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My Unofficial Guide to Samsung HLN Series DLP Sets - Page 15

post #421 of 2628
8/4/03 at 10:03am
One more question.

When running PIP between SVid1 and TV I am able to use split screen.

WHen running PIP between a signal on my component input and TV I am only able to use PIP modes that have the traditional small PIP -- no split screen.

Is this normal?

THanks,
Mike
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post #422 of 2628
8/4/03 at 10:26am
That PIP behavior is normal.

I've heard it recommend that you should set the box to 720P for shows that are in 720P (like ABC I believe), and 1080i for channels that broadcast in 1080i. This way you always let your TV do the scaling.

Or just go with what looks best!
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post #423 of 2628
8/4/03 at 10:28am
Quote:


Originally posted by TheKog
I just hooked up my COMCAST HD box to comp2 inputs -- should I configure the cable box to output 1080i or 720p?

It could be placebo effect, but I found that when viewing a 1080i station, it looks better on the Sammy DLP if I have the Comcast box in 1080i mode. Probably the better scaling due to Faroudja. I switch to 720p when I'm watching ABC.

Incidently, my Comcast box (Motorola, I don't recall the model # and i'm not home now) has a DVI jack, but when I hook it up to the TV, I get nothing. Does the cable company have to do something to enable the jack?
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post #424 of 2628
8/4/03 at 12:35pm
Arun,

Downloading the Guide Doc still indicates version 1.5?
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post #425 of 2628
8/4/03 at 1:03pm
Thread Starter 
STR3T, that's probably your browser playing tricks - and bringing up a version that you may have downloaded a while ago. Save the guide onto your hard drive, and then open it.
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post #426 of 2628
8/4/03 at 1:47pm
Quote:


Originally posted by phaseshift

Incidently, my Comcast box (Motorola, I don't recall the model # and i'm not home now) has a DVI jack, but when I hook it up to the TV, I get nothing. Does the cable company have to do something to enable the jack?

I was told by Comcast (here in SF) that DVI is not supported..neither is the USB port.
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post #427 of 2628
8/4/03 at 3:51pm
Quote:


Originally posted by et415
I was told by Comcast (here in SF) that DVI is not supported..neither is the USB port.

Yet another reason why I'm dumping Crimecast just as soon as the new HD Tivo/direcTV combo unit comes out. I am fed up with their poor signal in my neighborhood, not to mention the fact they told me they won't have HD in my county for at least another year.
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post #428 of 2628
8/4/03 at 7:20pm
Quote:


Originally posted by arungupta
This would have to be an option on the DVD player -- either a switch or a set up option. If you don't see it, that means that the player doesn't give you a choice.

Can I ask a clarifying question?

If I connect my PC to the Sammy DLP via DVI, then is the PC's DVD player sending a progressive or interlaced signal? You've mentioned in the past that a DVI-enabled PC's DVD player offers the best PQ, so I was just wondering since I'm not aware of any switch or setup option for the PC's DVD player.
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post #429 of 2628
8/4/03 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
The PC DVD player is sending a progressive and scaled signal.
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post #430 of 2628
8/5/03 at 3:51am
Thread Starter 
This thread prompted me to this observation.

After reading hundreds of post from Samsung DLP owners talking about their PQ, I've come to this observation - the owners PQ experience can be largely divided into two groups, the DVI group and the Analog group:

DVI group has connected all their important inputs via DVI or VGA (STB, DVD, PC) and then they just sit back and express delight at the phenomenal picture quality. They do very little tweaking. Of course, they maybe doing a lot of cable switching instead.

Analog group is unable to connect the important inputs via DVI for various reasons. They have a long list of PQ issues - clay faces, color banding, black levels, motion artifacts and so on, and are continually tweaking the picture to get to a satisfactory result.

Some people are in the Analog group only temporarily because of necessity (e.g. their cable box doesn't support DVI yet.). Others are there because they don't know any better - or they are not convinced of the difference that DVI brings.
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post #431 of 2628
8/5/03 at 9:05am
Can anyone comment on the affects of toddler fingerprints on the DLP screen? Are the screens easy to clean or do they tend to stain the way laptop screen do?
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post #432 of 2628
8/5/03 at 11:01am
Quote:


Originally posted by arungupta
This thread prompted me to this observation.

After reading hundreds of post from Samsung DLP owners talking about their PQ, I've come to this observation - the owners PQ experience can be largely divided into two groups, the DVI group and the Analog group:

DVI group has connected all their important inputs via DVI or VGA (STB, DVD, PC) and then they just sit back and express delight at the phenomenal picture quality. They do very little tweaking. Of course, they maybe doing a lot of cable switching instead.

Analog group is unable to connect the important inputs via DVI for various reasons. They have a long list of PQ issues - clay faces, color banding, black levels, motion artifacts and so on, and are continually tweaking the picture to get to a satisfactory result.

Some people are in the Analog group only temporarily because of necessity (e.g. their cable box doesn't support DVI yet.). Others are there because they don't know any better - or they are not convinced of the difference that DVI brings.

Just wanted to highlight this point, being a new owner of a 507. I received the TV a week before I got my HTPC up and running. Watched several DVDs with an APEX 660 using S-Video, PQ was noticeably poor when watching dark scenes with subtle contrast. When I received my DVI cable and watched using the HTPC (Power DVD), the picture was very well defined and clean (even the VGA looked very good).

It's difficult to watch "analog" TV through my DirecTv receiver knowing the true capabilities of this TV. The next DirecTv receiver I get will have HD and DVI!
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post #433 of 2628
8/5/03 at 11:18am
Quote:


Originally posted by arungupta
This thread prompted me to this observation.

After reading hundreds of post from Samsung DLP owners talking about their PQ, I've come to this observation - the owners PQ experience can be largely divided into two groups, the DVI group and the Analog group:

DVI group has connected all their important inputs via DVI or VGA (STB, DVD, PC) and then they just sit back and express delight at the phenomenal picture quality. They do very little tweaking. Of course, they maybe doing a lot of cable switching instead.

Analog group is unable to connect the important inputs via DVI for various reasons. They have a long list of PQ issues - clay faces, color banding, black levels, motion artifacts and so on, and are continually tweaking the picture to get to a satisfactory result.

Some people are in the Analog group only temporarily because of necessity (e.g. their cable box doesn't support DVI yet.). Others are there because they don't know any better - or they are not convinced of the difference that DVI brings.

As usual, you're dead on with your observations, Arun. Even though I only have a few hours on the 567, I can already attest to the accuracy of your views.

The performance of the 567/Bravo D1 combination far exceeded my expectations. But my other primary sources--a Sony SAT D-60 D*TV/Tivo receiver and a Pioneer laserdisc player--are limited to S-video. As expected, the D*TV performance varies drastically from channel to channel with some being surprisingly good while others are practically unwatchable. I'll be adding a VGA input from a Macintosh as soon as the cable arrives later this week. Let's hope the upcoming HD D*TV/Tivo receivers are released soon.

BTW, I've been unable to spot the slightest hint of reflections under any circumstances and regardless of lighting conditions.
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post #434 of 2628
8/5/03 at 11:33am
It's difficult to watch "analog" TV through my DirecTv receiver knowing the true capabilities of this TV. The next DirecTv receiver I get will have HD and DVI! [/b][/quote]

Here's my question: I don't even have my HLN467W yet and will get the Bravo D1, so if I reserve the DVI for and STB can I, or how can I use VGA from the B1 into the HLN ? How easy might it be and how much less than "100% DVI PQ" would it be with the VGA (assuming I can do it)?
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post #435 of 2628
8/5/03 at 12:23pm
Quote:


Originally posted by kmil

Here's my question: I don't even have my HLN467W yet and will get the Bravo D1, so if I reserve the DVI for and STB can I, or how can I use VGA from the B1 into the HLN ? How easy might it be and how much less than "100% DVI PQ" would it be with the VGA (assuming I can do it)?

I went the HTPC approach for DVD viewing, I plan on moving that to VGA when I get a DVI enabled receiver. The HTPC is nice for viewing digital pictures, playing PC games, and watching other types of video, such as DiviX encoded movies from files.

If the device you want to connect to the VGA port has a DVI-I (both analog and digital) port there is a dongle that comes with DVI video cards that allows you to connect the DVI port to the VGA port. I found that the VGA PQ was very similar to the DVI PQ using my HTPC.
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post #436 of 2628
8/5/03 at 2:08pm
Thread Starter 
Press release from TI on DLP success:

Texas Instruments Announces Shipment of 2,000,000th DLP(TM) Subsystem; Customers' Products 'Achieving Enormous Popularity' in the Marketplace
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post #437 of 2628
8/5/03 at 3:17pm
Quote:


Can anyone comment on the affects of toddler fingerprints on the DLP screen? Are the screens easy to clean or do they tend to stain the way laptop screen do?

Yup, this page will answer that question, more or less.

Actually, more specifically, it'll lead you to this thread.

-Steve
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post #438 of 2628
8/5/03 at 7:29pm
Arun,

Just a quick thanks for your HLN and DVI guides. They played a big part in my decision to buy an HLN567, which is now sitting in my home theater.

Best...

Greg.
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post #439 of 2628
8/5/03 at 9:02pm
Thread Starter 
You're welcome, Greg. Enjoy your TV and share your experiences with us.
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post #440 of 2628
8/5/03 at 9:35pm
Arun - do you or anyone else have a table of default SM values? I neglected to jot them down before I began playing, and now that PhilB's numbers have turned out to be a disaster for my 211 set, I would love to normalize some of the settings. Any idea where to look for these numbers?

Thanks!
RDaneel
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post #441 of 2628
8/6/03 at 12:39am
Now that the "new toy" luster has worn off a bit, I've discovered that on 4:3 material my 567 has a bit of what would probably be called pin cushion distortion on a CRT. The edges bend slightly inward and then flair slightly outward beginning about five inches from the bottom. The total deviation is about half an inch. As I recall, this symptom usually indicates low PS voltage in a CRT display, but I can't imagine what would cause it in a DLP other than a warped mirror or screen.

Is this common on DLPs? The picture otherwise is fine and I could easily live with the problem if it doesn't get worse. But I wonder if a wiser move might be to exchange the set.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

Spad
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post #442 of 2628
8/6/03 at 3:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:


Originally posted by RDaneel
Arun - do you or anyone else have a table of default SM values? I neglected to jot them down before I began playing, and now that PhilB's numbers have turned out to be a disaster for my 211 set, I would love to normalize some of the settings. Any idea where to look for these numbers?

Thanks!
RDaneel

PhilB and co. have done excellent work, posted in this thread: Calibration results for HLM507 with new digital board. But its on an HLM set, even though they have upgraded the electronics. Thats why I haven't posted those results in the guide because I am not sure if they are applicable. I wish someone would do the same for an HLN set.

I can post numbers for the 2 sets I have - but they may not be applicable to you because they are from much older manufacturing batches. Maybe if you post a specific request for a model/date of manufacture, someone can post it here.
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post #443 of 2628
8/6/03 at 3:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:


Originally posted by Spad
Now that the "new toy" luster has worn off a bit, I've discovered that on 4:3 material my 567 has a bit of what would probably be called pin cushion distortion on a CRT. The edges bend slightly inward and then flair slightly outward beginning about five inches from the bottom. The total deviation is about half an inch. As I recall, this symptom usually indicates low PS voltage in a CRT display, but I can't imagine what would cause it in a DLP other than a warped mirror or screen.

Is this common on DLPs? The picture otherwise is fine and I could easily live with the problem if it doesn't get worse. But I wonder if a wiser move might be to exchange the set.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

Spad

I had added a small section on pincushion in the latest version of the guide - under "problems and pet peeves" area. All of these sets have a slight yet noticeable pincushion. It is caused by the optics of the set. I actually measured it on my 61" set recently using a straight edge and a ruler. Its about 3/16 inch inward indentation on my set when watching 4:3 material. I have never found it to intrude in actually watching of the program.

This type of pincushion seems to be common to sets of this class - e. g. Sony GWII also has one.
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post #444 of 2628
8/6/03 at 7:09am
Arun, it's no big deal, but the default values I was looking for are for the 211 firmware HLN507. The problem is that PhilB's numbers on his upgraded 214 board look TERRIBLE on my set. They are obviously based on a different setup, because plain whites were purple! I went back to an older set of values and got things mostly back to normal, but it was a frusterating experience to think I was holding the magic answer only to have my hopes dashed!

I may have to put in a service call anyway, because the set has started to choke on startup after I had a power failure the other day... maybe I'd end up with a 214 board!

Thanks,
Richard
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post #445 of 2628
8/6/03 at 7:31am
Ditto on Arun's answer to the pincushion question. My HLM437W (Aug '02) has always had this "feature".

There was a lot of discussion about this last year and the concensus was that it's a non-tweakable function of the optics and/or a slight bowing of the screen. You can increase it by pushing the center of your screen in gently with a finger. You could presumably decrease it by sticking a suction cup or a wad of chewing gum to the center of the screen and pulling gently outward. I haven't tried this, if you do please post your results!

Not much we can do about it.
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post #446 of 2628
8/6/03 at 10:09am
Thanks, Arun and Doug, for the pincushion info. I'm actually relieved since the problem isn't at all serious and I don't have to go through the hassle of exchanging the set.

Doug, one more question if I may: How can I get this damned bubble gum off my screen?
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post #447 of 2628
8/6/03 at 10:42am
Quote:


Doug, one more question if I may: How can I get this damned bubble gum off my screen?

Just let me walk on your TV. The stuff always seems to stick to my shoes better than whatever it was stuck to before!
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post #448 of 2628
8/6/03 at 11:23am
Arun,

Thanks for all the comprehensive info!

I'm curious how the dvi switch (omni-switch, was it?) that you're trying out is working for you?

I'm one of the dvi cable switchers between the samsung ts-160 and the bravo d1 dvd player to achieve the best PQ possible whether viewing direcTV or dvd's.
I've been trying to research a good dvi switch to switch between tv and dvd, but I can't justify the price for it now, when all I have to do is switch cables.

thanks for any further info you find out on these dvi switches!

Dave
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post #449 of 2628
8/6/03 at 12:21pm
Quote:


Originally posted by holemania
Arun,

Thanks for all the comprehensive info!

I'm curious how the dvi switch (omni-switch, was it?) that you're trying out is working for you?

I'm one of the dvi cable switchers between the samsung ts-160 and the bravo d1 dvd player to achieve the best PQ possible whether viewing direcTV or dvd's.
I've been trying to research a good dvi switch to switch between tv and dvd, but I can't justify the price for it now, when all I have to do is switch cables.

thanks for any further info you find out on these dvi switches!

Dave

My possible "solution" is so "simple" I'm sure its been thought of and discarded as technically not feasible. Why not a SIMPLE Y SPLITTER coming out of, say the TV..........one IN and cord about 1 foot long with TWO DVI outputs (or inputs) right there???? Please tell me why this might not work.
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post #450 of 2628
8/6/03 at 12:43pm
Quote:


Originally posted by kmil
My possible "solution" is so "simple" I'm sure its been thought of and discarded as technically not feasible. Why not a SIMPLE Y SPLITTER coming out of, say the TV..........one IN and cord about 1 foot long with TWO DVI outputs (or inputs) right there???? Please tell me why this might not work.

Isn't this what Arun previously suggested as an interim solution?
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