Samsung service menu question.

Did you write down the settings before you changed anything in the SM?

at this point you really have only two options: try to find a way to redo the ADC calibration that gives you an acceptable result or get your TV serviced (most likely main board swap will do the trick, since the ADC calibrations are only done in the factory and no service tech will do that when they can just replace a board and leave)

The problem with trying to get Samsung to replace the board is that if the tech detects that the problem was caused by the owner diddling with the service menu (and Samsung is VERY well-aware that this is an issue), it could be very difficult to get Samsung to pay for the "repair" and the owner will be out the substantial cost of replacing the circuit board.

By the way... the problem this owner described could not be fixed if he had written down every setting in the service menu... once you begin the calibration process he mentions, you'd BETTER be a technician in the assembly factory or you are screwed.

I was hoping for a positive spin on his situation but I can see now that once you venture into those waters, there's no return

yeah, the board may need to be replaced at the owner's cost

though if the OP had copied the values in the ADC Target and ADC Result area, it's possible the changes could have been reversed

good to know, sounds like you got lucky

I ventured in my Samsung PS51E6500's service menu, just to see what it looks like and to see how esy it may be to calibrate using it.............couldn't understand most of the settings available lol. Dangerous

Hopefully this TV has all the settings necessary for a full calibration without going into the deadly service menu.

Nothing in there for you but trouble your set has sufficient controls to get a great cal without going there

the only thing I go in the SM for on a Samsung is to enable the N/D modes (CAL-NIGHT and CAL-DAY, which are like two extra Movie modes) and then lock the settings post-cal to avoid accidental changes

one more plus is that I can have the settings from one input copy to all the others, which means if I want multiple HDMI inputs to use the same settings, I only need to enter them once

good to know.

It does have ALL an owner needs for calibration and getting all the picture quality it is capable of.

Very risky and makes no sense just to "try and see " what is there. In some TV service menus, merely stepping through the service menu items or entering a menu item can permanently alter the factory setup.

When I buy a TV or projector. I make sure it has a full CMS system. So I know it has all the controls I need to do a good calibration.

So you recommend going into the Service Menu to make changes?

^ ^ ^ Apparently so. Not necessary though. This is not stated in an owners manual to do so and a TV owner would risk voiding a warranty. We read all too many times here on AVS that some imply or advise to go onto a service menu "just to enable" something or look at settings.

Unfortunately having full CMS and a working CMS are not always mutually inclusive.

you activate the modes in the service menu and use them in the user menu

there are only two parameters in the SM that are changed

Service Menu -> Expert ->

N/D Adjust: OFF to ON or FIX (whether you want the modes activated or not and settings locked or not)

Source: Current or All (whether you want the settings to be independent by input or not)




Of course, if you don't know how to navigate the SM properly or are uncomfortable with doing something like this, you shouldn't. And you certainly shouldn't do anything else while you're in there.

also, these modes can be fully reset in the user menu and are adjusted in the user menu only... the only part that requires the SM is enabling them

I don't know. I think suggesting someone go to the SM for anything is not good advice. Not everyone who frequents these forums are as knowledgeable as others and different firmware versions may affect SM settings, so unless someone has the exact same model/build number and firmware version, and even that's not a guarantee, it would probably be advisable to not venture there at all. Just a thought.

I understand your viewpoint and I'm not recommending everyone goes out and does this, just that there are two extra modes on certain Samsungs (usually the mid range to high end ones) for calibration purposes. Having a separate day and night mode per input can be useful to some and I know in the past pro calibrators have used these modes too (when they work properly).

Also, it's not uncommon to go into the service menus of some sets like the Panasonics to do grayscale and/or unlock certain picture modes. On the other hand, you wouldn't want to go into the service menu of an LG since there nothing useful for calibrators there and it's very easy to mess things up by just entering certain portions of the menu (think ADC/White Balance calibrations performed in the factory when the TV was made).
Edited by PlasmaPZ80U - 2/14/13 at 11:35am

Hello,
Because to make a square two will need 2vertical and 2 horisontal line. in a checker board there are 9 vertikcal and 9 horisonatl line each. so from 9 lines available we pick 2 and the combinations of the two lines can be calclauted as C(9,2).

Only reason I had to go into samsung service menu is for a older 32" LCD. Dynamic contrast and some other post processing was enabled, even if you disable it in the menus.

But I agree there is no need to go into service menu in modern TV's.