Samsung 71' 1080P DLP HL-S7178W (owners) - Page 37

Okay ... answering my own question While watching a movie this evening, a message popped up that said something like "update complete." When I checked the TV Guide, all the info was there. I knew it could take 24 hrs+, but not sure why it was working earlier.

When I am tuned to a channel, and hit "info," it tells me the source video (e.g. 720p / 1080i/ etc), but says no information available in the sections for program, description, etc. I'm assuming this functionality doesn't work with the CableCard ... can anyone confirm this?

So now I am looking to buy a good surge protector. Anyone using a Monster Power conditioner or recommend anything else? Do these really improve Video quality? I have a buddy that can get them at cost.....

Bob,

I purchased this .......... http://www.provantage.com/apc-j15~7AMPS034.htm

It is a conditioner and UPS backup that gives me 30min to shut down properly. We've had some quick 15 sec outages and brownouts. A surge protector isn't the best for those as it can't keep the power constant and will still shut off. This unit doesn't skip a beat and has a nice info displaing voltage, est. time on battery, etc.

A little more expensive than the surge suppresor from Monster, but a better value, in my opinion.

Funny you should suggest that, I just ran by my local Costco, and they have a UPS backup/ surge protector for home theater use. I started thinking about the fan shutting down and not cooling the lamp in a blackout/ brownout situation. Not many if at all lightning storms here, LA,Thanks for the info, i think that is the direction I will go in........

I use an APC Surge Protector w/ 900VA Battery Backup that I purchased at BB.

Hi,

I just wanted to follow up on my earlier post and encourage those of you on the fence considering professional calibration. Dave Abrams, one of the Avical Calibrators, just left my house, and I am very pleased with the results. After spending the amount of money that I did for this set, it is nice to know that it is working at peak performance. Dave did a great job, took the time to explain things to me, and told some great stories about calibrating monitors for Sony during the development of the PS3 .

For those considering calibration, give Avical a try! Dave is top notch!

Don

Thanks for the report. I've included it in the list that is linked at the bottom of my post.

Hi guys ... sorry to be a pest, but I'm still looking for some answers on how the Samsung TV Guide works on the 7178s

Has anyone had any "macroblocking" issues on your sets with the Oppo DV-981HD 1080P up-converting DVD Player? It's supposedly an issue with many DLPs. I spoke to a customer service rep at Oppo and he recommended another model (970HD) which didn't have a Faroudja chip but he's not sure if the macroblocking is an issue with the latest generation DLPs.

I've had the "981" for over a week now. There have been no macroblocking problems with it's HDMI connection to our professionally calibrated Samsung HL-P5063 (2004).

I have the Oppo 970HD ( bought it several months ago ) and can tell you no macroblocking at all. I am very pleased with this player, plays everything I have thrown at it...Standard DVD's look pretty darn good.. I have also heard there was a macroblocking issue with the other models using DLP's, although ht does not seem to have a problem...... I too am using it's HDMI connection...

No macroblocking here ... connected to : Xbox 360/HD-DVD add-on (works fine on VGA and Component), PS3 (HDMI), Oppo 981 (HDMI), Comcast via CableCard, and PC via DVI-HDMI.

Hey Shazza, I have the same TV. Anyone with either cable/satelite provider probably wont need to use it. I believe it's something you wanna setup if your using an OTA. My cable provider has tv schedules i've been used to for years now. I spoke to the tech. that came over to take care of the "mysterious white light coming from the bottom/center of my screen" issue, and he says not to bother unless u dont have a service provider. He also mentioned that the "cable" source could not ever be disalbed. :O( It's still an awesome set. Hope this helped a bit. I do give him credit for resolving the issue, but u know how good their advice can be.... :O)

Thanks, jeo393. I was asking more out of curiosity than any real need. I almost always have my laptop handy, so I generally use that to check the listings available. And, my 7178 is used primarily for HD/BD DVDs and the few 400 HD channels on Comcast. My husband has taken to watching the 7178 instead of the regular TV (not a real surprise!) so I am also looking to make things a bit easier for him.

I was aware that the cable guide would not be available while using the CableCard, but still don't see this as a major probem. Ultimately, I'll be setting up an HTPC so I wanted to see how well the CableCard functions before going that route.

EXTREMELY satisfied with my order and delivery from One Call (www.*******.com). They will match their competitors (listed on their site), and everything arrived without a scratch. They did a couple of price adjustments while I was waiting for the unit -- this was back in September -- and saved hundreds of dollars versus buying it locally.

I've had my 7178 for about two weeks now and I love it. I tried both component and HDMI/DVI connections from my cable box (Comcast Motorola 6408). The component cables seems to give a slightly clearer picture than the HDMI/DVI cable for cable HD programs using Eliab's settings. Do you think I have a bad cable box or possibly a bad HDMI/DVI cable? We're supposed to get the newer 6412 Motorola boxes in Dallas sometime this year. I may just wait until then and try again since they have a HDMI capability instead of DVI.

Hey Paulba, I was set up with TW Cable, (Motorola 3416) set up with component when they installed my box, I tried an HDMI cable and honestly, I did not see any difference... I mean the pic looks fantastic either way. Perhaps the 7178 just does such an excellent job with the signal you may not see much or any difference at all...

I think component looks bad for HD compared to HDMI....I saw a banding on black backgrounds via monster component cable (I tried cheaper cable too and both component inputs).

HDMI looks perfect. I have my PS3, A2 and Tivo all connected via HDMI. My 360 is the only thing I have connected via component.

I am deciding between the Samsung 71" and the Mitsu 65 or 73" (831) series and cannot make up my mind. I have always liked Samsung but the light tunnel issue is making me nervous. I have seen all three sets and they all look nice. I plan on getting UMR to calibrate so I know any of those three sets can look fantastic after calibration.

I also wanted to know how the fan/color wheel noise on on the 71" Samsung. I have read conflicting posts about that. I ask because I am getting rid of my HP 65" due to excessive color wheel/fan noise. I appreciate any comments or comparisons you guys have done between these sets. Thanks!

Steve

I must admit that I did not leave my HDMI connected for a good long look from my cable box, but just scanning HD channels it looked great, but so does component . I ordered another HDMI cable so I will be using that exclusively and I'll do a more critical look, especially at dark scenes. I'm guessing since you have your set professionally calibrated that probably makes a big difference.... ohhh man.... gotta get that done!

Yeah, on component, I could see that banding on darker scenes....especially when I was watching Lost. It drove me crazy.

HDMI has no issues and looks about as perfect as broadcast hd can look!

Now, if there is something wrong with my component connections that could explain it to, but I switched cables, so it shouldnt be those (one was a gold monster cable). Also, I experienced it on my hd tivo series 3 AND OTA via the set. So, I ruled out the tivo causing the problem.

But, it looks fine for my 360 and everything else is connected via hdmi, so im happy.

Hello,

This is my first forum post. I have a Samsung DLP 71" purchased about 4 months ago. I pretty much like everything about it but the PIP. My question is; I connected my PC to the VGA port, but the screen doesn't seem to be positioned correctly. When I expand it to fit to the edge I have about a 1/2" gap at the top left and the bottom right where the top right and bottom left are touching at the edges. I am trying to adjust it so the pc desktop fills the screen evenly on each side, but I can't find the adjustment, like monitors have (Tilt). All I see is the adjustment for moving the picture from side to side, up and down and expanding. Does anyone know how I can go about getting the VGA part of the TV adjusted? I called SAMSUNG, but the tech there stated they don't really support the VGA part of the TV, which I know is bs.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

Hello Hearth,

Thank you for the kind words and hospitality - it was a pleasure to meet you.

We are thrilled to hear that you are enjoying the benefits of a properly calibrated display. As you know, these displays have the potential to conform to system standards more closely than any other consumer RPTV we have tested on the market and once they do the image accurracy is truly stunning.

Good Pictures!

I was facing the same decision in December. I am glad I picked the 71" Samsung. I don't have any issues with any noise from the television, but if you want to be sure, check one out in the store.

The deciding factor for me, besides the satisfaction of the owners, as expressed in this forum, is that the 7178 will take a 1080p input over component. Most DLPs will only accept 1080p over HDMI. I like the added flexibility (as will any owner of an Xbox360).

Good Luck,
Don

Just a reminder.....

When having a display calibrated, you will probably still have to do some tweaking with the regular picture adjustments afterwards and it's the set that is being calibrated and not the sources. I found that out firsthand after David Abrams calibrated my Samsung hls7178.

After David Abrams calibrated my Samsung hls7178, he threw DVE into my oppo 981 and played the demo clip and it looked great. And the clip was done in 480i. When I looked at hd out of my Comcast box, I thought there was excessive color saturation but that didn't worry me. I figured the color just needed to be adjusted. After David left, I just knocked down the color setting a bit and the picture was perfect! Well, as perfect as the source can provide and what my tired old eyes tells me.

Was the cost and effort worth it? Absolutely! You get A picture comparable to a professional monitor costing thousands more. According to David, if I recall correctly, to get a picture equal to a calibrated Samusng hlsxxxx, you'd have to spend 3-4 times the initial cost of the Samsung. That makes a calibrated Samsung a 'best buy', in my book. We're talking SMPTE standards. From what David tells me, most sets doesn't have the ability to be calibrated to the smpte standard. PQ of a professional monitor? Wow.

Granted, David has a Samsung hlsxxxx and is big fan of the Samsung hlsxxxx, so his opinion may be a bit biased. But who wouldn't be after seeing a professionally calibrated Samusung hlsxxxx? Besides, David has seen and calibrated many displays and there must be a reason why he, Eliab and umr chose the Samsung hls. That carried a lot of weight with me.

Anywho, I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job of calibrating than David. I'm sure Eliab, umr and other calibrators would beg to differ. Perhaps a shootout? I know won't hesitate to contact David when I need a tuneup. But if he isn't available, I guess I'll have to 'settle' for Eliab or umr. Just kidding guys.

Thanks, David. If I have misquoted you, my apologies.

Tony W.

Thanks for the report. It's been included in the list that is linked at the bottom of my post.

I may look into calibration in a few months. I don't have any problem with the cost of it, but truthfully - I just don't see how the PQ can be any better than it is now! I'm sure this is because I've just recently been initiated into the world of HD, and most of my viewing on the set has been Blu-ray, HD-DVD, and some HD cable. That said, I'm quite sure a professional can get an even better picture, and I may be in a postition to appreciate it once I've gotten over the current WOW factor.

Thanks for the response. They have one at the Best Buy but the store is very noisy. I will try to see if I can hear anything. The Mitsu was very quiet. If the Sammy is as quiet then I will be happy.

Steve

Eliab is calibrating my 7178 on Monday morning ...

For the most part, I am in your boat. I simply don't see how this could get any better, and I've done (as far as I know) a decent job of "self-calibrating" the unit. But then I hear about people *much* better at this than me getting their sets calibrated, and being blown away by the results ... so needless to say, I'm pretty damn excited for Eliab to get here and work his magic.

I will make sure to report back here (and with htwaits' thread) about the experience!

What is the lamp wattage on the HL-S7178W?
What is the DLP chip size used? Is it 0.843" like the 73" mits?

Any news as to when the 71" might be available with LED light instead of the lamp?

Thanks,