My Unofficial Guide to Samsung HLN Series DLP Sets - Page 34

A few question to all you HLN owners!

1. Any idea if the HLN models supports PAL broadcast? In Singapore our cable and the new digital cable system are all on PAL broadcast. That may be the reason why samsung has not brought this unit into Singapore.

2. The top of the HLN is so slim! So how do you put a center speakers at the top? I have a box type center speakers that currently seats quite beautifully on my 41" RPTV which has a big thick top.

3. Are there Pal to NTSC convertors? Do they degrade the cable broadcast alot? Or should I just wait for Samsung to come out with a new model that supports Pal. Not sure why Pal is not support on DLP models on Samsung yet?

4. Is Optoma 50" DLP RPTV worth a look?

Thanks!
Oliver

I saw Star Wars 2 at a DLP theatre and thought it looked good, but not any better than a good film theatre. I'd bet it is easier to insure a quality presentation with DLP though (vs. film) and I would bet the quality doesn't degrade like film does over time. I would only go out of my way to see a movie in a DLP theatre if it had been out for a significant amount of time and I was reasonably sure the DLP quality would be better than the degraded film quality.

I'm mostly happy with my Samsung HLN467... there's just one thing I've noticed that's keeping me from being entirely ecstatic about it:

On some regular-TV pictures, I notice what I can only describe as a "green fringe" at the edge of some flesh tones. It's most notable in close-up head shots, at the left-edge of the face. Just a slight, greenish "halo" overlapping the flesh-tone where it intersects with whatever is in the background.

I've adjusted the picture menu settings slightly, to take out some of the green tint, and that has reduced the effect slighlty. I'm suspecting if it's going to be adjusted any further, I'll be going into the service menu.

Has anybody else seen this effect, or have any idea which settings to fiddle with in the service menu to reduce it further?

Thanks,

--PS

driver49,

Can you display any test images on your HLN? If you can get it hooked up to a PC, or a DVD player showing Digital Video Essentials or Avia then some test images will show what you've got going on. That's the best way to be sure what you're seeing is due to the TV.

On my HLN467 I do see color fringes on white test grid patterns. Those fringes are never more than one pixel wide and in most parts of the picture about 1/4 pixel wide. How wide are your fringes?

I read through all 50+ pages of this document... good info. Here's what I've got..

1. I just purchased a Samsung HLN-567W and a Denon-DVD2200. I'm concerned that in the earlier part of the post, someone had mentioned that buying a progressive scan DVD player with this set is superfluous, in a way. It's advised to just "turn off" the progressive capability of the DVD player player and allow the set to do the scaling. Is this correct? Should I be running down to the store to return my Denon DVD player?? I did notice there is a bit more 'noise', so to speak, with progressive capability turned on (via the component video output).

2. Is it possible for someone who has the same set as me to e-mail or post what your 'settings' are? I attempted to calibrate via my Avia DVD but it seems to be a lot more difficult to calibrate with a DLP set, IMO. I'm just not sure if I'm getting the best picture possible at the moment.

Hopefully, these questions have not been asked before. I did not see anything this specific while reading through this entire thread. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or tips anyone might be able to give me.

Scott.

There are a lot of Samsung DLP owners that would return your DVD player and use a DVI capable DVD player set to output 720p. They would also turn off progressive mode on most DVD players and let their Faroudja chip handle de-interlacing their DVDs.

The Bravo D1 and Samsung HD-931 have been big sellers for this reason. They both have issues that you can read about in the DVD hardware forum.

LG has a combo "DVD player OTA tuner" with DVI out (LST-3510A) that is also starting to get attention.

It's certainly possible to still return my Denon DVD-2200.

But where do I go about getting either the Bravo D1 or the LG player? Are those brands? I've never even heard about these players until reading this thread.

Do Circuit City, Best Buy, or Ultimate Electronics sell either of these??? The Denon DVD-5900 is way outta my league.

Can anyone comment on the settings of this particular set?? I am so unhappy with the picture this Denon DVD-2200 puts out thus far. (with or without the progressive scan mode) I've got Monster Cable M1000v component video cables. *shrug* At the moment, I'm sort of digusted. Perhaps getting one of the aforementioned will help build my trust.

For what it's worth, prior to all of this, I had a Sony KV36FV15 and a Toshiba SD-6200. Picture quality is phenomenal. I realize I'm now in a completely different ballpark... I just know this Samsung HLN-567W is capable of way more than I'm currently seeing. Hence, the unhappiness. I'm also having Time Warner HD service installed tomorrow.

I'd appreciate any other comments or suggestions.

Scott.

I haven't tried your focus test pattern but have been using a convergence & geometry pattern (DVE image 12/20) that has a grid of three pixel wide white lines. I've been testing using Bravo D1 -> DVI -> Samsung HLN467.

arungupta, I'm beginning to think that you just lucked out and got a defect-free Sammy...

You get the Bravo D1 from www.vinc.com

(Though, at one point, there was a special deal from AV Science or AVSforum on the player .. check the DVD player section to see if they are still doing it. Even if they aren't it's only $199 and does native 720p.) There's tons of info on this player in the DVD Player section of the forum.

LG Electronics - us.lge.com - is actually a very big korean (I think) conglomerate. They make a really nice washer/dryer too.

-David

I'll resume this thread here...

First, to TLTZZZ: I do have a PC hooked up to my HLN... what source do you suggest for a test pattern from the PC? Other than that source, can you steer me to a vendor for the Avia or DVE disk? Prefer one over the other for any particular reason?

And for Arun: I guess I'm going to have to spend some time tweaking my picture. In the meantime, can you tell me, does the color balance in the HLN467 "shift" with use? Something to do with the timing in the color wheel?

Watching The Two Towers last night, we noticed a distinct tenedency toward green starting about halfway through the film - for example, King Theoden's beard, which should have been mostly blond flecked with gray, had a decidedely green cast to it. We noticed that in flesh tones as well. How would you suggest I go about correcting this problem?

Thanks,

--PS

So would that be why the blacks on my HLN617W aren't very black?

I need a DVD player with an optical digital audio out AND DVI since my HD cable box uses the only digital coax jack on my Yamaha receiver. The HD-931 has optical out (along with coax). Maybe I should just use my old Toshiba SD-3109 (with optical out and 480i fed through Component 1) until the LG DVD player, or some newer models with DVI out, become more available.

Do you think that would be wise?

Here's a tip for those tired of flipping between 'normal' and 'wide' as they switch between SD and HD with Comcast's Motorola DCT-5100...

The STB's setup menu (press menu with STB off and TV on) has a variable called '480 override' that describes the mode that will be used to output SD over the HD Component connection. Setting '480i' will give an 'unsupported mode' error on the HD inputs. '480p' necessitates flipping to 'normal' aspect on the TV. The third option, 'off', is a bit of a misnomer... what it does is causes the SD image to be output in the HD res configured, 720p. With output always at 720p, there is no need to ever switch from 'wide' aspect on the TV. Of course, the upconversion is being done in the STB, but at least it is a single conversion rather than 480i -> 480p -> 720p.

No, it has nothing to do with the "absolute" black that your DLP produces. If you look closely at your screen and see no dithering, mosquito's, sparklies etc. Nothing but dark gray pixels, then that's as black as it gets without turning the set off. What the discrepancy between video black and PC black causes is crushing and loss of detail in the area's near black and near white.

OK, I understand now. I'm gonna take the 931 back and wait a few months then. I figured matching the Sammy 931 with the Sammy DLP would be a perfect match. But it doesn't. Someone at Samsung needs to rethink things.

I was going to buy the 931 - but someone's def. got their head up their . . .

Of course, I've become an OAR guy. I really don't like stretched images. But at the very least I like to DECIDE whether I'm going to watch it stretched or not.

You can always switch to component output on the 931, then you can decide whether it's stretched or not.

Hello All,
Just a few thoughts after reading the last 3 pages. I've got a Samsung 56" and two DVD players. A Bravo D1 via DVI and a Panasonic XP-30 hooked to Comp1 w/ component cables. I can do A/B testing of the DVI vs. Comp players very easily (incedently the XP-30 is no slouch and did very well in the shoot out results). Here are some of my observations:

- PQ on the Bravo DVI is amazing. The colors are rich and well resolved. The resolution is very good. I would have to say Finding Nemo erased any doubts I had about this set.
-I use the XP-30 for older movies ( I collect Technicolor DVDs) that are in 1.66:1 ( near 4:3 ) and video material such as TV shows.
- As others have remarked the DLP is a brutal reflection of the material put into it. The poor the signal ...well you know the rest.
- If you have a DLP and are trying to decide on a DVD player I strongly recommend the Bravo.


Regards,
Mark

For testing via your PC, use arungupta's test patterns you'll find here
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attac...postid=2468127

You can find both Avia and DVE at amazon. I've never used Avia, but chose DVE since it's digitally mastered and thus seems like a more predictable source for test images IMO.

To look for color fringes, its best to use a black/white pattern that has transitions all around the picture. I've been using a grid of lines in DVE, but arungupta's focus test would likely work well too.

Mark@ct: I also have the Samsung 56 inch and the Panasonic XP30 hooked up via the component #1 input. You said the picture via dvi with Bravo is great, but you did not say anything about the AB comparison with XP30. I am considering the Bravo because I live only 10 miles from the company that makes them, but if the AB comparison is close then I may just keep my XP30. Any thoughts, Mark?

For all who are interested, I am the happy owner of the Momitsu V880 which I believe has the same guts as the Bravo D1. They both have all the same connections. The Momitsu is silver instead of black.

The difference to me is that VINC is buying their units from the manufacturers of the Momitsu and slapping their black box on it and calling it the Bravo D1. I returned my Bravo because of the problem with numerous remotes causing it to act funny.

What makes the Momitsu better is that if you go to http://www.manowa.com.tw/dvdplayer880FWDL.html
you will see where you can update the firmware of the Momitsu and make it even better.

I have applied the latest NON-BETA update and everything runs much better. Who knows, these firmware updates may also work on the Bravo because they appear to be the exact same players on the inside.

Maybe someone is willing to give these firmware updates a try on their Bravo and post the results for others.

Where do you buy a Manowa?

It's not a "Manowa," it's name is the Momitsu V880. Do a Google search for the Momitsu V880 and you will see where you can buy it directly from Taiwan (shipping is a little high) and there are various discussion groups with information on setting it up and running it.