Official Samsung PN51E530A3FXZA Owner Thread (No Price) - Page 4

I should probably note that these settings are using an HDMI input that is coming through my HTIB. My understanding is that everyhing should be the same except that brightness/contrast levels may vary if your input is different... I know using a cable box directly to it- I need to lower my brightness some.. Regardless other settings (mainly the different color offsets and gains) should be the same.. and that's really the hardest part to do without equipment... Having those colors right, any disc can be used to adjust the brightness/contrast/sharpness for your input. I am no expert, and do not claim to be- so please correct me if I am wrong

CmonMan the ABL i was referring to is a "feature" of newer plasmas that stop the screen getting too bright. I have been having a nightmare with it on my E530. Whenever i get a mainly white screen the image will dim slightly. I understand this is usual but if the scene is alternating between a daytime and nighttime shot then the screen can dim, go back to normal, dim again and so on. It looks like a strobe effect.

Easiest way to see it on mines is to view the Gnarles Barkley - Crazy video on Youtube through the tv. I use my Xbox.

I have seen other members refer to it as Hockey Pops. Really spoils my enjoyment of the tv.

You're not kidding about the huge difference from the 32" CRT to this 51" plasma, What a gain in space, my living room is only 17 x 12 and the tv has to go on the 12 side due to a fireplace on one end and a staircase on the other end of the 17 side. We had had this humongous entertainment center just to hold that 800 pound CRT, well that's what it felt like, now it's all gone. Got a nice and basic stand along with a new blu-ray player and I'm good to go. My wife was kind of blase about the new set until we had family night and we watched Up with the kids, we had seen it before on the 32" but let me tell ya, it was phenomenal on the 51", there were colors there we never could see before.

Djstevie- I think on the PN51E530 that is "motion lighting" Under picture settings, in "Advanced settings"... on mine it is greyed out, and off... and I havn't noticed it being an issue. I am in "movie" mode- maybe that is defaulted to "on" in other modes? Or is this something different?

Tazz- Yeah.. I am not one to buy new electronics all the time but I do plenty of research when I do buy things.. I like to ensure I am getting a a good price on a quality product that I won't be dissapointed in.. Obviously going from a 32 inch CRT to any 50 inch flatscreen is going to be a big improvement- but after looking at several TV's and different technologies used, I really think this is about as good a picture you can get at a reasonable price in this size. I've found myself re-watching several movies and most seem like a completely new experience.. (I also picked up an HT-D6730 with this for a steal of a price as open item and I honestly enjoy watching my set-up more now vs going to the theatre. Obviously better picture and sound can be had, but for the money invested, this set-up is pretty impressive. Watching blu-rays is really entertainment again. I STRONGLY recommend a decent HTIB for this TV. I had an HT-D6500 but long story short ended up with HT-D6730... either one was adequate but due to employee error, I ended up with 6730 for next to nothing and couldn't be happier. I believe now it is the "E" version out, but w/e.... get a decent HTIB and this thing is sweet... watching a family favorite- Talladega Nights- right now and watching the car on the track and hearing the engines rumble is crazy.. Can't imagine watching this on the old 32 CRT..

I ended up getting this tv stand at Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whalen-3-in-1-TV-Console-with-Storage-Drawer-for-TVs-up-to-52/21630164 on sale and it is pretty sturdy for what I need it for. I ended up getting the Samsung BD-E5900 on sale too. It's not the best blu-ray player but it is a smart hub. I did do a whole bunch of research on tvs before I bought this one and for the price I paid for it how could I go wrong. for everything I got it was under $800, and thats the tv stand, blu-ray and tv. As far as a sound system I know that I need one as the speakers are junk on the set but I knew that before I bought it. I was going to get a HTIB but I have since decided to piece one together. I won't have the cash for that unitl after the new year so that gives me some time to do some more research as I still am a total newb. I do know what I want for a reciever, a Denon AVR-1613, I think that it will be more than enough to suit my needs for now and the future. I think that any decent 5.1 speaker setup I get ( Polk, Energy or even Martin Logan) will be a good choice, I'm just waiting for some more cash. I even keep my eyes on Craigslist, you never know....

Heck, if I had the money now I'd get the Martin Logans at Newegg right now, that seems to be a pretty good price.
Edited by tazz - 12/7/12 at 10:05am

Yeah, if I did it again, I would piece together a system, but will use this until it pukes-as it does its job well enough for me.. I have heard from numerous people- get a decent receiver and two front speakers to start. That will give you a decent upgrade over the ****** tv speakers and allow you to build from there as you can afford it. I ordered the Walker Edison I mentioned, will report back when I receive it and set it up.

I recently purchased the Panasonic P50U50, but am unhappy with the lack of brightness. I will preface by saying that brightness exceeds my preference for inky blacks. Does anyone know if this Samsung in general has a brighter picture?

Thank you.

I have the 60" model, and it's plenty bright for me in a dim room. I do not have the Panny you mentioned, so I cannot directly compare.

Thanks. Not sure if this is true or not, but from what I've been told the Panasonics are dimmer than the Samsungs, but can't confirm. It's hard to tell the difference when viewing them at the store.

The problem I'm having right now is that this is my first plasma. I'm so used to LCDs and their artificial lighting that I'm not used to the natural colors a plasma displays. So, of course any LCD/LED is going to be brighter. However, after a few days of owning the Panasonic, I'm slowly finding that I much prefer the plasma to my 2 year old LCD. After watching 15 minutes of the Louisville/KY basketball game on my LCD, the look and feel felt rather cartoonish compared to the plasma. Now, I just have to decide whether I should return the Panasonic for the Samsung.

Also, I'm curious as to why the Samsung is $100 more than the Panasonic. They seem to have the same specs fromt what I can tell. They both have excellent reviews.

I can't comment on the Panny, but I do believe the Samsung is bright enough at least for my tastes.. As for why it is more.. marketing? They will sell it for whatever people are willing to pay for it.. I think the samsung does more sales and whatnot- as I've seen it marked down to $570 then back up to $700.. Could also be inventory and when they expect the next model to replace it.. Can't comment on the Panny, but have no complaints on the Sammy.

I'm hoping someone can comment on the use of the HW-E350 or HW-E450 with this TV.

We have a PN51D550 in the bedroom. Last week we picked up a PN51E530 to replace a Sony KDS-R60XBR1 that we had relegated to watch while on the treadmill.

We found the audio from the Sony to be fine while on the treadmill and the audio from the PN51D550 to be fine in the bedroom down around 8-14 audio level setting. But the audio from the PN51E530 just isn't adequate for the task when we are on the treadmill.

I tried the standard audio setting and the voice setting. The voice setting sounded tinny and when the signal changed to music when cutting between scenes it was very noisy and harsh. On the standard setting we had to have the audio level at 100% and even then it wasn't satisfactory.

We don't need high quality surround sound on that TV, but we do want it to be loud enough with good enough voice quality to be able to watch and listen while we exercise.

Based on all of this, I am thinking of getting a soundbar. It appears that Samsung has sort of messed up with the integration/controls of their own products, but I still lean toward same brand products. At least that way, if there is a problem, the fingers all point in the same direction.

So... is anyone able to comment about the E350 or E450 for our purposes?

As an aside, there is no element way to mount the soundbar onto this TV is there? Am I correct in understanding that it has to either rest on a surface below the TV or be wall mounted?

Thanks for any comments.

^^^ You'll probably get more feedback in the soundbar thread HERE...

No newer TV is going to have great sound - "thin is in" and you can't fit decent speakers in thin TVs. That XBR1 was a great TV back in the day.

^^^ This guy is right. That said, I DO have an HT-D6730w which appears to use the same components as the HW-E450, the E meaning a year newer and the number difference meaning yours is a sounds bar, mine the "7.1" surround with the tallboys. Obviously yours wouldn't give you the surround effect I've got, but running my system in stereo mode should give roughly the same sound- and for what you are looking for I would think should work just fine. The components used are not going knock your hat off by any means, but certainly better then any speakers you're going to find in a tv. I would say go for it.. As for mounting, there is no way to my knowledge to mount directly to the TV, but from what I recall seeing them in store, they do come with wall mounts and should mount up relatively easy (or set in front of TV on a stand) and hooking this up should just require an optical cable from the TV (I think).. and if the components behave the same as mine does with the PN51E530, they should both retain their input/output settings so once turned on/off, they should be working without needing to fiddle with that on the tv each time, which is nice... I'd say go for it.. Also wouldn't hurt to check open box/clearance items at BB or similar stores, as it seems many people buy these lower end sound units and return them.. got my D6730 for around 300 if I remember right, would think if they have one of these soundbars, they could be had for 100-150 if you're into that sort of thing.

Am looking at various TVs here and there, and something keeps me coming back to this set.
It's on sale at Best Buy right now, so the set is basically screaming, "Buy me!" at this point.

May give the calibration settings based off what I'm seeing on this thread a go - and then again, may go for Best Buy's calibration service in a months time, and after the set has had some break-in time if the settings don't agree. How are peoples settings holding up? What's your lighting conditions? Setup is in a basement with no direct light in the livingroom area - some light fixtures (don't add much light to the area as they are accent/led only). Recommendations?

The old 36" CRT's going out (takes up way too much depth for this place). Will be a nice upgrade for sure.

buy it... (just checked their sale price - offer $50 less. That's the lowest price they can sell it for).

holding up great. some glare issues but manageable.

great value for a good performing set without the bells & whistles. I'm also a fan of "the less moving parts the better"... didn't need or want 3D or wi-fi.

Just purchased it, and going to be delivered on the 19th (needed it to be on a weekend since I work throughout their delivery window). I didn't want 3D or whatever the latest gimmick is either (smart TV apps, 240Hz, etc.).

I'm going to break in the panel using slides for a solid amount of time (96 hours without interruption). What settings should I use for this panel?
Cheers!

Watch tv normally and slides at night. That's what I did. No issues. Settings in this thread look good to me.

The settings I have posted earlier in this thread are ISF calibrated for my PN51E530.. That should be a good starting point. I just watched tv, being careful of logos/bars for the first 200 hours without issue.. Samsung claims that no break in period is needed /burn in no longer an issue- but better safe then sorry.

I just purchased a panny U50. I like the picture quality, the uniform screen and the deep black. However, my set has severe "line bleeding" problem. Any time there's a scene with people faces in front of a mini blind or any bright horizontal object in the back ground, you would see lines running across the faces. How is the line bleeding issue on this Samsung plasma? from what I have read, line bleeding seems to be a weakness for all plasma but it is unbearable for me at least on my set. I'm thinking of exchanging for this Samsung if it is not so severe. Can you guys provide me with some feed back/opinion with you set? greatly appreciated thx!

Well,
I've got the 60" model, but this is something that I noticed on the 58B550 series Samsung I had prior to my E530. I can tell you that this is something I looked for before buying a new tv.
I am happy to report that it has significantly improved from my old Samsung. On the 58B, on a movie preview page (ya know, green preview screen just before a movie trailer), it would be VERY NOTICEABLE.On the E530, not noticeable unless you are really, REALLY trying to see it.
A significant improvement.

Thanks, this is good to know, and will keep in mind. Calibration will be done from the get-go if that's the case. Don't like watching things on an inaccurately calibrated screen/monitor (especially after having a few good computer monitors around).
Edited by NoPotatoNacho - 1/4/13 at 12:35pm

Thank you for your reply. The Panny is my first plasma as my other TV is LED LCD. I bought the plasma for use in a dark room and to avoid the clouding issue I have with my LED LCD. The line bleeding on the Panny is very visible especially when the brightness/contrast are set to low due to the dark viewing environment. Like you mentioned, the green preview screen is very obvious. I can live with that but to have horizontal bars running across people faces just ruin the viewing experience for me. I guess it is time to go get this Sammy, hopefully, better luck on this one.

What are the WB settings in the service menu?
Started fiddling around with service menu offsets thinking those were what the WB was referring to, but the picture didn't look right, so I reverted to what I "think" were the correct settings beforehand (and hit RESET in service menu just to be safe) - can someone enlighten me on these settings so I know I set them back correctly? It looks correct under the PICTURE MODE settings in the regular menu.
Using CMonMan settings.

TV otherwise looks great and am happy with it ^_^

So as you all know I don't post very often, lot of other stuff going on, but when I get a chance I'll post up some things. Well I've had this set for a couple of months now and the way family life is this set has not been shut down for very long, maybe 6 hours a nite but that's only after break-in which only took a couple of weeks. What can I say, for a low budget set the picture is great and it only keeps getting better with time. At first I had the settings messed up for about 5 days, thanks in part to my two young children so I ended up doing the initial break-in for 24/7 about 14 days and everything worked out fine. I used HD programing during the day and early evening and than ran the break-in images overnight. So after that I used Disney WOW and the color settings from earlier in this thread, can't remember which one though. I can say that the picture is plenty bright but the one thing I notice is that when I try to adjust the white in Disney WOW I can't seem to get it up there to where it needs to be but I figure that is one reason this set is as low in price as it is BUT I'm not an expert and I have never had the pleasure to mess with an upper end model but that is what I gather from learning off these forums. Well I never watch a totally white screen anyways so it is fine for me. I had one problem the other day with some image retention, my six year old was watching tv all day and had it on a 4:3 station but I ran the pixel scrolling feature, problem solved. All in all I'm very happy with the picture on this set. The next thing is you better have some sort of sound system, these speakers are horrid but I also knew this before buying and I don't have a system right now so I am using the set speakers and I cringe every time we watch a movie that has some low bass in it. That problem will be solved by the end of next week, got a Denon AVR-1612 receiver on the way along with a pair of Pioneer Andrew Jones towers and center channel and a Cadence sub plus a nice little package from Monoprice. So for everything I'm into it for just about $1600 bucks, not bad I'd say for my first decent setup and the nice thing, at least I think so, is that when it comes time to upgrade I already have a pretty good base and won't have to do it all at once again.

i cant find any ACTUAL hardware comparisons form the 60e550 and the 60e530. i could care less about the apps and wifi, thats what my ps3 and htpc are for.

im more concerned with the capabilities of the hardware, are the displays and chipsets the same? looking to upgrade form my pn50a550

thanks folks.

they should be the same... I couldn't find anything different either. The only noted difference is b/t the 51" and 60", which has a pentile screen. However, I have the 51" and my brother has the 60" and I couldn't notice a difference from viewing distance.

To my understanding the only difference is that the 550 has the "smart tv" features and the 530 does not.

Personally, I have the 530, with an HT-D6730w hooked up, which provides those same smart features anyway.

What picture settings are available? I saw the 550 has pro settings . Someone mentioned DNR causes motion blurring, is that a setting on the 530?

Hey everyone. I'm brand new to this forum and looking for a little help.

I just purchased the 51E530 on Boxing Day and overall I'm very impressed at what I received for my money (only paid $580 at Costco with a 2 year warranty). I played around with the settings while watching Avatar on Blu-ray and it was absolutely beautiful. My only issue is motion blur. I won't say that it's horrible, but it is very noticeable.

Has anyone else had this problem? Will the motion blur get better over time, is there settings I can change to make it better or will I just have to live with it?

Well, ‘motion blur’ is subjective so it’s hard to say… I don’t notice any but then again I prefer the natural motion of plasma over a LCD w/ 120Hz refresh rate that creates images to smooth the scenes – looks fake to me. Are you coming from a LCD?

Also, is your BD player set to output 24 fps? If so, then you’re watching the film as it was shot and intended to be viewed.