Samsung 71' 1080P DLP HL-S7178W (owners) - Page 29

They do not have a record that I would trust at:

www.resellerratings.com

Check www.pricegrabber.com

It looks like Nov 2006 has been bad for them there but there are several other good ones prior...

I'm not shopping.

I just switched from being a wanna be owner to an actual owner of the HL-S7178W this past weekend! It replaced an HLN-617W.

At first, I was only using component cables, and I adjusted the picture settings to Eliab's recommended initial values. The menu the TV presented to me for Picture settings matched the format of the Eliab recommendations.

Later, I added an HDMI connection for my HD STB, but got a different menu when I called up the Picture settings than I got for component inputs.

Are Elaib's recommendations just for component input?

Are the adjustments offered for HDMI the same as for component, but just in a different format?

Thanks
Bruce

Hi Bruce,
The settings are for all inputs. I'm not sure what the different menu issue is that you are seeing ... is it possible that you brought up the "Input" menu instead of the Picture one? I do that on occassion ...

rnick1976,

Yes, anything is possible, especially operator error! I'm not familiar yet with the operation of the TV. What is the difference between Picture and Input?

Thanks
Bruce

Has anyone seen A/V sync issues with this set i.e. where audio is slightly ahead of video ?

It almost seems as if the sets internal video processor is delaying the signal enough to cause a synchronization problem ...

I can and do adjust for this with outboard audio preamp/proc but this is still somewhat disconcerting ...

Only rarely. I saw it all the time with my 6168, but it's VERY rare on the 7178.

Yes. Vast numbers of us.


That would be video delay resulting from the processing that is required to bring each input resolution up to 1080p. There is very little of that processing that is noticeable by most viewers using this years models. There is a window where each person is not aware of the delay. The size of that widow varies by individual.

Unfortunately, even if you never see delay caused by the video processing going on in your TV or the attached input devices, there can be extreme sync problems coming from the source material. In one case, not too long ago, the delay was so great that I couldn't correct it with the 380 ms of audio delay provided by our Felston DD540 Digital Audio Delay device. We were watching a football game and every time they brought in the talking heads with a face view it was a disaster.


You are going to have to live with it until all the "player" take the problem seriously. Most of the time it's not a problem. My older HLP (2004) set needs about 80 ms of delay for almost all inputs. The current models shouldn't need any for most inputs.

I can't say I have done any critical looking for it coming from one component versus another although I have probably spent more time watching HD cable input versus some DVD input in the past week or two ...

This of course brings up other questions like ...

- Is it possible that the source ( In this case a Scientific Atlanta Cable Box ) is the real culprit as opposed to the TV ?
- Is upconversion at the TV likely to make this better then using the cable box for upconversion ?
- Is this out of sync condition likely to lessened by using HDMI inputs to the TV as opposed to component video ?

etc etc ...

Any video processing takes time. If it's done in the TV then the TV can compensate for it. If it's done in the STB the TV has no way to know about the delay.


Yes if you mean sync.


At the very least that would eliminate converting the digital signal to analog before it's sent via analog component to the TV. Then it would also eliminate the TV having to convert the analog component signal back to digital.

It can't hurt to try sending all video signals from your STB unprocessed via HDMI to the TV.

Im having a problem....My tivo series 3 is connected via HDMI to my Sammy....the sammy is connected via Optical to my receiver.

Occasionally, the sound does not work when I turn on the tivo and tv. I dont know if its the sammy or the tivo, but the sound just doesnt come on! Sometimes it will come on after a few minutes. I know its not the receiver because my other components work fine.

Anyone have this issue??

I actually get this issue every so often. Generally, changing channels will fix this for me.

Any reason why you don't go directly from your Tivo to your receiver for audio?

I have a Comcast Motorola DVR that seems to do the same thing. In my setup the audio is going directly to our A/V receiver via optical cable to get 5.1 surround. Going through the TV will limit you to 2.0 audio.

I also have audio coming into the receiver from our HTPC and use it as a DVD player. That connection is digital coax.

In both cases there are times when I feel that the DVR is cutting off the audio. With the HTPC I've found that I sometimes have to turn on the DVR to get audio. That feels like witchcraft, but that seems to work. Once audio is working I can turn the DVR OFF.

I've sometimes lost audio watching recorded football games when I fast forward through the commercials. Changing out to a live channel gets audio back.

There doesn't seem to be a pattern except that it's always the DVR that seems to control the audio even when it's coming from the HTPC.



My only theory is that there is audio handshaking that goes on between A/V receivers and STB DVRs, and they need a reboot of some kind. I have had the receiver lock up twice in one of these situations and it needed to be rebooted. Maybe all modern components are running Windows XP somewhere in their innards.

Maybe changing channels is a form of "Restart" for the audio.

Well, first is that I only have 3 optical inputs on my receiver....one is being used by the ps3, one by the 360 and one for the tv (antenna and tivo).....my hda1 is connected via analog outs.

So, I tried connecting the tivo directly to the receiver via optical and it didnt work.....maybe you cant connect the tivo3 via hdmi and use optical for sound?? Im not sure. Ill experiment this weekend.

My next big purchase is a new av receiver...ill wait until hdmi 1.3 is standard though.

There must be a Tivo3 forum here at AVS.

It's probably just a configuration problem.

Well guys, after reading through all 29 pages of this thread I decided to buy the 71".

Just wondering a few general things. Is monster cable really worth it? I'll need 1 set of component cables to connect my HD-DVR Cable box to the television, and a fiber optic cable for the audio for it.

Also, are the monster power cleaners worth it? More specially the $100-$200 dollar ones?

I'm all for getting the best picture, but my knowledge of these products is limited and I don't want to spend a stupid amount on something that's going to be of little benefit.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

No.

Did I say no yet?

No.

Get all your cables at www.monoprice.com. You can get a six foot fiber optic cable from them for around $10. Not sure how much the component cables are, but I doubt they are too much more. You should be able to get all your cables - shipped - for under $30, I would imagine.

Ask anyone here - you will NOT see a difference between Monster's $100 cables and monoprice's $10 ones. Anyone who tells you otherwise, quite frankly, has bought into the hype.


In all honesty, I do not know much about these. My GUT tells me that no, you probably do not need one if you've plugged in the TV and are not seeing bizarre scan lines or anything like that.

Thanks for the quick response. I have two sets of monster composite cables, the $30 thx ones, and a very expensive set of the video3 series or whatever the $150 components ones are. I can't tell a difference between them, I've tried several experiments with multiple viewers, no one has been able to tell them apart.

I'll check out monoprice. Any other thoughts?

Maybe that's a typo.

Keep in mind the digital audio and digital video (HDMI and DVI) are different animals than analog Component cables. If a digital cable is not getting the 1s and 0s through it's extremely obvious. Analog Component cables are much more sensitive to a wider range of problems and the negative results can be subtle.

Even so, people who don't know which component cables are connected will probably have a hard time distinguishing the $150 Monsters from the MonoPrice cables. The power or suggestion is great.

Yeah, that was a complete typo. I meant component.

I got the 7178!!! Absolutely awesome. Well with the exception for the picture, sometimes, only on certain scenes. Images, mostly certain peoples' faces have that sunburned look I read about back in this thread somewhere.

I am having trouble searching this thread for some reason, could someone please give me some info?

First I would like to see Eliab's recommended settings at the user level menus. A couple of items I cannot find in the menu system is DNIe and Digital Noise Reduction. I am unclear what each of those do. I also do not remember seeing a setting recommended for SHarpness if I rcall correctly.

Secondly, can someone let me know if these settings are recommended for ALL video sources? Should I use these same settings for playing Madden on the Xbox 360 over component? What about Game Mode? Leave it on Movie Mode with Eliab's settings and enable Game Mode?

Here they are:

Eliab's Starting Settings and DVE Help


I think they are in the Picture Menu. At least that's where they are in our HLP.


Yes, but they are just a starting place that's better than the initial factory settings. You should get a DVE disk and do that calibration too. The final step would be a professional calibration if you want to go all the way.

Is there a way to temporarily lighten this set to make it easier to move upstairs by myself? In other words, can components such as the light engine be removed and replaced by a careful but non service-tech owner?

Can't you commission a friend to come help you for a few minutes? Seems easier to me than taking it apart.

I would highly recommend that you find a friend to help you. The set only weighs like 130lbs. according to Samsungs website. Furthermore I imagine that most of the weight comes from the actual casing and the light engine and similar parts only weigh 5-15lbs each.
Call your neighbor if nothing else. A couple of beers and football should get him over there.

No!

Hi,

I just received my 7178 on Friday, spend all weekend get it set up. The current set is

TV: HLS -7178
AVR: Pioneer VSX-84TXSi
DVD: Denon 2910
SPkR Energy Connoisseur Series
SAT : Dish HD system
Cables :AR ProII

This set is amazing, absolutely wonderful picture(especially after a few hours of burn in). I am using the TR71B stand and it looks great. I am using my Family room vs a dedicated Theater and it still look amazing. I'll post pictures soon

Hello all,

I believe that this may have been mentioned before but I thought that I would add it again in case the original post has been lost. This is extremely important regarding these displays so please read!

The current line of Samsung DLP displays will produce one of the most stunning pictures currently available once calibrated and with a high quality signal. But it is not without its set of idiosyncrasies. DNIe (floating black, excessive edge enhancement, horizontal banding) will occasional toggle itself back on - even if the user menu says it's off! We have found this to be the case when powering the set on, switching inputs, and/or scan rates. The easiest way to tell would be if the picture lacks any type of shadow detail. For a more precise analysis, one can toggle between the Low APL and High APL PLUGE patterns on DVE (T.12, CH.2-3). If the vertical strips cannot be seen after it's been calibrated - chances are that DNIe has turned itself back on.

We suggest the following procedure to ensure that it remains off for critical viewing. This should be done after you settle down to whatever it is you will be viewing (after switching inputs, channels, etc.).

1. Go to the user-menu of your display and toggle DNIe back off whether or not it is in the on or off position.
2. Then, enter the picture menu and bring brightness up one click from where you had it and then back down to its original position.

Eliab

A six pack and a pizza pie is all that's usually needed.

Eliab