) [not sure what I'd do without a TV for 60 days...hmmm]


Many thanks in advance for all the great advice and feedback you all have provided.

Originally Posted by sony1717 

Can someone point me to the best settings for the 65" that may help reduce the appearance of the banding? - I'd like to try that out before making a decision on whether or not to return it.

I'll post some before and after pictures.

(apologies for the repost, but battling my now 3rd 30-day return window).

Thanks.