[coda304]

Please help me before I return this thing…there is no way no how I will tolerate ugly grey bars while using letterbox mode on a 4:3 television.


Anyone have the sequence for the service menu yet? Are there any over scan settings I can tweak?



TIA

 

[alaindelon]

Me too!I also posted 2 days ago but didn't get an answer.I know i read it can be done in a posting somewhere but can't find it by searching. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=357493

 

[coda304]

Lucky you…I found the thread you are talking about here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=gray+bars unfortunately this trick is *not* working with my unit

 

[coda304]

Sitting on hold now with Samsung 1-888-828-5229…so far I have been re-directed 3 times and have talked with two clowns that have no clue what so ever.


I will post my findings…this thing already has two feet in the box and is ready for returning.

 

[coda304]

Just got off the phone with a tech guy who actually knew what was going on, although I am still left without a feasible solution to my problem. Samsung tells me that because that when the info button is pressed and I see a series of numbers(just like another poster with a different model than I) that “the unit is malfunctioning and needs to be exchanged for a new one or needs to be shipped to NJ for servicing at my expenseâ€. I then promptly asked the gentleman why is there no reference to the changing of the gray bars in the manual. He tells me it was an “item that was overlookedâ€. Hmm this sounds interesting, this item has been overlooked on 3 different units, two discontinued boxes and now the latest and greatest TS-351.


Needless to say I have lost a huge amount of respect for Samsung, I recently became a fan of there CRT’S and LCD’S but now dealing with them on this problem has made me think otherwise.


The stroke that decided to include grey bars on letterboxing instead of black should be sent in front of a firing squad. What retard would enjoy seeing ugly grey bars on the top of his 2,000 + display causing HUGE distractions and BURN IN.

 

[coda304]

I will be keeping her for the Super Bowl...she will then be going back the following monday. No more Samsung purchases for this consumer!

 

[alaindelon]

The info-button "trick" does nothing for me either,no numbers,no nothing.Mine is a newly refurbished "SIR-T151M/XAA"(sticker on box) directly from Samsung in Allentown,Pa that otherwise works perfectly.

 

[coda304]

Are you turning the *Help* on and then instead of highlighting the help icon highlight the *yes* icon, then hit *info* on the remote…this is the only way I could get my unit to display the error codes.


Good luck!

 

[coda304]

any luck so far? I may try a SIR-T151 if others are getting the bars to change and if I can find one at a local shop...for returning.

 

[coda304]

Update on my situation:


After thinking long and hard about the cost of HDTV tuners and the upcoming super bowl this Sunday I figured should try and look for a newer unit as suggested by the Sammy Techie I spoke with on the telephone.


I first stopped at my local CC and saw a SIR-T351 open box deal, I took a gander at the serial sticker for a manufacture date *Aug 2003*. I decided to pass on the unit because I had already paid the same amount for a new in the box SIR-T351 *Manufacture date July 2003*. Next I went to BB to see if they had any units in stock and to my amazement they have two with shipping stickers on them dated 01-24-04. Needless to say I bought one along with an X-Box/X-Box Monster HD Cable hehehe (I am totally caught up in this HD stuff); anyways the new SIR-T351’s serial sticker says 01-2004! I am crossing my fingers that the unit will have the bug(s) removed and upped to the latest firm.


I will get back on this

 

[alaindelon]

I do get the number codes when i press info in the help submenu(on/off) but that isn't very exiting.Are there only 2 of us with interest in this?The 151/351 seems to be very common around here.I have tried to search on google and various forums for info on how to get in the service menu to no avail.

 

[pappy97]

Believe me I wish there was more interest, but most people don't buy 4:3 HDTV's, so it's not an issue at all. For them they could care less about grey bars they never have to deal with.


I got my dad a 351 and he doesn't like the grey bars. Now he wants a WS HDTV. Perhaps Samsung is trying to sell more of its WS HDTV's.


"Look! No grey bars if you buy our Samsung HDTV to go along with the Samsung HDTV Tuner."

 

[georgepds]

I have a sir-t351 displayed on a 4x3 monitor ( an old sony trinitron over the composite line), and the grey bars bug me too. But.. I just live with it.


I'm going to try the recommendations here when I get home and see if they work

 

[SamsungTech]

.

 

[FDAHLGREN]

Quote:

Originally posted by coda304 ....The stroke that decided to include grey bars on letterboxing instead of black should be sent in front of a firing squad. What retard would enjoy seeing ugly grey bars on the top of his 2,000 + display causing HUGE distractions and BURN IN. [/b]

Actually, I think displaying letterboxed formats with black bars is much more prone to burn-in problems on displays than grey bars. On crt's and probably to some extent on LCDs and plasmas, the portion of the display that has an active raster (or lighted pixels) will age more rapidly than the black bar areas and will eventually show up as a lower contrast or lightly tinted box on full-screen programs. Since the grey bars on average produce the same amount of aging as a normal raster the aging of the whole screen will be uniform (and much less noticable). While a lot of viewers find the grey bars distracting, you can take some comfort in knowing the grey bars are NOT causing much - if any - differential burn-in.

 

[foxfan]

I tried talking to Samsung about this also (For my SIR-T151). I fell on an oriental person from Toronto who didn't even know what a digital or atsc tuner was. For the gray bar issue, he told me to try turning down the brightness on my TV until the gray bars become black! I'm not kidding. After I found out that I was talking to a Canadian, I asked if I could have a number to reach American Samsung reps. The idiot gave me a number to Samsung Telecom, which has no option for TV-related products.


I'm only going to be keeping it until I have my new Sony HDTV with tuner and a D-VHS with integrated tuner (are you listening JVC?).


For people talking about burn-in:

I'm just using it to output SD on a regular TV. I watch DVDs with black bars and they didn't cause any burn-in. There should at least be a black bar option with (use at your own risk) the Samsung receiver. Plus, I don't want to record anything over-the-air on VHS with ugly gray bars!

 

[coda304]

Turns out the new unit I picked up dated 01-2004 also has the same wonderful bug! I think this issue make’s zero difference that the majority of people have 16:9 televisions, as someone mentioned before many of use would like to output to VHS or a capture device/card. I have a Canopus ADVC-100 Fire wire capping device that I would like very much to cap in true letterbox fashion, capping with grey bars IS OUT OF THE QUESTION SAMSUNG, burn in or not.


My only solution is to continue watching in 1080i mode on my 4:3 HD set and use the widescreen function that is available from my television. Until I get around to shipping the unit to NJ I am boned on doing any real capping.

 

[foxfan]

So is there a way of getting rid of the damn gray bars or not?


On a similar note, does the Hughes E86 HD receiver output with gray bars or black in SD?

 

[coda304]

@foxfan


“So is there a way of getting rid of the damn gray bars or not?â€

Not on the two units I have had in my possession, with the exception of shipping the unit to NJ for repair at my expense (for shipping only).


I will eventually send my unit off after the HD bug has worn off a little around my house.

 

[foxfan]

If I send it will it really come back with the black bar option?


From what I've read it seemed like they (Samsung) weren't too sure what they were talking about. I don't want to pay to ship it and then get it back with a "no problem found" message.


I have a refurbed SIR-T151 that is still on warranty. Is it the same repair for the 151 and the 351?


It could be worth it if I get one back that doesn't have gray bars.