[ph0enixrising]

I have the Samsung 27" HDTV (can't remember the model number offhand), and recently I have noticed a faint vertical line just about the center of the screen when I view sources through the component inputs. It's only really noticable where there is alot of scrolling across a single colored image (like playing Amped on my XBOX, or Tiger Woods on my Gamecube), but now that I notice it, it's highly annoying.


What is the line, and can it be fixed through the service menu, or should I just have the TV looked at? I think it's still under warranty, but I am hoping that it's something that could be remedied by me, and not some hardware related problem. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ph0enixrising]

No one has any idea what could be causing this faint line when I view devices through the component inputs? It's really distracting, like the screen is messed up right near the center, but it only happens on the component inputs.

 

[hob]

1. Have you checked your connections if not, take them out and scratch them, with a needle; it might be the copper head 'oxidizing' film, not giving you a good contact anymore.



2. Be sure red to red, green to green, and blue to blue, one wrong it's doesn't work. You mentioned X-box, check do you have it set for interlaced or progressive scan; progressive will 'only' work with a HDTV.

 

[ph0enixrising]

I'm no electronics whiz, but I'm not a fricken retard either. Yes, all the connections seem fine, and it is an HDTV, and I run the Gamecube, DVD player, and the XBOX in progressive scan all the time.


And I just noticed the line whilst watching regular cable TV as well, so I guess it's not only on the component inputs.


This problem is a tad disconcerning, considering how new the TV is, and how distracting the faint line is. It's like something is wrong with the tube. Should I have it checked out, or is there something in the service menu that would get rid of the line. I hope it's just setting related, and not some faulty hardware in the TV.

 

[Noah]

I'm 99% sure that there's no setting that will fix this (if you find it, let me know ), its just an idiosyncrasy of your particular set, or perhaps the Samsung HDTV line in general. I know I can see a faint vertical band of discoloration near the center of my 3096's screen. Its really only visible under very specific circumstances, and honestly its a minor issue compared to the other problems I've found. I couldn't say whether its isolated to the component inputs or not.


The low prices make the Samsungs an attractive purchase, but there's a definite element of "you get what you pay for." I know at this point, I would have paid at least another $100 for some decent QC and better "out of the box" setup.

 

[Big East]

I have the Samsung TXM 2796 and the faint vertical line in the middle of the screen is visible on both component and s-video inputs. Unfortunately, it is normal for this tv. I have noticed it on every single sample of this unit. You will have to decide if you can live with it or not. Two other things to watch out for are uneven screen brightness and geometry problems. If you have problems with either of those, it is worth trying out another sample as these problems vary from sample to sample as opposed to the vertical line which is present in every unit. I've decided to live with mine due to the price I paid($599) and wait for flat screen and HDTV quality to improve. I had the Sony 32HV600 and decided to return it due to geometry problems and 2 faint lines a couple inches in on each side of the set which could not be removed(the tech I had out said it may have been the shadow mask). If I had spent less than $1000 for the Sony I would have kept it. However, the cost was closer to $1600 and for that money, I expected better. Unfortunately, as I have discovered in the last several months, flat screen technology has not been mastered by TV manufacturers and geometry was an issue with every one I looked at to one degree or another. Hopefully, this issue will improve in the next couple of years. Good luck with your tv.

 

[ph0enixrising]

Yeah, I have the same TV as you Big East. I guess I can live with it. I was just hoping it was something that could be fixed, and not an inherent problem in all TV's in the model line. For $600, I guess it's as good as it gets. Mine had some geometry problems as well, but I think I pretty much tweaked it enough to my liking in the service menu.


The line isn't too bad, but now that I have noticed it, it's something that I continually have in the back of my head. I really only notice it on sources where there is alot of one color, like snowboarding games, or football/soccer/golf games. Oh well. Just something I'll live with I guess. I don't really notice it on TV or movies, except in very rare cases.


Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Cthugar]

Hey guys!! Just wanted you to know that I own the Sony KV-36HS500 and it too has a very faint, lighter band that runs vertically the entire height of the television dead centre and another further to the right near the edge. I went so far as to visit several outlets in my city that sold these sets and on every single set I checked (32, 36HS500, even the 40XBR800) these lines were noticeable. It isn't something that can be fixed entirely but at the very least we can rest easy knowing that there isn't anything wrong with our sets, that's just the way that they are designed.


However, I did find a way to make the far right hand side stripe less noticeable through the servive menu. I adjusted a setting called SLIN which had a default value of 4 and when I turned it down to 0 the line on the right seemed to move over even further to the right making it less noticeable. However, when I did this it threw the overscan settings off as it stretches the image ever so slightly near the centre of the screen, NOT enough to ruin the geometry but enough that I had to "underscan" the image slightly to compensate. I still have excellent geometry and still have only 5% overscan, but it did require a few adjustments in addition to the SLIN adjustment.


The centre line will always be there but it's far less noticeable than where the right hand side line had been and I think I can honestly say now that it doesn't bother me at all.


Not a defective set I'm certain. Maybe one day someone will release a perfect television but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[DonBerg]

Aren't these lines the famous visible guy wires used in all Sony Triniton tubes? You can see two of them on large Sony computer monitors too on any solid light background.

 

[auburn97]

I bought the 34HD82 and returned it because of this problem, then purchased a 34HDX82 and it also has the very same problem you describe. Somewhere on this board is a detailed thread about the Toshiba and this problem. Interesting that the Samsungs and Sonys have the same problem. I find it hard to believe that Home Theater magazine didn't make mention of it in the January 2003 34-inch HDTV Face Off article.

 

[Cthugar]

Hello DonBerg,


No actually the lines you are referring to are the infamous aperture grill lines but they run horizontally and aren't nearly as noticeable as the vertical lines that we are talking about.


It's almost like a one inch wide band or shadow that is only really visible during certain high contrast scenes or images, especially during side to side pans. I'm convinced that ninety percent of the general poulace would never notice these lines but unfortunately I and others like me have and once you know that they are there they are very difficult to ignore.


I've decided that the overall picture quality of the Sony hi-Scans is worth living with these very faint lines and I know that I run the risk of exchanging the set for an inferior set picture wise and may even end up with a set with real problems. Yes of course if there was a way to eliminate these lines completely I would be more than thrilled but I have the extended warranty for five years so I'll wait a while and see what happens. I guess I could do something a little underhanded and complain about some real problems down the road and get the set exchanged for a newer Sony when they've perfected the HiScan Wega's...

 

[Cthugar]

BTW, if you really want to notice the "problem" try watching a few hours of hockey on these sets...


High contrast ice, lots of horizontal panning at a number of different speeds, VERY distracting!! Thank God I don't care for hockey that much!!

 

[DonBerg]

Are there any AVIA or VE test patterns that unmistakenly show up this problem? I just don't see any evidence of it all on my set, a Toshiba 34HF81.

 

[lpw]

Quote:

Originally posted by Cthugar BTW, if you really want to notice the "problem" try watching a few hours of hockey on these sets... High contrast ice, lots of horizontal panning at a number of different speeds, VERY distracting!! Thank God I don't care for hockey that much!!

This is exactly the problem I have on my Toshiba 34HDX82. Do a search on my thread on the 34HDX82 burn-in problem. And you're right, it's most noticeable when watching hockey where there's a lot of white in the background. Unfortunately, I do like watching hockey! Perhaps the TV manufacturers still have a ways to go in manfacturing large widescreen direct view TV's.

 

[Cthugar]

Quote:

Originally posted by lpw Unfortunately, I do like watching hockey! Perhaps the TV manufacturers still have a ways to go in manfacturing large widescreen direct view TV's.

I agree with you as far as the large screen sets, but bear in mind that the television that I have with the same problem is NOT a widescreen model. A part of me wonders if these lines have been inherent on televisions over 27" for some time yet the issue is just now arising due to the higher image quality and clarity of digital display devices? Mind you, I'm certain that my really old 31" Mitsubishi (when there was such a thing in Canada) had the centre high contrast line running vertically the entire height of the screen. A service tech came out to look at the set and I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy and simply humored me and left in a fair hurry...

 

[dmarzo]

In response to the original poster, I have the Samsung 2796 HDTV and also have the vertical line problem both on s-video and component. I am an anal type so these lines are driving me crazy. I called Samsung in early October and they were not aware of such a problem (or so they claim) but they do have a generous 1-year in home warranty policy so they hooked me up with a local TV repair guy (from Springfield, VA).


This started what has become a 6-week ordeal. The guy came out and thought it was a defective component (I am sorry I dont know what specific component he thought it to be)...so he went back and ordered a new component from Samsung. He came back a few days later and found that it was soldered in (I guess he was figuring it would be pull and replace) and so he had to remove the specific board and bring it back to his factory. He returned a few days later and found that did not fix the problem. So he figured it was another part. Well, it took Samsung over two weeks to mail him this second part--finally got it, installed it and he claims they sent him the black and white part because now my picture is black and white (I find it incredibly hard to believe that there would be a black and white part for such a TV)...But hey at least those damn bars are no longer visible


For the past two works, I have been working with Samsung to work with the store where I purchased to give me my money back (I am past the return date and I threw away the packaging to boot)--Samsung has not returned my calls recently and I am getting a little frustrated.


In the meantime, I bought a JVC 27 inch flatscreen. It really delivers a crisp picture but it had a vertical line of discoloration which is visible on the left side of the screen--which I have also noticed on floor models of the JVC TV so I dont think it is just my TV. So I returned it and got the Sony WEGA 27--have not seen any lines or bars yet although there does some to be a lot of white discoloration (a washed white look) at the top of the screen when I am switching channels--but once the signal settles in, the picture seems fine.


Bottom line: If you are anal about such things, dont get the Samsung--the bars might drive you batty--eventhough they are visible only a very small percentage of the time and otherwise the picture is actually quite nice. My wife thinks I am absolutely nuts and my marriage might not survive if I return the Sony at this point


Peace


Dave

 

[MentholMoose]

I had a similar problem with a computer monitor (22" mitsubishi dp2040u); there were faint vertical lines (not the horizontal wires aperture grille wires). The cause was "grille element overlap" according to the manual, and the solution (that worked) was to turn up the brightness and position a white window (in Windows) over the line to cause the area to heat up. I don't know if it is applicable to televisions, but it might be something to try.

 

[Cthugar]

VERY interesting MentholMoose.


You claim that this worked on your monitor? Approximately how long did it take for the line to be "burned-out" for lack of a better term? Was there any other damage such as unwanted phosfor burn? Can you post the info in the manual that mentioned this?


What you describe sounds to be correct judging by my experience through the service menu on my Wega. The SLIN setting that I mentioned in my original post on this thread seems to move the brighter band around almost like something bright is overlapping ever so slightly causing an even brighter overlap that is noticeable under the right conditions.


The big question is, who wants to be the first to try positioning an Avia or Video Essentials test pattern on their screen long enough to try this?

 

[MentholMoose]

For my monitor, it took a few "burning" sessions, about 10-20 minutes each, over the course of a few days before the vertical lines were completely gone. There were no adverse side effects that I could see. This link has the same information that is in my monitor manual: Black vertical lines visible on the screen

 

[Cthugar]

Thanks again MentholMoose (great name BTW )


I'm not sure now that this is the same problem after looking at the link that you provided but it's certainly worth a try I suppose. If I try this out I'll be sure to keep a close eye on the screen for any discoloration or signs of burn-in trouble.


I certainly wouldn't want to fix one problem and cause another more serious one.


Cheers!!