The Official Samsung SlimFit HDTV Thread...

I like how it looks like a plasma from the front, the way it has a "thin" bezel.

when they call it slimfit it just means it's not as deep. Since it's still a CRT it's going to be be heavy

I saw this TV yesterday at CC.

The overall picture quality is 10-20% worst than a regular Samsung 30" HDTV.

The picture is out of focus when you are using an analog signal (it was on ch 55 at CC). The text quality is worst than a regular TV in this mode.

The picture quality is acceptable when you are using a HDTV source (on Component 1 at CC). It is not as good as any Sony CRT HDTV.

Geometric distortion is Ok but not great.

The holes on the phosphorus screen mask are huge. You can see each one within 2 feet (not sure about the exact distance) from the TV.

If you think a reduction of 8-9 inches in depth is important, then buy this TV.

If you are interested in picture quality, I would not buy it.

Acwal, are you sure that most of the issues you mentioned aren't attributable to the TV not being calibrated properly? The one I saw at Best Buy in Arcadia, CA looked very good. I didn't like the look of it, personally, but the picture quality was not bad.

The one I saw at Best Buy had amazing picture quality.

I am very confused, i went to two cc stores in nyc, queens and Manhattan and the picture quality was horrible. I played with the setting and was not able to get it to look good enough or compared to panansonic or sony. Sony still look way superior to the slimfit. slimfit is just another marketing gimmick.

I am getting mine tomorrow.I was at CC at Rego Park, the pictures on all the tv were bad but at College Point,queens,It was good.
There is no way you can judge the picture quality from a store when the settings are all mess up and the guality of the signal sent through all the TV's.

and it's not too heavy. I could lift 1 side of it with my left hand.

I just got back from best buy and i saw the slimfit on display it was not so good looking in terms of picture quality. Another dissappointment. So far i saw two slimfit from two diferent cc stores and know best buy. That makes three slimfit with bad looking picture quality.

My local CC and Best Buy stores don't even have it. Anyone know of any locations in the Chicago suburbs that have it on display? Also, is there any word on when the competing LG slim set will be available? It looks like it's going to be a lot better than the Samsung.

leetye62,
We would love to hear what you think of it once in your home! You should post some pics and a quick review of the TV.

You really can't go by the way it looks in the stores - the signal is split to possibly dozens of sets and you don't know how good the raw feed is in the first place. When i was looking at 32" HD-ready TVs two years ago almost all of em looked less than perfect and some looked downright awful. The TV i ended up buying looked poor in the stores but when i hooked it up in my living room the picture was excellent. Had i gone by the picture quality i saw in stores i would not have bought anything.

I would only buy a TV from a store with a good return policy so if it turns out to be crappy you can exchange it or get a refund and try a different brand.

I like the picture from my slim tv.I am not able to compare to a plasma or a Ld because I only have the slim tv.
My pioneer dvd is hook up directly to the tv using component video while my direct tv satelllite is hook up using svhs to my pioneer receiver to the tv using SVHS cable.The pictures from the satellite is just plain sd signal.
I am planning to try out the hdmi using an indoor antenna.
Pictures from the satellite is pretty good no wash out.
I have a problem switching from a svhs to the component video directly.I can't use the source on the remote to do it.I have to go into the menu to switch intput instead directly or go to the tv to do it.2 steps instead of one.
That's it.not that good a review.
Picture quality is better then the store display.

You shouldn't be surprised that this TV has a slightly worse picture than a traditional sized CRT. I have not seen this set in person but there are no improved PQ claims made I think if you like the style and don't care for the best PQ than slimfit TV might be for you.

This isn't some breakthru technology that SED might be. If they could even get 95% of the PQ of their normal CRT sets I think it would be a great job considering the angles this electron gun is working with.

Its seems the consensus among our members is that slimfit is not the technology that was supposed to provide great picture quality than standard hdtv crt tube. Many people i have spoken to and others agree that slimart was a major disappointment. So far there has not been a great review of the slimart, but marginal report of decent picture quality. I have not heard anyone say awesome or outstanding.

Well, its just the first of the slim sets to be available. None of my CC or BB stores even have them so I can't say. I'm waiting on the LG slim set but no one knows when its due out other than by the end of summer. Multiple model numbers are confusing too.

I'm curious to see how LG handles PQ compared to the Samsung.

[quote]We just got it at my Sears store and when I hooked it up through it's OTA the picture was great out of the box.

me 2

I'm very interested in getting this TV so this thread made me go ahead and register.

First off I have to disagree with the others opinion about the display quality. I went to three stores (one CC two Best Buys) and the Samsung set looked pretty much the best out of all the sets available. At the Best Buy closest to my house they had the slimfit set up right next to both 34 in Sonys and the LG 30FZ4D, the LG was pretty much on par w/the Samsung and the Sony looked terrible. My friend who I brought with me said "man, Sony is sure making some sh*tty looking TVs" I lol'ed and agreed, it was pretty sad looking.

I didn't notice any of the geometric issues or other problems either. I'm sure this is a god set but I'll see when I get one.

I also emailed Samsung and asked if they were making a 34 in set to which they replied that there are no plans to which is a bit of a let down.

* CC has them on sale for $899 right now too.

As I said in the other "slimfit" thread further down the page, theoretically this is the TV for me. I want a new TV that supports HDTV, is widescreen, is 30" or more, is not more than 38" wide, is less than 21" deep and cost under $1000. On paper, the Samsung 30" SlimFit is THE TV!

However, after viewing 4 different units in 4 different stores, I've decided that I can not live with the geometry issue. All 4 units at 4 different stores had the same problem. The geometry issue is easily noticable when viewing 4:3 content with sidebars. The sidebars are wavy and have a pronounced outward curve at both the top and the bottom of the screen. When viewing full width programming it is less noticable, but whenever there is a vertical line on the display, especially near either side, the line will not be straight. It generally shows distinct curves in the line and the line will have a distinct outward curve near the top and/or bottom of the display screen.

This is too bad because Samsung had this exact same issue 2-3 years ago with their initial couple of affordable CRT HDTV ready TVs. You would think that they would have fixed this problem by now.

So, although I love the price and the concept, I'm going to pass on this one. I'll see how the other vendors do with their SlimFit models. Maybe someone will get it right.

Enjoy,

TIC

I was SO close to buying this HDTV but after stumbling upon the various threads about it I think I'll pass

I think you already answered your own queston previously....

I bought one at Sears and set it up a couple of nights ago.

The documentation was kinda scant. There were a couple of cylindrical sleeves packaged with it - about an inch in diameter and an inch and a half tall. Does anybody know what those are for?

That bending in the vertical lines can also be caused by an inadequate power supply.

Simply turn your system off, then use the remote and press the following buttons with about .5 to .75 seconds delay between presses: MUTE-1-8-2-POWER

I just got the Slimfit. The vertical lines are not straight. I haven't figured out how to adjust the problem using the service mode. If anyone figure how to fix this problem, please post the results, numbers or instructions on this forum.

Thanks

Samsung CRTs always had weak power supplies...nothing new here.

those are for your video cables i believe..i'm not quite sure what they are called for whatever reason..but i don't hear of a lot of people using them. Most people have purchased good enough cables that they aren't of much use, when paying for expensive tv's at least.

Those are toroids that reduce Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) from any cables to the set that may degrade TV set operation. They could be used on the AC cord and the video cables if necessary.