[DJMIKEY]

Been lurking for a while finally thought I would share some info on the Samsung 931 player. I got this player for christmas to hook up to my Panasonic TH-42PA20 EDTV and here are the results I got.

If you dont know the Panny I have displays 480i, 480p & 1080i.

When hooking up with the DVI cable I do have to say the picture was better than I had hoped in terms of PQ but that was the end of the good feeling.

Periodic scene jumping, audio sync in DD & DTS was off, and the thing that really bugged me that I havent heard anyone else have issues with is this, when playing through the DVI cable the picture was off center in 480 mode is was off to the left about 1/4" , in the 1080 mode it was off 1/2" (very strange), needless to say I have returned the unit and since it was a gift from BestBuy I have to wait for something better because all they give you is a gift card and not a refund on gifts.

To end this I was just wondering if anyone else had this issue with the player?

 

[elvisdoc]

Quote:

Originally posted by DJMIKEY Been lurking for a while finally thought I would share some info on the Samsung 931 player. I got this player for christmas to hook up to my Panasonic TH-42PA20 EDTV and here are the results I got. If you dont know the Panny I have displays 480i, 480p & 1080i. When hooking up with the DVI cable I do have to say the picture was better than I had hoped in terms of PQ but that was the end of the good feeling. Periodic scene jumping, audio sync in DD & DTS was off, and the thing that really bugged me that I havent heard anyone else have issues with is this, when playing through the DVI cable the picture was off center in 480 mode is was off to the left about 1/4" , in the 1080 mode it was off 1/2" (very strange), needless to say I have returned the unit and since it was a gift from BestBuy I have to wait for something better because all they give you is a gift card and not a refund on gifts. To end this I was just wondering if anyone else had this issue with the player?

I am using the Panny PA2OU and HD 931 via DVI at 1080i...have not experienced these issues. I did notice the slightly off-center effect when watching Pirates of the Carribean tho but that has been the only DVD so far to exhibit this and it was a minor thing. I hear that there is a fix in the service menu and will be investigating this....can't find the thread but here is the quote...


"The fix works. There are two values in the EEPROM that needs to changed. What I found is that the correct values for centering the image is different for the Samsung HD931 and the Zenith SAT520. Once you know the addresses in the EEPROM to edit, it is possible to adjust the centering of the display to match the source device.


If you know how to get to the EEPROM edit mode, the addresses are 168A and 168D."



There also appears to be a disc coming out from Samsung that will address the 'black crush' settings. Mine is supposedly enroute from Sammy, but for me, the black crush hasn't crushed my enthusiasm for the 931...it rocks.


elvis

 

[dweyant]

I have the 931 also, hooked up to a Sony VPL-HS10.


I had a problem last night. I tried to put my Apollo 13 DVD into the player and it refused to play it, I tried a couple of times but it would not load. I checked the disk and it has no scratches and looks normal. Has anyone else seen this?


Also, is there any way to get the remaing time on a disc?


Where can I get a copy of the firmware upgrade for the black crush issue?


Thanks,


-Dan

 

[John Robert]

Quote:

when playing through the DVI cable the picture was off center in 480 mode is was off to the left about 1/4" , in the 1080 mode it was off 1/2"

There are two settings for this. "DVI A" and "DVI B". Read the manual to tell you how to choose between these...


John

 

[John Robert]

Quote:

when playing through the DVI cable the picture was off center in 480 mode is was off to the left about 1/4" , in the 1080 mode it was off 1/2"

There are two settings for this. "DVI A" and "DVI B". Read the manual to tell you how to choose between these...


John

 

[mrkaos]

Hate to break it to you, but you wasted your money. You have an EDTV which dislays at 480p and thus you do not need the upcon. Just because you can accept a 1080i signal, doesnt mean it dislays it native. Return the sammy and get a good progressive scan player which will match your screens native mode.


- JB

 

[elvisdoc]

Quote:

Originally posted by mrkaos Hate to break it to you, but you wasted your money. You have an EDTV which dislays at 480p and thus you do not need the upcon. Just because you can accept a 1080i signal, doesnt mean it dislays it native. Return the sammy and get a good progressive scan player which will match your screens native mode. - JB

The DVI out on the Sammy still makes it a keeper at its price...big difference over component, IMO.



elvis

 

[mrkaos]

he doesnt have a digital display. The dvi won't make a large improvement. I love the player, I own one, but it isnt the player for his situation.

 

[elvisdoc]

Quote:

Originally posted by mrkaos he doesnt have a digital display. The dvi won't make a large improvement. I love the player, I own one, but it isnt the player for his situation.

Maybe I am misunderstanding...I thought you were directing your reply to DJ Mikey with the PA2OU....I have a PA2OU as well as the Sammy 931 via DVI....DVD thru DVI on mine makes a definite difference over component.



elvis

 

[DJMIKEY]

Yes there is a difference with DVI over component like elvisdoc said I also tried the DVI A and DVI B it made no difference, unlike most I do read manuals before I gripe, I guess my main point is for the money no one should have to go into special or hidden menu's just to have the screen centered. Not to knock anyone i am just knocking the player itself. i am just holding onto the gift card that i got in exchange and hopefully in the next few months something better in the same price range will come out.

 

[mrkaos]

Well. DVI does have its merits, but with that player you are loosing overall pq due to the PC standards implementation of the DVI port instead of the video standard. You are getting black AND white crush due to the incorrect standard. Component on that device does not have the problem but it bypasses the faroudja (sp) chip. Anyway, make sure you have it set to 480P to get the best with that player for your set.


- JB

 

[alma321]

elvisdoc- Could you elaborate a bit more about the disk Samsung is sending you to fix the black crush issue? I've been reading other posts on the forum where individuals have contacted Samsung about a firmware updgrade with no avail. Did you speak to a rep. who said they did have a fix in place and are sending it to you???

 

[elvisdoc]

Will let you know if and when I get the disk. Hard to know if the person I spoke with knows his stuff or it was bs...we shall see.



elvis

 

[JeffrySG]

I purchased my 931 in advanced while I wait for my 50" Sony RP LCD to arrive. There are enough threads about all the things people dont like about this player technically. For me it has come down to a few things (in addition to the technical aspects). I didn't think I'd say this, but the remote really does bother me. You have to be very accurate when aiming the remote at the unit to get it to be usable. The fact that the search and the next chapter buttons are the same really drives me CRAZY. I can't find a way to show the remaining time on a movie. There is no slow motion reverse. I find that the unit is very slow when selecting disc menu items. Can't display bit rate of a movie.


All of these things sound very petty in my mind, but it all came down to usability for me. These are all things that I use or check. This in additon to all the technical problems talked about in the many threads here. I don't think I'd be sending the 931 back if there wern't many new DVI player coming out this year, but there are and I'd rather wait a few more months to see how these player pan out, than be stuck with a unit that frustrates me everytime I play a disc.


I'm sure the DVI out looks great, but I'd rather have a player that looks great (without the known prolems) that doesn't piss me off. I'm looking forward to the new players including any from Samsung....


--Jeff


ps... oh yeah... those blue LEDs really are way too bright...

 

[timkeller]

I have a HD-931 that has taken my Sharp 10K on a 13 foot screen to another level. The picture is outstanding using the DVI. Can't argue with anyone on all the other problems!! I have had mine for about 3 months. All other DVD players don't hold a candle when comparing the great picture.

 

[John Robert]

Quote:

I didn't think I'd say this, but the remote really does bother me. You have to be very accurate when aiming the remote at the unit to get it to be usable. The fact that the search and the next chapter buttons are the same really drives me CRAZY.

I love the PQ from this unit with DVI to my calibrated HLN46...


But I have to agree, these two things drive me crazy too...


It does not seem like DVD remotes have improved in the 5 years since I bought my first one...


John

 

[elvisdoc]

Quote:

Originally posted by JeffrySG I didn't think I'd say this, but the remote really does bother me. You have to be very accurate when aiming the remote at the unit to get it to be usable. The fact that the search and the next chapter buttons are the same really drives me CRAZY. I can't find a way to show the remaining time on a movie. There is no slow motion reverse. I find that the unit is very slow when selecting disc menu items. Can't display bit rate of a movie.

The remote does suck but the player rocks. With my Panny, can't see a problem with blacks even tho it may not pass pluge...not a dealbreaker for actual viewing, IMO. And I fixed the remote problem with the SST-659, and highly recommend it. You can program it to do whatever you want (within reason). Do a search at PriceGrabber and it's even cheaper.

http://www.harmonyremote.com/



Is the 931 perfect? No. But until something awesome at this price range comes out, it isn't bad at all, and that may take awhile...nothing at CES looked that great but we shall see. 931 will likely make a great unit for the bedroom when the manufacturers get some things figured out (WM9, HD DVD, BlueRay, etc, etc, etc). That's my story and I'm sticking to it.



elvis

 

[Niles Overly]

I have two 931's hooked up to a PIO 5040 and 4340..haven't noticed anything , but a great PQ..the amazing thing to me is how inexpensive these units are..my home theater DVD is a Denon 3800 which was 3 times more expensive and not as impressive..the new Samsung's at CES looked like they even up'ed the ante (941 etc.)..so maybe a Denon 5900 for the home theater , but the Samsungs more than fit the bill for the plasmas..thanks..Niles

 

[DJMIKEY]

Wow its really strange that I am the only one that has had issues with the off center picture running thru DVI oh well maybe they have the new players soon so I can make use of my DVI input.

 

[console]

did not have off center picture ... but had the terrible slow cumbersome stupid remote ... and had the out of sync audio on DD and DTS ... and had the mirrored face and obnoxious bright blue techno-lite.


Now BB has their 931 back from me.


And now I have a 3 times more expensive Elite DV-59AVi ... which also has a crappy remote ... but the rest is ok (actually better than ok).