Official Samsung LN-TXX61F/65F/66F Owner's Thread III - with *updated* first post. - Page 640

Actually, he is right.

Not only is this only for Samsung TV's, this is for the LNT series and is an owners thread for these TV's. Start a new post or see if there is a post that deals with your particular TV.

This is for anyone with an LNT4066F that has a 1032, 1035, 1036, or 1037 firmware with the 1011 (Trident) board. This may also work well for LNT4065F or LNT4665F sets with the same board and firmware mentioned above.

Go into your service menu (ONLY if you know what you are doing) and change the following values. Make sure you take screen shots of your stock settings so you can bring them back if you do not like these.

Shut your TV off. Hit Mute, 1, 8, 2, power to go into your service menu.

DO NOT hit enter or mess with the calibration menu! You can screw your picture up if you do this. If you accidentally do this, let me know and I can help you fix it. Use the down arrow and hit enter on Option Byte.

In the Option Byte menu, only change the following values:

Panel Option: Tulip-Side (Tulip for LNT4X61F series)
Panel: 40AMV (40AM for LNT4X61F series)
Gamma: 0.95
8-Bit color (try 10 bit first, if it looks rainbows, put it back to 8-Bit)
Mess with ONLY these settings, nothing else!

Hit return on your remote when finished, and go to the white balance menu.

In the service menu white balance, make the values look like this: We will be using the TV's picture menu to set colors. This evens all the colors out.
128
512
512
512
128
512
512
512

Exit the service menu (do not go to reset, just power the TV off) and turn it on. Set you picture menu to look like this.

Mode: Movie
Contrast: 90
Brightness: 50
Sharpness: 20
Color: 56
Tint: 50/50
Backlight: I like mine at 7-8, for a dark room, try 5-6 (whatever your preference is. For a bright room in daytime I have mine at 8.)

Color Tone: Warm 1
Size: Just Scan
Digital NR: Auto

Black Adjust: Off
Dyn. Contrast: Off
Gamma: -1
Color Space: Auto

White Balance:
R.Offset 21
G.Offset 18
B.Offset 21
R.Gain 7
G.Gain 17
B.Gain 26

My Color Control:

Pink 19
Green 15
Blue 15
White 15

Edge Enhancement: On
xvYCC: Off

HDMI Black Level: Low
Energy Saving: Off

After messing with my TV for 2 years, these settings make it look like I got a TV upgrade! Change the service menu to match mine first, then try these. I think you will find it looks amazing. The colors are perfect looking. Skin tones are natural, shadow detail is amazing. High definition content looks like you are really there, I cannot believe these settings look this good!

I use these with:

• WOW Cable's Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD
• Sony Playstation 3
• My computer's DVI to HDMI adapter.

All sources are using HDMI.

I tried the settings and they look great. Better than before. I am keeping this setting. Thanks so much for your two years of work.

I am glad to hear that these settings worked out for you.

Please enjoy and I am glad to help. Thank you for your feedback as well, at least I am not the only one who thinks these look exceptionally good.

I'm wondering if the HDMI comment is a necessity for these settings, or you just mentioned it because you don't have any non-HDMI devices. I'll be waiting to hear from someone who uses your settings with other inputs, as not all my gear is fed HDMI.

According to Woody's famous 1499 settings, if using component the only difference is sharpness goes to zero. I kept mine at 20 and like the look better than 0, that may be a difference between our boards though. He has a different board and firmware, so that may make the difference there.

Yes, currently I only have 3 items fed to the TV through an Onkyo SR-706 receiver to the TV. All using HDMI of course. I have the receiver set as pass through only, so it does nothing to the signal (I hooked all 3 up directly to check, made no difference what so ever).

I have used my Nintendo Wii on this TV via component. I can say that even though the Wii is not a HD component, it looked just fine.

So, to get down to the bottom of this I hooked up my Explorer 8300HD cable box to the TV using component. I am happy to report it looks every bit as good as using HDMI. In fact, it is almost impossible to tell them apart, they look the same.

I did this to see for myself, it looks great still. Colors good, sharpness is good. Black detail looks great.

But yes, anyone else with component inputs, can you please chime it and let me know the results if using component with my settings listed above?

Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for testing it I can't mess with mine until my GF finishes playing GOWIII because if I mess up the TV there will be hell to pay.

My LN-T5265F, started showing the initial startup with flicker and pink dots and after around 30sec the picture stabilizes and gets better. Got in touch with Samsung and they gave me a #400 ticket number and told that it seems to be the powerboard issue and will fix it for free provided (even after warranty ) if it is the capacitor blown up. If the service man ( Third party of samsung) does not find the capacitor blown up then they will charge me 110$ as a service fee for coming. Does anyone know of this starry pink flicker at start and finally getting a good picture issue is related to the power board capacitor, as if it is, then i would not have to pay the service fee and get it done by samsung for free. Thanks
Sharuc

So Bestbuy finally gave me my free main board replacement, I believe I have firmware 1017. Not sure of what I was upgrading from but the good thing is that I have yet to see a green flash or have a video dropout!

I'm crossing my fingers, the second it happens they have to give me a new TV In any case it's win win! Anybody know if I have to reset my picture settings? I used the settings from this thread when I first got my TV back in 2007.

Thanks

I have a 4066F and a Sony Blu-Ray player connected thru HDMI. Maybe once or twice per movie, I'd get a colored flash (usually green) as if someone instantaneously changed the color settings...it was very brief and not a huge deal-blink and you miss it-but it wasn't right. I recently got a new home theatre system (also Sony) so now my Blu-Ray goes through it and then to the 4066. Now instead of a green flash, I will lose connection briefly. Sometimes it comes back, other times I need to turn the tv off and back on. I thought maybe I needed a firmware update (I don't think I've ever updated it) but can't find one on Samsung's site. I do not get the green flash on the HDMI-connected cable box, though on rare occasions (once a month) the cable box will lose connection (no error message, just goes black) and turning the tv off and back on fixes it. Any ideas?

Edit***Sorry-I read the first page in this thread which mentions the green flash and that it has been resolved but I don't see any link for me to follow! My firmware is 1009, hardware 1004. Not sure where to find the update or whether I should install it, with all the warningmessages here!

Contact Samsung support through webchat and this is what they had to offer...guess I have to call in and try again...

Martin M: Hello, I am a Samsung Technical Support representative. How may I assist you today?
Visitor: hello. I have an LN-t4661F that has started to show many pink dots and lines in the screen at startup in the morning.
Visitor: If I turn it off then back on it goes away but happens every morning.
Martin M: Please allow me to go through the inquiry.
Visitor: Sometimes it cycles on and off a few times before coming on.
Visitor: i have read some forums online that talk about failing capacitors and a recall.
Martin M: Do you use any device or surge protector between TV and power outlet?
Visitor: yes, i have a surge protector
Martin M: Please connect your TV to a direct power supply without using a surge protector and check once.
Visitor: unfortunately i am not at home to do this. however, the same surge protector has been in use since I bought the tv
Visitor: plus it only happens in the morning on the first startup
Visitor: or long periods of being off
Martin M: I understand, the power supply to your TV might also be an issue.
Visitor: that is what I have heard. the capacitors in the power supply
Visitor: is there a recall associated with this?
Martin M: Do you hear any clicking noises from your TV while turning on?
Visitor: only when it decides to cycle before coming on but generally no
Martin M: Okay, this is not related to the capacitor issue.
Visitor: how do you figure? from what I have read the pink dots and lines all over the screen are caused by the capacitors? I even pulled the back cover last night and found two of the suspect seven capacitors bulging.
Martin M: I understand, the free recall is only on the TV with clicking issue.
Martin M: If your TV is showing the pink dots while starting up, try to check with the surge protector once.
Martin M: If this does not resolve the issue, there might be some internal component that is failing the TV.
Martin M: You need to get your TV serviced to fix the issue.
Martin M: Would you like me to provide the online service request link so that you can file a service request to get your TV serviced?
Visitor: no thanks, i know the link. i will try the surge protector thing but I know the issue is the power supply capacitors. then I will call back again.
Martin M: Sure, we are here to assist you 24/7, 365 days.
Martin M: Is there anything else I may assist you with?
Visitor: no...

Ouch sorry to hear it didn't go well with Samsung.
I'm having the same issue as you, except I have the ESP plan with the now defunct Circuit City. They are sending a tech on Friday the 16th to check my tv out. Hopefully it goes well or I'm just going to have to change the capacitors myself.

Hey Everyone,

Just curious if anyone has had a similar problem I'm seeing lately with my LN-T5265F. For the last couple weeks my TV seems to be fluctuating in brightness randomly. It doesnt seem to happen while watching (or at least I havent noticed), but at times when using the TV it will be very dark, and I have to crank up the brightness to be able to see anything in dark scenes. At other times the TV will seem to be overly "bright" however its not really bright, its just REALLY grey and washed out, so I have to turn down the brightness to get decent contrast, black levels, and color. It seems to be happening on multiple sources, and two different HDMI inputs. Anyone seen this happen before? I have extended warranty on this TV, but I want to do some research on the problem first before I report it, as its going to be very difficult to prove or even demonstrate the issue.

jbrscot, the key to that Samsung denial of your problem is when you said "generally no" to the question about clicking. Every time you turn on or off the TV it clicks (although it may be a delayed click so that you miss it). You notice the clicks only when it cycles on/off because in that situation it clicks multiple times. Your pink dots/lines are very likely because of a bad power supplied to the main board, which means your TV's problem may very well be the bulging cap problem.

I tried these settings on my 4665f with 1032 & 1009 and it looks great except the red was a little to strong. I set Pink from WB to 17 and it looked better. Thanks for the ssettings.

sorry to bring about this old thread but I too have been battling samsung for some time and I am looking to just buy a newer mainboard off ebay or something to fix my handshake issues. any tips on how to identify wether a board is 1004 or 1005 by looking at it or numbers or anything? The sellers couldn't tell me for sure what revision they were or if they had handshake issues.

update on my capacitor issue. I am still getting the pink pixels and now the TV is starting to take awhile to come on with the unit starting to click and cycle.

I tried a web chat one more time and they had no clue what I was talking about. I called and the person knew exactly what the issue was but said my TV was made too soon and would not be covered by the recall. The dat range is 10/2007 through 6/2008. My TV was made 8/2007. However, it was serviced 2/2008 with a new power supply which probably has the bad capacitors but I was told it doesn't matter since it was not part of the original unit. WTF

My ln-t4665 is doing the exact same thing. The the clicking, extra long time to turn on, then the pink dots. I just turn it off then on again and this usually takes care of the dot. However, this is pretty annoying and can't be good for the tv. I have no extended warranty and the tv is almost 3 years old.

Hello folks,

Well...this is really hard to believe but the Samsung certified tech just left my house after pulling out and replacing 3 burst capacitors. The TV now works like new. I never posted my problem on here, but I have been following this thread for a long time, many months, hoping that a recall would occur eventually. I guess the recall has been going on for longer than I thought but I finally was able to take advantage and get my set fixed for free. It took me roughly 10 calls to Samsung and the company they were sending out. Samsung and the company were both trying to tell me that the problem was not a capacitor issue but a mainboard problem, and trying to say that repairs would be somewhere near $800. I think they said 600 for the board and 200 for service charges. It was a very frustrating process trying to tell them that I actually know what's going on and I am not going to accept their BS. I grew very very angry during this process, but I was able to keep my cool with the tech today and he was a nice guy, and it was all done within about 20 minutes.

VERY hard to believe I am actually typing this right now. My TV started having the click-and-wait-10-minutes-before-it-turns-on about 2 years ago, and the problem started happening just a month or so after my 1 year warranty expired. So I have waited a long time for this moment. I feel like I just climbed Mount Everest or something. Wow.

I'm a bit confused. I haven't posted on the boards for a long time, but my 4665 recently was replaced by a newer Vizio, so I inherited the Sammy as my gaming tv. I also wanted to hook it up to my PC, but it says "Mode Not Supported" via VGA. If I boot into Safe Mode, it will display. Otherwise, it just comes up with the blue screen.

I tried out these settings on my 5265F and its looking better than ever! Thanks for sharing these!

PS, I didn't make a change to the "Panel:" setting on my TV because that resulted in rainbows, so i put it back to my TV's default.

Hi,
Samsung LN-T4665F has no picture but sound comes normally. When the tv turns on pictures will appear one second then disappear but sound will stay. I've turn off the tv for one day unplugged and turned back on, still it does the same thing. Can you pleasee tell me where is the problem? and how to fix it myself. This TV is out of warrenty.

Thanks

Does anyone have FW 1036 or 1037? All the links are not working. Thank you in advance

I have a 5265f and have had the exact same problem twice now. The first time about 6 months ago they replaced the power supply board and it worked until a couple weeks ago. It did the same thing again as you describe. They came back replaced the main board, power supply board again and some cable connectors and it still had the problem. They have now order a new panel and should be fixed by the end of the week(hopefully). I do have an extended protection agreement from Sears. I have Sears saying if this doesn't fix it or I have another problem after this they will replace it with a new TV. So, if I had to pay for this I would have replaced the TV by now. I think many owners have had the same problem and it is possible if it isn't the panel you could do the work your self but if not it might cost more then what a new replacement.

I have seen the repairs guys work on the 5265F so much I think I could do all the work myself now if I need too.

Well Samsung replaced my board today with another 1004 1037firmware. I am not complaining at the moment but we will see within the next day or two if I have more dropouts. The key to getting it fixed in my case was to write a letter. Calling tech support did jack and the supervisor call I asked for never came. I wrote to their corporate address and got a call in approximately one week to setup a repair.

So if it is a capacitor issue, can one DIY if you have some basic skills? I'm not sure if I want to or have the time to deal with Samsung on this one. Also, not sure if they will fix it anyway being that my TV is almost 3 years old.

I'm sure it's DIY-able as long as you know what kind of capacitors to use.

Thanks for the suggestion. After two web chats, a phone call and an email I put a very detailed letter in the mail today. We'll see what happens.

As for the DIY question from jtaka1, I found many how to videos on youtube. Pretty simple project, just have to be careful not to zap yourself on the hot side of the board which is labeled. If I don't get a favorable response from Samsung I will do this myself.

I apologize if this has been asked before, but has anyone been successful in having Samsung (Samsung Canada, in my case) refund repair costs related to the pinkdots-no-turn-on capacitor issue?

I have a receipt indicating the type of repair that was done a few months ago. My repair was done by a local repair shop, not an authorized Samsung dealer. My set was purchased in 2007 and was out of warranty. At the time of my repair, Samsung Canada or US was not acknowledging the widespread capacitor problem.

I tried and had no luck. I actually had it fixed a second time, which they covered. I asked about the first time, and they said they couldn't do anything. I didn't press too hard because that cost was covered by an extended warranty through AMEX.