What are your thoughts on the new TXN series by samsung? Does the finer dot pitch CRT's make a difference? I've been reading about the new TXN3098WHF which is supposed to have DVI on the home theatre spot forum, but I haven't been able to find anything else on any other sites about it. I think someone there mentioned it was supposed to have a built in HDTV tuner or something of the sort. Can anyone confirm this? Also, since it will have DVI, can you use it to watch movies via HTPC with the DVI output on the computer? Thanks!
Samsung's new TXN series thoughts?
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I just got my new TXN3075WHF last weekend. I previously returned a TXM3096WHF to buy this unit.
The fine dot pitch crt's will only make a difference when viewing hi def sources, and as I don't have a hi def receiver I can't really comment on them.
The TXN3098 has the DVI but everything else is the same as the TXN3075 in terms of picture quality. The 3098 is also slimmer. It does not have a built in tuner. Samsung wil be releasing a model in August that does have a built in tuner but I do not know the intended list price.
In my opinion the TXN series has improved greatly in 3 ways over last years TXM models.
Firstly the chasis design is outstanding. This tv will be a true centrepiece in your living room. Much classier looking silver than last years dull charcoal.
Secondly all TXN models now have 3:2 pulldown where my old TXM3096 didn't.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Samsung seems to have corrected an annoying phenomenon of the old TXM line - a light vertical band about 2 inches wide that runs down the center of the screen. My TXN3075 does not have it and the store model was fine as well, so I am assuming the problem has been corrected since all TXN tv's suffered from this.
Don't expect to be impressed straight out of the box either. I think Sony and Toshiba do a lot better job of calibrating their sets before shipping them. My Samsung had really bad geometry, red push and of course had brightness and contrast set way high. Interestingly it seems every Samsung model comes with different factory values set in the service menu. It appears to be somewhat random. Why I don't know but you will have to calibrate the TXN series with a setup dvd to get the best out of it.
The good news, once calibrated properly the TXN has excellent black level detail, accurate color decoding and provides a better image than my friends Toshiba 34HDX82 - excellent value considering this set is less than half the cost of the much more expensive Japanese brands. Please note this is based on DVD viewing only. I have not seen hi def on the TXN series and don't intend to use mine for hi def viewing anytime soon.
Other things to consider - the remote is pathetic and the user menu isn't the friendliest to use. There is only one custom menu so you will have to tweak a bit each time you view a different source. The supplied Dynamic, Standard and Movie modes are totally useless and would have been a much better idea to assign these as other custom settings. Lastly when viewing 480p sources you are locked into Wide mode. This doesn't bother me but if you don't want to see black bars on 2.35 material make sure you use a dvd player that zooms in progressive mode. Oh, and the deinterlacer they used in this tv is craptacular in my opinion. My Panny dvd player uses a Faroudja chip and shows how de-interlacing is meant to be done.
So let me sum up - great set once calibrated to view dvd's feeding the tv using a progressive signal. Used in this way easily equals Sony and beats Toshiba for picture quality. You will be dissappointed feeding this baby an interlaced signal. Viewing analog tv is fine. 3 line filter does its job nicely and stretch modes are acceptable. Can't comment on hi def quality as I haven't put it to the test. If you are mad keen on watching a lot of hi def now or in the future I would have to recommend something else and particularly a bigger screen to really enjoy the extra detail. Would perform very well for a standard digital broadcast tho.
The fine dot pitch crt's will only make a difference when viewing hi def sources, and as I don't have a hi def receiver I can't really comment on them.
The TXN3098 has the DVI but everything else is the same as the TXN3075 in terms of picture quality. The 3098 is also slimmer. It does not have a built in tuner. Samsung wil be releasing a model in August that does have a built in tuner but I do not know the intended list price.
In my opinion the TXN series has improved greatly in 3 ways over last years TXM models.
Firstly the chasis design is outstanding. This tv will be a true centrepiece in your living room. Much classier looking silver than last years dull charcoal.
Secondly all TXN models now have 3:2 pulldown where my old TXM3096 didn't.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Samsung seems to have corrected an annoying phenomenon of the old TXM line - a light vertical band about 2 inches wide that runs down the center of the screen. My TXN3075 does not have it and the store model was fine as well, so I am assuming the problem has been corrected since all TXN tv's suffered from this.
Don't expect to be impressed straight out of the box either. I think Sony and Toshiba do a lot better job of calibrating their sets before shipping them. My Samsung had really bad geometry, red push and of course had brightness and contrast set way high. Interestingly it seems every Samsung model comes with different factory values set in the service menu. It appears to be somewhat random. Why I don't know but you will have to calibrate the TXN series with a setup dvd to get the best out of it.
The good news, once calibrated properly the TXN has excellent black level detail, accurate color decoding and provides a better image than my friends Toshiba 34HDX82 - excellent value considering this set is less than half the cost of the much more expensive Japanese brands. Please note this is based on DVD viewing only. I have not seen hi def on the TXN series and don't intend to use mine for hi def viewing anytime soon.
Other things to consider - the remote is pathetic and the user menu isn't the friendliest to use. There is only one custom menu so you will have to tweak a bit each time you view a different source. The supplied Dynamic, Standard and Movie modes are totally useless and would have been a much better idea to assign these as other custom settings. Lastly when viewing 480p sources you are locked into Wide mode. This doesn't bother me but if you don't want to see black bars on 2.35 material make sure you use a dvd player that zooms in progressive mode. Oh, and the deinterlacer they used in this tv is craptacular in my opinion. My Panny dvd player uses a Faroudja chip and shows how de-interlacing is meant to be done.
So let me sum up - great set once calibrated to view dvd's feeding the tv using a progressive signal. Used in this way easily equals Sony and beats Toshiba for picture quality. You will be dissappointed feeding this baby an interlaced signal. Viewing analog tv is fine. 3 line filter does its job nicely and stretch modes are acceptable. Can't comment on hi def quality as I haven't put it to the test. If you are mad keen on watching a lot of hi def now or in the future I would have to recommend something else and particularly a bigger screen to really enjoy the extra detail. Would perform very well for a standard digital broadcast tho.
Thanks for the info. Is the remote the same as past Samsung dynaflats? I have one of the original dynaflats (the 27" that just does SDTV 480p, lol, can't even remember the model number it's so old) and I love the quality in progressive and DVD, but cable is awful on it because it has no internal doubler or enhancer. I also want to get into OTA HDTV, so I was looking at the widescreen TXN. You mention that it locks in 16:9 mode when fed progressive. Do you mean the 4:3 sets or the 16:9 set as well? the reason I ask is if I watch something 4:3 in progressive on the 16:9, does this mean I will not be able to set the screen to 4:3 to watch it? If so, this would mean I would need to get a DVD player that scales, correct?
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Just wanted to add one thing. The TXN series will convert everything to 480p or 1080i. When converting analog tv to 480p it does a satisfactory job but then again I don't hold tv viewing to the same standard I want out of dvd viewing. I primarily watch news and sports, but if you want to watch a lot of pay per view movies as I mentioned earlier the deinterlacer isn't the best so you may be disappointed if you are as picky about film based materials as I am. The best thing going for this set is its ability to provide a very very good picture from a 480p feed and of course the price. I wouldn't bother spending the extra $300 to get the 3098 with DVI and Digital Natural Image enhancer (same as Sony DRC or Phillip's Pixel Plus). This set is really best bought with the intention of upgrading it in 6-7 years when Hi Def tv is fully fledged and 1080p and hi def dvd's may be available - and at this price you can.
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Yes, the remote is the same as the old series. This set would be perfect for OTA HDTV for the next few years. Again I wouldn't bother getting the DVI version unless you really want it as you will probably be upgrading soon enough.
I am not sure about the 4:3 sets but the 16:9 sets are locked when using 480p. This does mean you will want to get a dvd player that scales to view 4:3 material with 480p and you don't want it stretched out (I only own one dvd in 4:3, Shrek, but the guy is fat anyways so you start to forget it is stretched).
Alternatively you can get a dvd player that can be toggled between interlaced and progressive. Then you can zoom in using the tv. But the de-interlacer on the Samsung isn't top notch but will do the job.
I am not sure about the 4:3 sets but the 16:9 sets are locked when using 480p. This does mean you will want to get a dvd player that scales to view 4:3 material with 480p and you don't want it stretched out (I only own one dvd in 4:3, Shrek, but the guy is fat anyways so you start to forget it is stretched).
Alternatively you can get a dvd player that can be toggled between interlaced and progressive. Then you can zoom in using the tv. But the de-interlacer on the Samsung isn't top notch but will do the job.
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I bought a SONY KV32HS500 last weekend for video games and 4:3 videos for the kids. I have a 47 inch widescreen RPTV Panny for DVD and OTA HD. It was on sell for 1225.00 before tax. Is the TXN series comparable? Same store is selling the TXN3275HF for 999.99. Is it good enough to save the 225 or should I stick with the Sony? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks a lot for the info Widescreendream. I think I'm going to wait for the 3098 because it paired with the Samsung 931 is looking really appealing to me...now just comes the waiting 
I saw the 2798 is up for preorder at JandR, so hopefully it won't be long. Thanks!
I saw the 2798 is up for preorder at JandR, so hopefully it won't be long. Thanks!
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The 32" 4:3 Sammy has a list of $999.00. You could probably get it on sale of $100 less from a big chain retailer.
I am not sure what features the Sony model has but in terms of picture quality, once tweaked the Sammy will yield very very good results. In my opinion Sony is not ahead of the rest of the pack anymore. They still have substantial brand name recognition tho. I have found Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and Phillips all to yield great results once calibrated. I have been researching a demo-ing widescreen tube tv's for the longest time. So I would look at quirks, features and reliablility as the determining factors. If the Sammy has all the features you want and costs less and you don't mind taking the Sony back then I would certainly recommend it.
Just one note about Samsung's TXM/TXN series. You must setup with an AVIA dvd or similar. For some reason Samsung will not ship these sets with quality factory settings. Expect bad geometry and red-push (which are easily corrected). Samsungs pre-set modes (Dynamic, Movie and Standard) are all useless. Their color temps (Cool 2, Cool1, Normal, Warm 1, Warm2) are also way off. Can't comment for Sony's temps but my friends Toshiba temps were also way off as well. So bottom line after purchasing a Samsung you will have to enter the service menu to correct red-push, turn down or off VSM, correct grey-scale, and of course correct geometry. Just make sure to record all the original factory settings before you tweak. Once performed you will be amazed at the transformation.
Lastly for Kensai, my unit does not have DVI but in the service menu is a bunch of PC settings under the DVI menu, so I am guessing they are PC compatible. When the DVI models come out go to the store and confirm.
I am not sure what features the Sony model has but in terms of picture quality, once tweaked the Sammy will yield very very good results. In my opinion Sony is not ahead of the rest of the pack anymore. They still have substantial brand name recognition tho. I have found Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and Phillips all to yield great results once calibrated. I have been researching a demo-ing widescreen tube tv's for the longest time. So I would look at quirks, features and reliablility as the determining factors. If the Sammy has all the features you want and costs less and you don't mind taking the Sony back then I would certainly recommend it.
Just one note about Samsung's TXM/TXN series. You must setup with an AVIA dvd or similar. For some reason Samsung will not ship these sets with quality factory settings. Expect bad geometry and red-push (which are easily corrected). Samsungs pre-set modes (Dynamic, Movie and Standard) are all useless. Their color temps (Cool 2, Cool1, Normal, Warm 1, Warm2) are also way off. Can't comment for Sony's temps but my friends Toshiba temps were also way off as well. So bottom line after purchasing a Samsung you will have to enter the service menu to correct red-push, turn down or off VSM, correct grey-scale, and of course correct geometry. Just make sure to record all the original factory settings before you tweak. Once performed you will be amazed at the transformation.
Lastly for Kensai, my unit does not have DVI but in the service menu is a bunch of PC settings under the DVI menu, so I am guessing they are PC compatible. When the DVI models come out go to the store and confirm.
A few days ago, I saw a display TXN3075 at CC for $999.99. It was displaying the CC DVD and was alongside several other HDTV ready TVs displaying the same program. Other TV in this lineup included a Zenith, RCA, Sony 32HS500, Sony 34XBR800, and Panasonic TAU. Other than the 32" Sony, all others were 34" 16:9 sets.
It appeared that the Samsung TXN3075 showed more detail, but the picture had a reddish cast (is this red push?). The only 30" 16:9 in the lineup made it look much smaller than the 34" and 32" sets. IMHO the beige color was odd as well.
After a long search for a HDTV ready set, I'm going to close the books on either this set of its more endowed brother, the TXN3098.
It appeared that the Samsung TXN3075 showed more detail, but the picture had a reddish cast (is this red push?). The only 30" 16:9 in the lineup made it look much smaller than the 34" and 32" sets. IMHO the beige color was odd as well.
After a long search for a HDTV ready set, I'm going to close the books on either this set of its more endowed brother, the TXN3098.
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To access the service menu do the following;
Using the remote turn off the tv. Then on the remote press "mute", "1", "8" then "2". Now using the remote turn the tv back on. You will now see the service menu.
Here are tweaks once in the service menu -
In the Video Adjust 1 menu:
1) Change COL Axis to 1. This will correct red push.
2) Change CTI and LTI to 0 if you want a pure, unenhanced image.
In the Video Adjust 2 menu:
1) Change DPIC, DC Trans, VM Level and SHP CD to 0 for a pure, unenhanced image.
These changes will correct red push and turn off the tv's artificial image enhancements so your set will display the original source in all its original detail (very close to film quality).
You can also enter the Option menu and turn PIP on to activate one tuner PIP and also turn BBE on for enhanced sound (make sure to select BBE in the sound menu after you reset your tv).
Next reset the tv and your changes will take effect. Now you can enter the custom setting in the normal user menu to setup your preferences. As a guide I use:
Contrast 60
Brightness 55
Sharpness 22
Color 47
Tint G 54/R 46
I also use the Warm 1 setting.
These will be different depending on your own dvd player and for other sources but are a good place to start. On my TXN3075 and using my Panasonic RP56 dvd player set to darker the image is breathtaking. No pixelisation even from 2 feet away.
I agree Teeh that the Samsung TXN line will easily equal any of the other manufacturers in terms of picture quality (and IMO better them all). I don't know why Samsung doesn't make a 34" model but when you get the 30" home it looks a lot bigger than in the store. Just don't plan on sitting more than 8 feet from it.
Using the remote turn off the tv. Then on the remote press "mute", "1", "8" then "2". Now using the remote turn the tv back on. You will now see the service menu.
Here are tweaks once in the service menu -
In the Video Adjust 1 menu:
1) Change COL Axis to 1. This will correct red push.
2) Change CTI and LTI to 0 if you want a pure, unenhanced image.
In the Video Adjust 2 menu:
1) Change DPIC, DC Trans, VM Level and SHP CD to 0 for a pure, unenhanced image.
These changes will correct red push and turn off the tv's artificial image enhancements so your set will display the original source in all its original detail (very close to film quality).
You can also enter the Option menu and turn PIP on to activate one tuner PIP and also turn BBE on for enhanced sound (make sure to select BBE in the sound menu after you reset your tv).
Next reset the tv and your changes will take effect. Now you can enter the custom setting in the normal user menu to setup your preferences. As a guide I use:
Contrast 60
Brightness 55
Sharpness 22
Color 47
Tint G 54/R 46
I also use the Warm 1 setting.
These will be different depending on your own dvd player and for other sources but are a good place to start. On my TXN3075 and using my Panasonic RP56 dvd player set to darker the image is breathtaking. No pixelisation even from 2 feet away.
I agree Teeh that the Samsung TXN line will easily equal any of the other manufacturers in terms of picture quality (and IMO better them all). I don't know why Samsung doesn't make a 34" model but when you get the 30" home it looks a lot bigger than in the store. Just don't plan on sitting more than 8 feet from it.
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I'm guessing the TXN3098WHF will be carried by "hi-end" stores rather than your big chain stores so check your local independant a/v store in a few weeks. The list is $1299.
>I can get the 3075 at employee cost which is a very good price
Just out of curiosity, what is the employee cost for it? It would give a good approximation of what the store cost for it is (and thus how much bargaining room there is).
Of course, if you feel uncomfortable posting the info, I understand, but as you haven't identified the store you work for and I don't think the info is classified anyhow, I think it's fair game.
I too am wondering where the 3098 will be carried. I asked my local HHGregg and they were clueless. I'm wondering if it's only Tweeter/Hifi buys type of places, which would thus limit bargaining power to a certain degree (more stores = more competition = better deal). . . .
Just out of curiosity, what is the employee cost for it? It would give a good approximation of what the store cost for it is (and thus how much bargaining room there is).
Of course, if you feel uncomfortable posting the info, I understand, but as you haven't identified the store you work for and I don't think the info is classified anyhow, I think it's fair game.
I too am wondering where the 3098 will be carried. I asked my local HHGregg and they were clueless. I'm wondering if it's only Tweeter/Hifi buys type of places, which would thus limit bargaining power to a certain degree (more stores = more competition = better deal). . . .
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I have not heard anything about this years Zenith model. I know last years came with an integrated hi def tuner but only had 480i component input! Hopefully they have corrected this overlook and will include 480p inputs this time around.
victoras, i dont mind telling you how much it is because my location listed isnt near where I will be working for the summer. Anyhow, I can pick up a 3075 for a mere $682.50. This is why if the 3098 is not carried by my store I will have a hard time convincing myself to pay an extra $600 for dvi. On a high dollar tv, yes, but when it doubles my cost, i don't think so........
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If $682 is the delivered cost on these units I can't believe circuit city is selling it for just $999. I heard there wasn't the typical full-service store markup (100%) on these sets but I didn't realise the margin was so small. No wonder CC wouldn't budge an inch on the price without an extended warranty purchase.
I guess Samsung really wants market share, and with a top quality product and an outrageously low price they have mine! Bring on the 26" widescreen for my bedroom please CC.
I guess Samsung really wants market share, and with a top quality product and an outrageously low price they have mine! Bring on the 26" widescreen for my bedroom please CC.
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