Samsung TV Owners & Discussion Thread

[Rocean]

Dont any of your settop boxes or DVD player have HDMI?? Honestly - I'd spend $150 and buy a DVD player with HDMI - if you have an F series TV and no HDMI you are 'missing out' on the true image possible via DVD and doing yourself a big injustice.

p.s. I am running firmware 1006 (yes 1006 - not 1008) - the reason is I have a 52" TV which was not affected by the wave issue - so I never got around to updating my firmware

ok. sounds good. but what do you think is best for now, a dvd player with hdmi (upscaling), or rather just go for blu ray player?

all confused ! and also, any idea about the good dvd players with hdmi around?

anyway, 1009 is hte latest firmware, no idea what they have updated from 1008 to 1009 though !... might as well get a some freebie 1gb usbs

Edited February 18, 2008 by Rocean

[xdiep]

Update on Blueray:

Ok - I've hooked up a new blueray player to my TV. I've got the new Samsung HT-BD2 Home Theatre. I'm using the settings as described in post 1747, with a HDMI 1.3b certifed cable.

Man - the picture quality is simply amazing. It is soooo crisp, beatiful and colourful. The image is really smooth, and I cannot fault it in any way. I do not see the issue of 5 second frame freezing that some people have mentioned. I am very happy.

p.s. for those that havent heard - today is was announced that Toshiba are about to announce they are withdrawinig HD-DVD - so Blueray won the war.

Update on Heat Haze:

As per my post on heat haze (post 1848) - I then went and watched Australia vs India last night on Channel 9 HD. With the settings applied in post 1747 - I saw no heat haze or Tribble Ball Effect (TBE). So that implies that motion plus is crap (I have it turned off) and maybe Channel 9 were using different/better cameras (still not sure on this).

To summerise: I highly recommend the F series to anyone and everyone. I now have 3 close friends who have bought an F series on my advice, and they are all very happy with it - they have no faults either.

It seems there were a few issues early in the piece from Samsung, but the only real 'issue' remaining is the 100hz feature which, when turned off, causes no issues (this does not detract from the point that it shoud work, as it is a feature we are paying for).

My blu ray judder only occurs for me when I set the 24Hz output on the PS3 to ON. With it set to off, motion plus works fine.

The triple balling effect only occurs when watching cricket replays from the side (i.e. when the camera follows the ball sideways down the pitch in slow motion).

Hope this helps.

[Koshinator]

My blu ray judder only occurs for me when I set the 24Hz output on the PS3 to ON. With it set to off, motion plus works fine.

The triple balling effect only occurs when watching cricket replays from the side (i.e. when the camera follows the ball sideways down the pitch in slow motion).

Hope this helps.

24Hz is not meant to function with the motion plus turned on.. that's why it judders like that. With the motion plus turned off, 24hz works perfectly for my bluray player (which admittedly isn't a PS3, but that shouldn't make a difference).

[lioannou]

My blu ray judder only occurs for me when I set the 24Hz output on the PS3 to ON. With it set to off, motion plus works fine.

The triple balling effect only occurs when watching cricket replays from the side (i.e. when the camera follows the ball sideways down the pitch in slow motion).

Hope this helps.

Yes - I forced '24Hz' on my Blueray player (its called "Movie Mode" on the HT-BD2). It still did not result in any juttering (but I never turned on Motion Plus).

The TBE was never seen by me in the whole Aus vs India game last night. I saw it constantly in a previous game when I had motion plus turned on. In hindsight I should have turned motion plus on/off throughout the cricket - and there are still a few games to come and test the theory!

[lioannou]

ok. sounds good. but what do you think is best for now, a dvd player with hdmi (upscaling), or rather just go for blu ray player?

all confused ! and also, any idea about the good dvd players with hdmi around?

anyway, 1009 is hte latest firmware, no idea what they have updated from 1008 to 1009 though !... might as well get a some freebie 1gb usbs

My 2 cents is wait about 2-3 days for Toshiba to "officially" announce that they are dropping HD-DVD. When they do say it, then go out and spend a few hundred dollars on a Blueray player. Then you are 'set' for a few years to come and wont need to upgrade. You should try and get a Samsung with Anynet+ features, which means your TV will actually 'control' the Blueray player - I've got it working now, and its pretty cool.

However as for which DVD Player/Blueray player is best, check the other forum topics for the DVD section (rather than risk this thread going off-topic).

[ingxen]

I couldnt correct it, but i did add a correction in my comments with my signiature. It was my typo, my bad, and the figure is in fact advertsied as 1w with an actual reading by one of our members clocked up at 31w

I think a new petition should be created on another site if possible also I don't know what is required in a petition but I would think that a persons full name at least is required not just a nick or first name otherwise I wouldn't think it would be taken seriously... I would also expect an address to be listed otherwise I know if i received a petition that only had first names/nicks or no address I personally would ignore it.

This is taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_petition

"The people who electronically sign the petition can also come into question and may invalidate the legitimacy of the petition itself. Without verification via a confirmation e-mail or some other form of verification that can be looked at and confirmed, one could easily pad a petition with false names and e-mails. To compare in the real world, a local government may require of a protesting group tackling a problem to not only require the signatures of people who sign their petitions, but also their printed name, and a way to verify the signature (either with a phone number or identification number via a driver's license or a passport) to ensure that the signature is legitimate and not falsified by the protestors"

Also I don't have a pic of the 31W as I don't have a camera but another member said he measured it as well to be 30W. I am getting a new mobile in a few weeks so I can take a pic with that if required.

Edited February 18, 2008 by ingxen

[nix]

Hey guys, I am now having a fairly severe problem with my panel ...

Over the last few months I started to notice a large area, maybe 20x20cm, just to the right of centre that is having some severe pixel 'buzzing' where the pixels aren't holding the correct colour. They are jumping around from colour to colour and it gives a grainy effect. It is getting progressively worse, and I've noticed it elsewhere on the screen also, just not as condensed as this particular area.

I rang samsung to find info on whether it will be covered (surely it has to be) but their helpdesk just took my number and say they "will get back to me".

It's a real headfk because I've been quite happy with the panel until this happened.

I don't have time to go through the entire thread but is this a known problem, was there a bad batch or something, or if it does get replaced under warranty am I likely to have this happen again? If so I might just ebay it and upgrade.

PS - I have treated this screen very gently, breaking it in over ~300 hours on low contrast etc, and it hasn't been manhandled at all or anything like that. It probably has 2000 hours or so on it.

Cheers,

Nick.

[Psygnosis]

I think it's fine, and since we got 31 signatures so far, it would be a waste for a new petition...

The petition was focused on the Motion Plus Issue and not the standby wattage... maybe a seperate petition can cover that.

Let's just make this Motion Plus petition grow and hope for a outcome.

[kazander18]

24Hz is not meant to function with the motion plus turned on.. that's why it judders like that. With the motion plus turned off, 24hz works perfectly for my bluray player (which admittedly isn't a PS3, but that shouldn't make a difference).

Really? Does it say that somewhere in the manual? Not trying to be difficult, but it just seems really strange. considering that 24 Hz will produce the most judder, that's where it would be the most useful.

[Chris McMahon]

... go out and spend a few hundred dollars on a Blueray player. Then you are 'set' for a few years to come and wont need to upgrade.

What about Blu-ray profiles? Early V1.0 and current V1.1 players won't be able to play all the features of V2.0 movies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#Player_profiles

If you don't mind buying another Blu-ray player with Profile V2.0 in several months, then knock yourself out.

Personally, I'm sticking with up-converted DVD until the individual Blu-ray movie prices drop to something more reasonable. I'm not paying $43 for a new release, or $30 for old catalogue titles.

[Sicarius123]

PS3 with version updates online will keep you going

Dan.

[scarecrow420]

I seem to be having a handshake problem with my Toshiba XE1 HD-DVD player. I am running everything into the HDMI 1 input on the Samsung, using my Onkyo 705 receiver as the switcher. I have foxtel IQ, the HD-DVD player and an xbox. What i have found is that if i switch the HD-DVD player on, while i am watching foxtel, the HD-DVD player doesnt want to output a picture. I then change input on the onkyo to select the HD-DVD player but the handshake doesnt seem to "rejig itself" and i still get stuck without a picture. Evidently the XE1 wants to see the tv as it starts up, otherwise it does not output any picture. However another user on these forums has the same player and the same receiver, but a Panasonic plasma... in their case, when they switch inputs on the onkyo to the HD-DVD player, the handshake re-initialises, and they DO get video output. Given that we both have the same player and receiver, it would seem that my problems are caused (or contributed to) by the Samsung LCD. Has anyone else had issues with handshakes when sources are already switched on and you just change inputs? Not so much changing inputs on the TV, but more so changing inputs on a switcher/AVR that all runs into the same HDMI input on the TV

[hitmeonmybeeper]

Can anyone tell me if they think it's possible that Samsung could correct the current problems that owners are experiencing with the 100hz Motion Plus feature?

Is it a matter of Samsung creating a firmware patch to update the feature, or is the 100hz motion simply not implemented well enough and cannot be fixed?

The tv looks great (without Motion Plus on) and is priced well. Can Samsung fix this issue with firmware or is it a case of waiting for the next model?

Thanks guys!

HMOMYB

[scarecrow420]

Can anyone tell me if they think it's possible that Samsung could correct the current problems that owners are experiencing with the 100hz Motion Plus feature?

Is it a matter of Samsung creating a firmware patch to update the feature, or is the 100hz motion simply not implemented well enough and cannot be fixed?

The tv looks great (without Motion Plus on) and is priced well. Can Samsung fix this issue with firmware or is it a case of waiting for the next model?

Thanks guys!

HMOMYB

well if you take a look at the life of the equivalent model LNT-4671F in the states, they have had some firmware updates which improved the motion plus functionality (apparently it is more usable on LOW and MEDIUM now) but at the same time it does seem that it still has some issues, and with the new model coming out there next month, the current model is probably less likely to be focused on anymore.

FAQ on AVS: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....54#post12429454

Owners thread on AVS: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=893827

To be fair, i personally dont think these frame interpolation algorithms can ever be perfect- as mentioned in this thread how can the TV processor know a ball from a player from an umpire, and that the camera is panning left while the ball is bouncing right, and then the camera whizzes by a flag/line marker in the foreground suddenly. This kind of technology is never going to be perfect and even when it does "work"on say LOW setting which i dont notice any artifacts etc on, it still looks un-naturally smooth and "funny" to me anyway.

I can see the point of some who bought the tv based on the advertised smoothness of this feature etc and they are quite correct to claim it doesnt work as advertised... but at the same time this whole motion plus thing was never a feature i intended to have turned ON, and it doesnt hinder my enjoyment of the F81 a single little bit! It still has a great picture, good contrast, looks great and has enough features over the previous M81 model to justify itself to me, with or without motion plus

Edited February 18, 2008 by scarecrow420

[BonsoWonderDog]

I went into Harvey Norman today planning to negotiate and buy a 46" F8.

It didn't happen.

I started to think that perhaps 46" is not big enough.

I don't have a big room - I'm about 3m from the TV so apparently a 46" is the 'right' size for that distance.

But, if I'm going ot splash out thousands, I want to go WOW.....like I did years ago upgrading from a 48cm to an 80cm normal TV.

I think 50"+ would do it, but the 52" F8 is just WAY too expensive I think.......

So now I'm thinking go for the PS50P91FDX Plasma.....apparently you can get them for around $2700.

I appreciate this is an F8 thread, but I'd appreciate any comments/advice.

Damian

Edited February 18, 2008 by BonsoWonderDog

[Rocean]

I went into Harvey Norman today planning to negotiate and buy a 46" F8.

It didn't happen.

I started to think that perhaps 46" is not big enough.

I don't have a big room - I'm about 3m from the TV so apparently a 46" is the 'right' size for that distance.

But, if I'm going ot splash out thousands, I want to go WOW.....like I did years ago upgrading from a 48cm to an 80cm normal TV.

I think 50"+ would do it, but the 52" F8 is just WAY too expensive I think.......

So now I'm thinking go for the PS50P91FDX Plasma.....apparently you can get them for around $2700.

I appreciate this is an F8 thread, but I'd appreciate any comments/advice.

Damian

i am a bit confused about your statement. in one respect you've said that your room is not very big and 46" is the correct size. But then you also want to get 50+ because you might as well get a bigger tv at a cheaper price.

well, i guess all in all, it depends on whether you need a plasma or an lcd. size doesn't matter at this moment !

[BonsoWonderDog]

i am a bit confused about your statement. in one respect you've said that your room is not very big and 46" is the correct size. But then you also want to get 50+ because you might as well get a bigger tv at a cheaper price.

well, i guess all in all, it depends on whether you need a plasma or an lcd. size doesn't matter at this moment !

Sorry, I have managed to be ambiguous.

My point was actually the opposite......I think a bigger size is what I want for the "wow factor" .... so now tempted by the cheaper 52" plasma rather than the 46" LCD

[skouta]

Can anyone tell me if they think it's possible that Samsung could correct the current problems that owners are experiencing with the 100hz Motion Plus feature?

Is it a matter of Samsung creating a firmware patch to update the feature, or is the 100hz motion simply not implemented well enough and cannot be fixed?

The tv looks great (without Motion Plus on) and is priced well. Can Samsung fix this issue with firmware or is it a case of waiting for the next model?

Thanks guys!

HMOMYB

Yes this can be fixed with a Firmware Upgrade, but it is not an easy fix as mentioned by scarecrow they have upgraded firmware in the US but have not totally fixed the problem. You will need to weigh up price and other functions & specs to decide whether you want this set. I think it is a great set, my problem with the motion plus is that Samsung advertised this heavily and it doesn't function correctly. Does this mean you shouldn't buy it???? Your call, I think it still worth it...

[Psygnosis]

Any update on what new features the new 1009 firmware has fixed or added?

[BonsoWonderDog]

Surely Samsung can answer that question........

[Guest Mewy]

Received delivery of my 46" today. Firmware no. is 1009 and it is absolutely awesome! To anyone reading this ever so long thread as I did and thinking they shouldn't buy this TV all I can say is buy. Even out of the box it was brill! Have done some adjustments as per previous posts and it is beautiful. Have to admit the whole 100 mhz thing is a scam as it makes no difference so far (but it's only day 3). I will play more over time.

I ordered mind from Bing Lee on 29th January and after reading this thread almost cancelled my order. Delivery was Friday 15th but I didn't really get time to set it up until yesterday. I cannot express how happy I am with it. I understand other firmware versions had some issues but this thread might lead people to not purchase this screen and they would be missing out. I recommend this screen fully and although I'd like the 100 mhz to make a difference but it doesn't and I don't care cause the other screens I looked at in this price bracket were not as good as this in the shop. To have this home in my back room which has three double glass sliding doors in it and not have an issue with glare I think is pretty impressive. When I close up at night and change my mode the blacks are great.

Just to note I only have HD through the TV receiver. Intend to buy a blue ray player/recorder but later this year but waiting for V2. Austar does not look that flash particulary the older stuff but my Svideo connection works fine and is definitely better than RGB. The newer movies are OK but not as good as the HD TV. CSI tonight was way cool.

All in all I am one happy camper and love this screen. Just wanted to add some positive feedback to this thread.

[KeanosMagicHat]

Hi All,

I own the UK version of this TV and we still have the problem you called the "wave" fault. Samsung UK call it Hum Bars.

I have been upgraded to firmware 1007.1 which is dated 8th January.

It has cured the Hum Bars / Waves on 50Hz and 60Hz but I can still see them when playing Blu-Rays @ 24Hz which is very frustrating.

Does your firmware 1009 cure the Hum Bars on all sources 50Hz, 60Hz and 24Hz please?

The only other fault I have is TBE when 100Hz is engaged but that doesn't worry me quite as much as I don't use it.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edited February 18, 2008 by KeanosMagicHat

[Sicarius123]

Sorry, I have managed to be ambiguous.

My point was actually the opposite......I think a bigger size is what I want for the "wow factor" .... so now tempted by the cheaper 52" plasma rather than the 46" LCD

Jump on the samsung website and get the measurements for the F8, then mock something up on some cardboard to show how big it'll be in your room.

I guaruntee it'll look a lot bigger than it does in the showroom next to 60" models.

My mums panasonic 42" is in a room about 3m size and it dominates the room, definately looks impressive. I don't think your 46" will be too small, whereas the 50" might be too big.

Btw, you should be able to pick up the M series 52" for about F series 46" pricing.

Dan.

Edited February 18, 2008 by Sicarius123

[Guest litzsurfer]

Received delivery of my 46" today. Firmware no. is 1009 and it is absolutely awesome! To anyone reading this ever so long thread as I did and thinking they shouldn't buy this TV all I can say is buy. Even out of the box it was brill! Have done some adjustments as per previous posts and it is beautiful. Have to admit the whole 100 mhz thing is a scam as it makes no difference so far (but it's only day 3). I will play more over time.

All in all I am one happy camper and love this screen. Just wanted to add some positive feedback to this thread.

I felt the same as you until the weekend. Have had the set for 10 days after a long 8 week wait. Thought I had a good one !

On Saturday I noticed a "whitish" bright area of the panel along the top edge to the right of the centre. It does not extend all the way to the edge of the screen. It is most noticeable viewing blacks but can be seen with other colours as well. AAAAHHHHHH.... Now all I can see is this fault. It looks like some is shining a torch down the screen from above. Tried heaps of settings and inputs but no change.

On the phone today to get it swapped but no way are they taking this one until I have a replacement. CANT live without my F.

Current FW 1008.

Still no freeby either after buying early Dec.....

Litz

[lioannou]

On Saturday I noticed a "whitish" bright area of the panel along the top edge to the right of the centre. It does not extend all the way to the edge of the screen. It is most noticeable viewing blacks but can be seen with other colours as well. AAAAHHHHHH.... Now all I can see is this fault. It looks like some is shining a torch down the screen from above. Tried heaps of settings and inputs but no change.

Sounds like your bezel has seperated from the panel, resulting in the backlight shinging through. No amount of settings and inputs will change anything - it is a physical fault requiring repair.