[Brentskiwan]

I’m making the jump to a big screen. I’ve been looking real hard at the Sony GW and the Samsung DLP. In doing my due diligence I noticed that I didn’t like the Sony GW 60†picture as well as the GW 50â€.

Dealer explanation was that the “guts†of both TVs are the same and that the 60†suffers from spreading the same source image across a larger area.


I have four questions:

1) I understand the logic offered by the dealer to explain a sharper image in the 50â€, but is this actually the case?

2) Do the Samsung HLN/M 61†and 50†and new 56†share common guts?

3) Can anyone give me two good reasons to purchase the GWs over a Samsung DLP unit? (Quality issues?)

4) Any opinions/info on the Hitachi 55DMX?


Note: What a great site! I’m not an audiophile or videophile, but I have a new house to stock and you guys have already been a great help….

Thanks


Brent

 

[mbpg]

Hello Brent. Welcome to the forum
Quote:

1) I understand the logic offered by the dealer to explain a sharper image in the 50â€, but is this actually the case?

It could be. If you were very close to the screen (less than 8 ' or so), looking at SDTV, the bigger screen would be less attractive. If you were farther away and watching a dvd or HDTV, it's not likely. In addition, they may have been calibrated differently.
Quote:

2) Do the Samsung HLN/M 61†and 50†and new 56†share common guts?

There are some recent threads on the samsung models that highlight differences. Try a search for details.
Quote:

3) Can anyone give me two good reasons to purchase the GWs over a Samsung DLP unit? (Quality issues?)

There have been many threads comparing the two -- but it always boils down to your personal preference. After spending enough time with each, which do you like better? The Samsung DLP seems to have deeper blacks, at the expense of rainbows (for some). When you compare different technologies, there really is no "better", just different. The real question is which set can you most easily argue for? Quality issues are everywhere -- it helps to buy from a retailer that will take back the set it there are any problems at all.


Michael

 

[mikepalm]

Quote:

Originally posted by Brentskiwan 3) Can anyone give me two good reasons to purchase the GWs over a Samsung DLP unit? (Quality issues?) Brent

I have lived with a GW I and the Sammy 507W. Admittedly the GW II is supposed to have better contrast, but from what I've seen in the stores the GW II picture is still considerably worse in contrast than the Sammy. The Sammy has very deep and saturated colors.


The rainbows on the DLP are not a big deal for me - I hardly ever see them. I much prefer rainbows to bad pixels that seem to plague the Sony LCDs. (Though I never saw any on my GW I)

 

[htwaits]

Read here for most of the latest DLP information:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=244489

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=227068

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=247512

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=228718

 

[WOLVERNOLE]



Originally posted by mikepalm

I have lived with a GW I and the Sammy 507W. Admittedly the GW II is supposed to have better contrast, but from what I've seen in the stores the GW II picture is still considerably worse in contrast than the Sammy. The Sammy has very deep and saturated colors.


Interesting, Mike. Home Theater mag just out (May 2003) has an article on the Sony 50XBR800 (LCD) and he states that one of the superior aspects of the Sony LCD over Sammy's DLP is the color accuracy and saturation of the Sony.

 

[htwaits]



Originally posted by WOLVERNOLE
Quote:

[Interesting, Mike. Home Theater mag just out (May 2003) has an article on the Sony 50XBR800 (LCD) and he states that one of the superior aspects of the Sony LCD over Sammy's DLP is the color accuracy and saturation of the Sony.

Did the reviewer have the Sony calibrated? The one's I've seen on the show room floor always seem less vibrant than the Samsung and Panasonic DLPs. I have always liked the PQ best on the Panasonic in show rooms.

 

[WOLVERNOLE]

Quote:

Originally posted by htwaits Did the reviewer have the Sony calibrated? The one's I've seen on the show room floor always seem less vibrant than the Samsung and Panasonic DLPs. I have always liked the PQ best on the Panasonic in show rooms.

Your question has me a bit perplexed. Let me just say this again...the Sony had better color and saturation (according to the writer of the article)...so regardless of whether or not it was "calibrated" the darn color of the Sony unit was noted as "better". Shouldn't you be asking if the Sammy was calibrated when the writer viewed it ?


I have to agree with your assessment of the Panasonic over the Samsung.

 

[htwaits]

Most reviewers that I read calibrate the sets as they review them. I haven't read the article so I don't know if the author reviewed the Samsung or was commenting on the basis of a casual observation.


In a show room the only thing I can count on around here is that the sets are not calibrated. They may or may not be set up as they came out of the box.


If the Sony was calibrated for the review then someone like me might expect the set to perform better than it appeared "to me" to do in the store.


For this particular article you are the current expert.

 

[Vermonster]

Quote:

3) Can anyone give me two good reasons to purchase the GWs over a Samsung DLP unit? (Quality issues?)

My opinion is that the Samsung has the better picture - but when cailibrated I would say that it's only by a hair. Even calibrated the GWII does not have as good a black level as the Samsung. Also I think many would agree that the Sammy has a "punchier" picture (but beware the rainbow issue...for some this is a deal breaker, but for others it's just a minor inconvenience).


That being said, the GWII has more tweakability than the Sammy does. motjes2 has been able to hook up his PC to his GWII with NO overscan, and run the TV in side by side PIP mode if he wants to. These kinds of things are apparently not possible with the Sammy. Also the GWII has two universal component ins, whereas the Sammy has one that accepts only 480i and 480p, and two others that accept 480p through 1080i. This presents a problem for those who like to run their component cables through their A/V receiver, or for those of us who are X-Box fans (the dashboard is 480i, while some games are 720p or 1080i).


Another thing to consider is that Samsung, in my mind, is the friendlier company. I'm not sure if I ever heard good things about Sony's customer support/relations. Samsung, on the other hand, is going to be providing free firmware upgrades for those who bought the earlier HLM series that had the "default to wide" problem and that didin't have discreet codes. And for a small fee of $200 are also offering hardware upgrades for the new DNIe chip and the FLI 2300 scaler. The overwhelming graciousness of Samsung has me rooting for them.


Hope this helps.


-V

 

[htwaits]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vermonster ... (but beware the rainbow issue...for some this is a deal breaker, but for others it's just a minor inconvenience). -V

Great comments. I would make one small contribution. Based on what I have read, it appears to me that most people don't see rainbows, but for those that do, your comments are right on.

 

[Vermonster]

"Based on what I have read, it appears to me that most people don't see rainbows"


You're very right. That's the impression that I meant to make actually - so I'm glad you commented. For what it's worth I went to Harvey's and watched almost all of "Cast Away" trying to see rainbows and/or experience the weird nausea thing. I went with my two future roommates who also have a stake in the matter. None of us noticed anything out of the ordinary (except for the extraordinary picture of course).


There have also been posters who claim to see rainbows, but only once every few days or so...so I'm beginning to think that it's much less of an issue than people originally thought. It's a lot easier to come to terms with it now that people are expecting to see them. My impression of the whole thing is that those who first saw them, and had never heard of that happening before, were like, "whoa, what is going on here...I've got to let people know about this." And at first I thnk it came off as a bigger issue than it really is. But after things kind of settled down, I think it's only a major issue for those who see them constantly.

 

[htwaits]

In my case, I tried to see them, failed, and gave up.

 

[gshelley61]

I have spent a great deal of time in front of a brand new HLN5065W at a local Best Buy and cannot see the rainbows mentioned on this forum - I've tried blinking, looking side to side, up and down, dark scenes, you name it. All I see is a picture much better than anything else they have on display there (including most of the plasma sets). Sure, you can tell it is a digitally processed picture, but all DTV's reveal this to some degree. The fact is, this thing simply has astonishing clarity and detail. Onlookers around me agreed. I'm just wondering if the 507 model with Faroudja proceesing can be much better. I've also looked closely at the Sony GWII LCD RPTV's at Circuit City and am not that impressed. The LCD's appear to smear the image when there is any motion, and I don't think the picture is nearly as sharp and detailed as the Samsung DLP or higher resolution plasmas.

 

[htwaits]

Quote:

Originally posted by gshelley61 I'm just wondering if the 507 model with Faroudja proceesing can be much better.

They both have the same Faroudja chip.

 

[gshelley61]

I was under the impression that to 5065 uses some generic Samsung processing for its 3:2 pulldown and digital correction. The 507 model lists Faroudja DCDi and 3:2 pulldown specifically. Are you saying that the 5065 has the same Faroudja digital processing hardware and software as the 507? Why would that fact be "hidden" by Samsung? The 5065 at Best Buy does not mention the Faroudja processing features, which doesn't make any sense if it is in there. So, there's no reason to wait for the new 507's (unless a black bezel is important)? More confused than ever...

 

[jhstn58]

gshelley61, it is becoming more and more apparent that the 5065 and 507 DO both use the same Faroudja chip, at least for those 5065's manufactured after mid- to late-December. The same is true on the HLN4365 and HLN437, to which I am upgrading from my HLM437 (unless the HLN467 fits in my cabinet). I don't know for sure why Samsung is doing this, but I believe it is a marketing strategy designed to differentiate the sets among different retailers. Of course, there may also be other minor differences between the XX65 and XX7 models other than the processing chips, but the Faroudja chip was the principal reason given by Samsung for the $200 price difference between the Tantus and non-Tantus versions.

 

[htwaits]

Quote:

Originally posted by gshelley61 Why would that fact be "hidden" by Samsung? The 5065 at Best Buy does not mention the Faroudja processing features, which doesn't make any sense if it is in there. So, there's no reason to wait for the new 507's (unless a black bezel is important)? More confused than ever...

Gshelley61, you just got here. You can't expect to reach the level of confusion achieved by us "senior" members. That distinction comes with hard work and hours of reading messages from those who are more confused than one's self.


Do some reading here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...37#post2096437

 

[Geoman]

Like Mikepalm, every Sony GWII I have seen in the store (Good Guys, Frys, Magnolia and Best Buy) have had inferior picture compared to the Samsung DLP. Most of the time, the colors appear washed out and the overall picture is fuzzy, like there is a film over the screen.


The only reason I am considering one is because of the reviews members of this forum have given. I like the input flexibility of the Sonys. I just wish I could see one with a good picture! Hmmmm, maybe umr is home.


I might have to get a copy of the above mentioned magazine just for the pictures...

 

[Agrajag]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vermonster Samsung, on the other hand, is going to be providing free firmware upgrades for those who bought the earlier HLM series that had the "default to wide" problem and that didin't have discreet codes.

Are you saying that this TV now has discreet power on and discreet input modes?


I am not considering it for lack of these items.