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Official Samsung 81 Series LNT-xx81f Owner's Thread Part II - Page 5

post #121 of 2272
8/30/07 at 8:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfaprilbob View Post

I love my 5281 but it always seems to have a haze look to it without alot of punch.A setting that has worked great for me,I just discoved is turning HDMI black level to normal.It now has the sharpness and punch I love.It came preset with that setting to low.I discoved if I disconnect my HDMI and then change it to normal and reconnect HDMI my picture looks much sharper and better.
Hope this helps..

I found there was large amount of black crush with HDMI black level set to low with the DVI input from my PC. Definitely recommend other users check this setting if they are using HDMI as an input. Went from 1 step above black being visable to ~16 steps above black for the first grey being visible. This is a must check setting.
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post #122 of 2272
8/30/07 at 8:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave4100 View Post

Just for S&G's I called tech support and asked if they had in-house calibration settings for the 81 series and the guy said no. He said that it is up to the user to set the colors and other settings to their own tastes. He also said they don't read anything on this board. I bet they all do. Anyway, maybe another tech or supervisor would be more helpful.

Which of course was the purpose of the call. Johnny B. is trying to set the colors to his own taste, and can not get even close to solving the puzzle. I say owners should just keep calling them, and keep telling them that they would love to set the colors to their own tastes, if Samsung would just give them some directions on how to actually accomplish that.

If the customer already knew how to get the colors tuned to his taste, he would not be tearing his hair out, Right, Johnny B?.

...
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post #123 of 2272
8/30/07 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenland View Post

Which of course was the purpose of the call. Johnny B. is trying to set the colors to his own taste, and can not get even close to solving the puzzle. I say owners should just keep calling them, and keep telling them that they would love to set the colors to their own tastes, if Samsung would just give them some directions on how to actually accomplish that.

If the customer already knew how to get the colors tuned to his taste, he would not be tearing his hair out, Right, Johnny B?.

...

Yes. I don't ask for much. I am not asking for perfect 6500k grayscale or even mildly off color points. But what I am looking at right now doesn't resemble something even close as accurate. While I'm watching studio CRTs right now as our company is out putting a DVD... I wish the colors of the 4681 at home were "halfway" this close.

Naruto's picture of the 'Merovengian" and his girl somewhat unfairly points out my complaints (I hate photographs of displays for critical judgement.). The red in those pictures are not something I'm used to, and that is the pain of my inability to saturate the image enough. I am going to try that black level HDMI trick when I get home though. It might work.

I don't wanna sound too negative but this is the last horrificly bad hump. Fight on. I am not giving up.
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post #124 of 2272
8/30/07 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnybrulez View Post

Yes I am afraid of that. And no, the noise you see there is mostly camera related. Also 300 has alot of film grain in it so that can attribute. But this is mainly why I don't take pictures. A bad photographer can make the best display look awesome, a good photographer can make a lesser display look better. How is that fair for the potential buyer?

I just wanted to show off the black level differences. If I crush black on the 81, you can get even darker than that.

BTW, anyone with a professionally calibrated set w/ a 300 HD-DVD or Blu-Ray source?

Question Johnny, beside it not being the type of black that looks like a black hole, with those current settings, do you still get a black level that no other lcd can produce?

I used to own that ln-s3251 and i thought it had decent blacks for the time but the 81 absolutely trumps it.
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post #125 of 2272
8/30/07 at 9:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnybrulez View Post

Haven't watched much in daylight conditions since I'm never home during the daytime. But the day I got it, I can safely say, this ain't no matte LCD. It isn't even an anti-glare plasma. But I don't think its any worse than older plasmas at fighting glare. Next to an older plasma it should be comparable. The newer plasmas or matte LCDs? Heck no. If you got alot of ambient lighting, I can see why this set may not be for you.

For me, I tried watching in the complete darkness and I hated it. I loved seeing my room glow nothing but it was just the biggest headache. So once again I am a fanboy of the biaslight. I got a 6500k florescent light behind the set and I love it! With that on, blacks are literally blackhole black at all times. W/o the bias light you will get a little glow on the darkest scenes. Much better than the older TVs though. I vomit at the sight of older plasmas and LCDs when the lights are totally off.


Where can I get a light like that ?
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post #126 of 2272
8/30/07 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HD-Freak View Post

Question Johnny, beside it not being the type of black that looks like a black hole, with those current settings, do you still get a black level that no other lcd can produce?

I used to own that ln-s3251 and i thought it had decent blacks for the time but the 81 absolutely trumps it.

You have good taste in TVs. It does have decent blacks. But most of us on here don't want decent correct? And on the contrary, if you want this set to (lowering brightness), and you keep watching a black screen, or scenes with plenty of 'no information' in it... you can indeed get literal black holes in the picture. I am not over exaggerating that at all.

At a cost though you'll expereince what I've been pointing out in the local dimming tech including floating, pulsating, and crushed blacks. A few brightness notches up and you'll find the balance. Yes, the black level and overall contrast on this TV set exceeds any LCD and not by a little amount. Once you get this thing in real darkness you'll see it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HD-Freak View Post

Where can I get a light like that ?

At your pet store. Or... get the idealume, which looks cool. Quite costly. Although you are considering a quite expensive TV... so uh, knock yourself out. Good luck!
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post #127 of 2272
8/30/07 at 9:31pm
Back in Mid-August, I was told by BB that the computer showed an expected arrival date of September 12 for the LN-T5281F. But, I was in the area so I called up the Magnolia department and sure enough, one and only one had just arrived today. So I stopped in, they brought it out. I asked to see some Blue-Ray material, and they opened the box and hooked it up. Stunning! It was awesome. So they bubble wrapped it so it would fit in the car and now it is in my living room. Just in time for a 3-day weekend too!

First off, I have to make a few comments. None of the pictures I have seen on the forum, including the ones I am about to post, come close to doing this display any justice. If you could try to imagine an ABSOLUTELY pristine and perfect image this does it. You know the blooming effect around white objects on a black background seen in other pics? There is NONE, totally a camera artifact. I took a few pic myself and they appear to have this bloom, but it is NOT visible on the display at all. The white on black edge is crisp and sharp.

WARNING: There is one flaw with this TV model, that really bothers me. The PIP. Sure it has PIP, but it only works with the Off-Air source! No component, no HDMI, no svideo. ONLY -ATSC or NTSC off-air coax. After discovering this, I almost packed it back up and brought it back, but then I thought of a workaround. I use the Composite video out on my HR-20 HD Satellite receiver and pass it through an old VCR and connect the Coax out to the off-Air input on the TV. OMG, I can't believe I have to do that! My pervious TV could use any source in PIP (Samsung HL-R4667W), so why not this new, state-of-the-art TV? What a screw-up! I hope this will get fixed in a firmware update, but I'm not holding my breath...

The display itself is flawless as a computer display. I just hooked up my computer to the display using HDMI and it is perfect. It appears to have perfect 1:1 pixel mapping, although I still have some tests to do to really verify that, but my 1:1 test images are showing up perfectly. There is a trick to it though. I connected the computer to HDMI1. Then, you MUST go and label that HDMI1 input as "PC". As soon as you do that, you'll notice the display brightness changes. Then, in the menu options, there is an option to enable "Home Theater PC" (which was previously greyed out or disabled before the labelling of the input). Again, that changes something in the display (not sure what). Then, set P.Size to "16:9". Notice the previously mentioned "Just scan" mode is no longer available. Then, I went into the NVidia control panel to resize the desktop and adjusted the width/height to perfection. Once I finished that, voila! Perfect, 1920x1080 perfection, undistorted 1:1 pixel mapping. With no overscan/underscan. Now, to the average Joe it looks good without doing any of this because of the shear resolution the display has, but once you get that 1:1 pixel mapping... WOW. Text is so sharp and colors are so bright, it is unimaginable to me that any display could look better. I see no display uniformity issues either. No banding. No dead pixels.

Note: I am not using the VGA input... some might ask why not. well, you can choose to switch inputs through your audio receiver and put up with HDMI compatability issues and other crap, or you can choose to switch inputs using the TV. I chose the TV. I think it's the logical choice. So, I have digital audio coming out of the computer, but if I use VGA, I can't pass digital audio through the TV with the VGA. The 81 series PC audio is a 1/8" stereo plug. Useless! And if I routed it to the receiver, I would have to change sources on my receiver and TV everytime I go from computer to TV... YUCK. So that's why. I am 100% HDMI and I use the SPDIF fiber optic audio out on the back of the TV. Working great so far.

Also, if you're gonna do an HTPC with this TV, I highly recommend, getting an NVidia card with HDMI out. I am using this card: MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH GeForce 8500GT. It has no fan, so it's quiet. Also, it has integrated HDCP, so when I get a BlueRay or HD-DVD drive in the computer, everything should work at full 1080P resolution. If your card does not have HDCP, it won't pass through the 1080P! If you're a gamer, there is a faster card (but louder with fan): MSI NX8600GTS Diamond Plus GeForce 8600GTS.







Remember what I said about these pics. The bloom is NOT there. The black is awesome and even when I get up close the space shuttle looks awesome. I can almost walk up to the TV and read the serial numbers off the tiles.

Oh yeah, and that glare thing...? We have bright windows to the sides, but none behind us and my wife and I don't notice the glare. I was really worried about it after reading all the comments about glare but it just isn't an issue for us. But, in the store it did look very reflective. Once it's on though, I just stopped noticing it.

-Valkyrie-MT
Samsung LN-T5281F 1080P LCD with LED backlight
DirecTV HR20 Dual Tuner HD DVR with integrated ATSC
Onkyo TX-SR501 Audio Receiver
Custom HTPC with Foxconn G9657MA Motherboard and MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH graphics card
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post #128 of 2272
8/30/07 at 9:49pm
I was wondering if it has been established if this Sammy 81 is a 8bit or 10bit panel. I understand the xbr4/5 are 10 bit.

Thx for the info

Scot
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post #129 of 2272
8/30/07 at 10:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfaprilbob View Post

I love my 5281 but it always seems to have a haze look to it without alot of punch.A setting that has worked great for me,I just discoved is turning HDMI black level to normal.It now has the sharpness and punch I love.It came preset with that setting to low.I discoved if I disconnect my HDMI and then change it to normal and reconnect HDMI my picture looks much sharper and better.
Hope this helps..

I would definitely recommend against pulling your HDMI cable and re-plugging while power is on. I fried my HDMI port by doing that on my previous Samsung DLP TV. Samsung had to replace the entire digital board. It turned out to be a known issue with the boards, but I still think it's generally a bad idea. You might want to try an HDMI 1.3 certified cable.

-Valkyrie-MT
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post #130 of 2272
8/30/07 at 10:40pm
Okay. I tried that unplug medium thing and decided that it didn't improve the picture. I switched back to Low... and now my calbiration is thrown off. Strange. Now even at the 60s the black level is at null. I think I can get it back to where it was but this is really weird.

On the other hand my colors seem to be a bit more punchy though and while there are some serious color inaccuracies this is at least a step foward. So I went low... medium... unplug... back to low and voila its more tolerable level of pop. Still a ways off though. I don't know if this will help anyone but I did turn on xvYCC.
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post #131 of 2272
8/30/07 at 10:55pm
I am pissed!.Who keeps on locking the Samsung 81 forums?.This is the 3rd one I've seen.
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post #132 of 2272
8/30/07 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgePro View Post

I am pissed!.Who keeps on locking the Samsung 81 forums?.This is the 3rd one I've seen.

Mod's of course, people keep snowballing the 81 thread turning it into an 81 vs kuros, LCD vs Plasma thread rather than disscussing only the 81.

So, you guys get this thing calibrated yet or what, Johnny, post me some of your final calibrations so that I can check them out. Either post them or PM me. From mode to everything you got, my color options, white levels, the works.

Yeah I tried leaving the xvYCC thing on as well as it made it more brighter I think. Thought this option was for color.
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post #133 of 2272
8/30/07 at 11:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharpjunkie View Post

Mod's of course, people keep snowballing the 81 thread turning it into an 81 vs kuros, LCD vs Plasma thread rather than disscussing only the 81.

So, you guys get this thing calibrated yet or what, Johnny, post me some of your final calibrations so that I can check them out. Either post them or PM me. From mode to everything you got, my color options, white levels, the works.

Yeah I tried leaving the xvYCC thing on as well as it made it more brighter I think. Thought this option was for color.

Dude, if I had settings I was happy with, I'd so give you them. Now that my calibration is thrown off, I have to re-do what I just did awhile ago. What was once 46 brightness is now 56. Man it just like totally flipped on me when I did that HDMI trick. More... obstacles. Which I really don't feel like doing today. So bascially at the moment, I just calbirated by eye, and am now enjoying the SmartLed lighting dance.. and watching seriously some of the most contrasty images I've ever seen.

I'll post some kind of remnant of settings I'm happy with soon enough.
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post #134 of 2272
8/31/07 at 6:02am
It seems that the set that Valkyrie-MT has is pretty much dialed in. I wonder if his is a later set that maybe has some updates that other first adopters didn't get. Maybe compare software/hardware versions of the sets.
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post #135 of 2272
8/31/07 at 6:02am
this is going to be difficult for me, i want to see a 81 series but don't want to drive out of state to see one. There are zero places that would have the 81 series on display so i could see it but one that i know of that could order it for me (american tv). I would like to compare it to the 71 series and maybe xbr4 as i am upgrading from a 32in CRT Sony HDTV (Sony KV-32HS420)
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post #136 of 2272
8/31/07 at 7:39am
Well, no 81 yet, but Samsung DID finally put the 71 on their site.

LN-T4071

Didn't see 4671.

LN-T5271

Although they do have a download page working for the 81.

81 Downloads
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post #137 of 2272
8/31/07 at 8:17am
Any professional reviews of this set yet?
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post #138 of 2272
8/31/07 at 8:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valkyrie-MT View Post

Back in Mid-August, I was told by BB that the computer showed an expected arrival date of September 12 for the LN-T5281F. But, I was in the area so I called up the Magnolia department and sure enough, one and only one had just arrived today. So I stopped in, they brought it out. I asked to see some Blue-Ray material, and they opened the box and hooked it up. Stunning! It was awesome. So they bubble wrapped it so it would fit in the car and now it is in my living room. Just in time for a 3-day weekend too!

Also, if you're gonna do an HTPC with this TV, I highly recommend, getting an NVidia card with HDMI out. I am using this card: MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH GeForce 8500GT. It has no fan, so it's quiet. Also, it has integrated HDCP, so when I get a BlueRay or HD-DVD drive in the computer, everything should work at full 1080P resolution. If your card does not have HDCP, it won't pass through the 1080P! If you're a gamer, there is a faster card (but louder with fan): MSI NX8600GTS Diamond Plus GeForce 8600GTS.

Remember what I said about these pics. The bloom is NOT there. The black is awesome and even when I get up close the space shuttle looks awesome. I can almost walk up to the TV and read the serial numbers off the tiles.

Oh yeah, and that glare thing...? We have bright windows to the sides, but none behind us and my wife and I don't notice the glare. I was really worried about it after reading all the comments about glare but it just isn't an issue for us. But, in the store it did look very reflective. Once it's on though, I just stopped noticing it.

-Valkyrie-MT
Samsung LN-T5281F 1080P LCD with LED backlight
DirecTV HR20 Dual Tuner HD DVR with integrated ATSC
Onkyo TX-SR501 Audio Receiver
Custom HTPC with Foxconn G9657MA Motherboard and MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH graphics card

Thanks for your post. It convinced me along w/some other private responses from the early adopters to go forward w/my purchase. In the end, these real world experiences are more important than theoretical plasma absolutionists.

re" use as a PC. I have one of the "quiet" fanless Geoforce cards in my PC of recent vintage. Unless I keep an external fan blowing thru the front bay, that card overheats and causes occasional artifacts on the monitor. So make sure your PC case is cooled effectively (which might defeat the purpose of having a fanless video card).

Other than gaming, is there any use for hooking up a PC to the Samsung? I can't see doing MS Office on it (maybe if I was one of those giants from Gullivers' Travels). How good could text look?

If you hook up the Samsung to PC, then I guess you can avoid the cost of TIVO using/one of those HD PVR cards like WinTV. TIVO is probably a lot easier though - like a dedicated computer. (Or run Windows media center a/k/a Vista Ultimate and record through that).
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post #139 of 2272
8/31/07 at 8:26am
Someone suggested the older forums are "locked". However, I can get into the anticipation thread w/out problems. Sure they are closed to new messages, but the info is all there.
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post #140 of 2272
8/31/07 at 8:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valkyrie-MT View Post

...
First off, I have to make a few comments. None of the pictures I have seen on the forum, including the ones I am about to post, come close to doing this display any justice. If you could try to imagine an ABSOLUTELY pristine and perfect image this does it. You know the blooming effect around white objects on a black background seen in other pics? There is NONE, ...

-Valkyrie-MT
Samsung LN-T5281F 1080P LCD with LED backlight
DirecTV HR20 Dual Tuner HD DVR with integrated ATSC
Onkyo TX-SR501 Audio Receiver
Custom HTPC with Foxconn G9657MA Motherboard and MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH graphics card

Valkyrie

What sources are you using for video? Do you have a DVR and other tuner as well as the HTPC? Does the picture look any different by source?

Mike
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post #141 of 2272
8/31/07 at 8:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eddiebrock View Post

Any professional reviews of this set yet?

This is from Dave Katzmeier, the widely respected reviewer from CNET, the Walt Mossberg of HDTV. This is response to an emai I sent to him a few days ago. He previously reviewed the 4661/65, compared them, generally said they were the best LCDs to date May-June, and panned the intro of gloss.

Hi Richard,

I too am excited to check out the new LED backlit Samsungs. As always, of course, there will be a delay between early sales of the set (yours) and me receiving one to review. Last I heard from my Samsung contact (last week), he said I'd get a production unit in mid-September. The company originally offered me to review an early pre-production unit but it's my policy never to do that (mainly because, if I have a criticism the manuf can just say "that's because it was pre-production").

I'll tell you right now that the 81 series has a pretty big task if it wants to displace the new Pioneers. As always in my reviews I'll try to compare the 81 side-by-side with the competition, which I hope will include the 5080HD.

Anyway, I'd be anxious to hear what you think of your new 81. Hopefully it can stave off some of that boredom!

Best,

David

To: David Katzmaier
Subject: Message from a CNET Member

From: rnbarg


Subject: Samsung LNT-5281F and other 81 series

Message:
I purchased a Samsung 5281 LCD TV online, but it has yet to ship. There is an "anticipation forum" for this TV on AVS Forum that has been waxing anxiously for what they expect will be the holy grail of TVs.

Have you looked at the new 81s yet and are you going to review them?

One issue you might address is why Samsung has decided to go w/glossy (vs matte) screens for all the 81 series. I did read what you said in your review of the 4661/65, but I think there is even more subtext. For example, if the contrast on the 81 series is 100,000 to 1, and the incremental benefit of a glossy screen is 5,000, why not sell this TV in a matte finish. Among all the companies, why is only Samsung is doing this - glossy w/LCD. Why? When you go to a movie theater, the screen appears like it has a matte finish? Isn't this what you are trying to replicate.

Is the 81 series really the holy grail as it is being touted as? I sure hope so - I saw the TV at CES and was very impressed. To me, plasma TVs are kind of boring.

Regards,


Richard
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post #142 of 2272
8/31/07 at 10:01am
I have a question for owners that took delivery of their 81F. I received my 5281F on Aug 28 and the TV had some cosmetic damages. The first is a deep scratch on the top front bezel. The second is a series of scratches on the corner such that I can see the plastic underneath the paint. The third is a screw that fell out of the back of the TV. I tried to put the screw back into its hole but the hole seems to be stripped and the screw will not tighten. I suspect that the TV has been out of its packaging since it would be impossible to receive the scratches in the corner due to the protective foam that completely protects all corners.

I love the TV and didn't really want to send it back for an exchange and wait for a new set, especially since they are backordered from where I got it. However, I didn't pay $$$ for a damaged TV so I'm exchanging it.

My question is "Was your TV free of defects when you received delivery?" Is this an issue with Samsung quality control, the retailer (Samsung Authorized Internet Dealer) or is this an unlucky singular incident?

Thanks!
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post #143 of 2272
8/31/07 at 10:32am
I checked out the 5281 in the Magnolia room at the Owings Mills, MD Best Buy today. It's a great looking set and IMO crushes any of the other sets in the store both LCD and Plasma. There were lights shining on the set and glare was not an issue. It’s hooked up to the motorized wall mount which is very cool but not worth the money. There is just as much “pop” to the picture as any other set. I toned it down a little so if anyone goes to look at it after this post, adjust it to your liking. The LED smart lighting makes mura a non issue which is awesome. If I had the extra money I’d jump on this set in a heartbeat. It’s making me think twice about my 46XBR4……
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post #144 of 2272
8/31/07 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by yahui168 View Post

I have a question for owners that took delivery of their 81F. I received my 5281F on Aug 28 and the TV had some cosmetic damages. The first is a deep scratch on the top front bezel. The second is a series of scratches on the corner such that I can see the plastic underneath the paint. The third is a screw that fell out of the back of the TV. I tried to put the screw back into its hole but the hole seems to be stripped and the screw will not tighten. I suspect that the TV has been out of its packaging since it would be impossible to receive the scratches in the corner due to the protective foam that completely protects all corners.

I love the TV and didn't really want to send it back for an exchange and wait for a new set, especially since they are backordered from where I got it. However, I didn't pay $$$ for a damaged TV so I'm exchanging it.

My question is "Was your TV free of defects when you received delivery?" Is this an issue with Samsung quality control, the retailer (Samsung Authorized Internet Dealer) or is this an unlucky singular incident?

Thanks!

I definitely would get it exchanged as soon as possible. There is no damage on my unit what so ever. Even the box my 4081 came in is in great condition. I picked my 4081 up at my local Magnolia AV warehouse yesterday. Not saying this applies to your situation, but is only a gently reminder that the general rule is to never accept delivery of a panel whose box has noticeable handling issues (dents, tears, holes, etc.) To me it looks like Samsung did a good job of packing my unit. The inside packing looked like it could protect the panel well. I sincerely hope you get replacement quickly and smoothly.
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post #145 of 2272
8/31/07 at 11:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnybrulez View Post

I don't know if this will help anyone but I did turn on xvYCC.

Something I just read in the book in regards to xvYCC, is that if it is ON, it disables the PIP.
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post #146 of 2272
8/31/07 at 11:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnybrulez View Post

Still a ways off though. I don't know if this will help anyone but I did turn on xvYCC.

Strange. Do you have an xvYCC source?
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post #147 of 2272
8/31/07 at 11:42am
Well, xvYCC in the book says it increases details and color space when watching movies from external source, aka, not tuner, which is really any HDMI or component input.

However you must be in MOVIE mode to use this option.
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post #148 of 2272
8/31/07 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valkyrie-MT View Post

WARNING: There is one flaw with this TV model, that really bothers me. The PIP. Sure it has PIP, but it only works with the Off-Air source! No component, no HDMI, no svideo. ONLY -ATSC or NTSC off-air coax.

WAIT, the 81 is no different in features, except added features.

I know a 4661 with only ONE HDMI cable from a Comcast Cable box is able to watch MULTIPLE channels with one source on Main & PIP, having NO ATSC or coax connected.

In reading the book, I agree with your analysis, that's pretty much what the book says, but I KNOW this works via an HDMI cable.

Will let you know what he says, but he DID tell me he CAN watch multiple channels, however he can't view the digital description bar, which makes me think the internal tuner is seeing the HDMI cable feed. I did ask him to check and see if he can watch a scrambled channel like HBO in the PIP.

EDIT: I just found out he is using the PIP button on the CABLE box remote. The comcast HD box must be dynamically creating its OWN PIP screen, with its OWN built in Dual Tuner, and he said he has never programmed the remote to control a Samsung. So I told him to push the PIP button on the TV remote, and see if he gets a 2nd PIP box.
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post #149 of 2272
8/31/07 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valkyrie-MT View Post

Back in Mid-August, I was told by BB that the computer showed an expected arrival date of September 12 for the LN-T5281F. But, I was in the area so I called up the Magnolia department and sure enough, one and only one had just arrived today. So I stopped in, they brought it out. I asked to see some Blue-Ray material, and they opened the box and hooked it up. Stunning! It was awesome. So they bubble wrapped it so it would fit in the car and now it is in my living room. Just in time for a 3-day weekend too!

First off, I have to make a few comments. None of the pictures I have seen on the forum, including the ones I am about to post, come close to doing this display any justice. If you could try to imagine an ABSOLUTELY pristine and perfect image this does it. You know the blooming effect around white objects on a black background seen in other pics? There is NONE, totally a camera artifact. I took a few pic myself and they appear to have this bloom, but it is NOT visible on the display at all. The white on black edge is crisp and sharp.

WARNING: There is one flaw with this TV model, that really bothers me. The PIP. Sure it has PIP, but it only works with the Off-Air source! No component, no HDMI, no svideo. ONLY -ATSC or NTSC off-air coax. After discovering this, I almost packed it back up and brought it back, but then I thought of a workaround. I use the Composite video out on my HR-20 HD Satellite receiver and pass it through an old VCR and connect the Coax out to the off-Air input on the TV. OMG, I can't believe I have to do that! My pervious TV could use any source in PIP (Samsung HL-R4667W), so why not this new, state-of-the-art TV? What a screw-up! I hope this will get fixed in a firmware update, but I'm not holding my breath...

The display itself is flawless as a computer display. I just hooked up my computer to the display using HDMI and it is perfect. It appears to have perfect 1:1 pixel mapping, although I still have some tests to do to really verify that, but my 1:1 test images are showing up perfectly. There is a trick to it though. I connected the computer to HDMI1. Then, you MUST go and label that HDMI1 input as "PC". As soon as you do that, you'll notice the display brightness changes. Then, in the menu options, there is an option to enable "Home Theater PC" (which was previously greyed out or disabled before the labelling of the input). Again, that changes something in the display (not sure what). Then, set P.Size to "16:9". Notice the previously mentioned "Just scan" mode is no longer available. Then, I went into the NVidia control panel to resize the desktop and adjusted the width/height to perfection. Once I finished that, voila! Perfect, 1920x1080 perfection, undistorted 1:1 pixel mapping. With no overscan/underscan. Now, to the average Joe it looks good without doing any of this because of the shear resolution the display has, but once you get that 1:1 pixel mapping... WOW. Text is so sharp and colors are so bright, it is unimaginable to me that any display could look better. I see no display uniformity issues either. No banding. No dead pixels.

Note: I am not using the VGA input... some might ask why not. well, you can choose to switch inputs through your audio receiver and put up with HDMI compatability issues and other crap, or you can choose to switch inputs using the TV. I chose the TV. I think it's the logical choice. So, I have digital audio coming out of the computer, but if I use VGA, I can't pass digital audio through the TV with the VGA. The 81 series PC audio is a 1/8" stereo plug. Useless! And if I routed it to the receiver, I would have to change sources on my receiver and TV everytime I go from computer to TV... YUCK. So that's why. I am 100% HDMI and I use the SPDIF fiber optic audio out on the back of the TV. Working great so far.

Also, if you're gonna do an HTPC with this TV, I highly recommend, getting an NVidia card with HDMI out. I am using this card: MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH GeForce 8500GT. It has no fan, so it's quiet. Also, it has integrated HDCP, so when I get a BlueRay or HD-DVD drive in the computer, everything should work at full 1080P resolution. If your card does not have HDCP, it won't pass through the 1080P! If you're a gamer, there is a faster card (but louder with fan): MSI NX8600GTS Diamond Plus GeForce 8600GTS.







Remember what I said about these pics. The bloom is NOT there. The black is awesome and even when I get up close the space shuttle looks awesome. I can almost walk up to the TV and read the serial numbers off the tiles.

Oh yeah, and that glare thing...? We have bright windows to the sides, but none behind us and my wife and I don't notice the glare. I was really worried about it after reading all the comments about glare but it just isn't an issue for us. But, in the store it did look very reflective. Once it's on though, I just stopped noticing it.

-Valkyrie-MT
Samsung LN-T5281F 1080P LCD with LED backlight
DirecTV HR20 Dual Tuner HD DVR with integrated ATSC
Onkyo TX-SR501 Audio Receiver
Custom HTPC with Foxconn G9657MA Motherboard and MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH graphics card


So is the TV passing mutlichannel audio from it's optical out to your reciever?
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post #150 of 2272
8/31/07 at 12:08pm
More observations while gaming in HL2: Episode 1.

This panel can display shadow detail very well. I still haven't finished tweaking, but I was able to see details in the dim lit areas in the game. I want to recalibrate my Diamond Pro 2070 when I get a chance to do a side by side shadow detail comparison with a CRT monitor. I will take some pics with my Cannon 30d for comparison. The only area of the screen that had typical LCD black haze when doing so was in the bottom left of the screen where the health/energy meter was located. The rest of the screen did not have the black haze and you could easily make out details in the areas that were dimly lit. Some gamers may find that black haze halo around the health meter while in dark areas of the game distracting. It did not distract me in the least bit. Your milage may vary.

The LD tech adjusts appropriately in game. I have yet to see LCD black haze in an of area the screen whose content is pretty much near/all black. IE if I spin fast with a light source next to black there is no black haze trail left by the light source. The light source itself does not become dimmer either because of the panning. Will try to take some pictures later to demonstrate.
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