Samsung TV Owners & Discussion Thread

[k3nnis888]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering people with this plasma from Samsung, do you guys use 1080i or 720P to view HD-DVD, Blu Ray? Which res looks better on this panel? It's not a 1080P panel I have the 42" version of this screen.

[kaizan]

Hi, some people have requested a Samsung F81 thread so here it is, please post your comments on the new Samsung F81 series here. Tell us how they are going, how they look, how they perform, best pricing, any problems, and questions etc...etc...

So after a week now of watching I can confirm this.

LA46F81BDX

Running with a Samsung DVD-1080P7 DVD Player on Upscale (looks pretty damn good).

Soon to run on a HT-TX100T System

V1009 Firmware.

Setup picture and colour how I like.

DVD always on 1080P through HDMI

Setup TV and DVD to run at full 100MHz (as it always should be, this is what its bloody built for).

The only gripe I have with this TV is the fact that the 100MHz issue is very obvious. Not annoying but very obvious enough to say its a flaw. It does not annoy me too much, but if i buy a toaster that has 5 heat settings, i expect to be able to use all 5 of them.

If this issue is not fixed with firmware, and I am not even sure firmware can fix an issue with this technology, there MUST be a recall and replacement by Samsung or a technical fix on all units.

I like many HAVE called samsung three times and got the same answer every time, "it is being looked into and will be fixed in the comming months with an "update", thanks for your patience".

My advice is, do not buy this TV yet, wait until us existing owners say its fixed or resolved, by that time it will be cheaper anyway.

[ZiggyPiggy333]

For anybody considering purchasing the Samsung F8 46 Full Hi-Def LCD TV, please read my experience below, this information was originally sent to Samsung (about a week ago, currently with no response) in the hope of getting some information about the F9 also known as the LN-T4681F as I have decided to wait and hopefully avoid all the problems with the F8. The F9 has an LCD backlight with 500 000:1 contrast ratio. Uses about 30% less power and should last longer as I normally only purchase TV's once or twice a decade. The 52 Inch version is currently available in the US for around $4600 US (only 52' and 70' versions available). Does not use 100Hz Motion Plus.

Over the past 2 months I have gone through quite an experience whilst trying to purchase the Samsung F8 46 Full Hi-Def LCD TV. After doing a little bit of research on the internet I decided to take a closer look at the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV. I was tempted by the offer of a free 26 inch LCD TV and made my purchase on 29 Dec 2009. This was paid in-full on 2-Jan-2008 from JB HI-FI (Rouse Hill, NSW). My brother was also interested in this offer and he also purchased the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV on the same day as we thought we could each get a better price by purchasing from the same store. We each paid $3450 and we did this in good faith in order to qualify for the free LCD TV which was on offer until Jan15th. We were told that there was no stock currently available and it would be a two week wait before new stock arrived.

Whilst waiting for the arrival of my new Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV, I did some further research on the internet and came across the DTV forum about the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV which I read (and have continued to read), and this raised some concerns. I decided it was too late to change my mind and I thought the TV was still pretty good.

I contacted the JB Hi Fi sales staff around mid-January and was informed that there was an Australian wide shortage and that there was going to be a further delay and early February was going to be the closest date that more stock would be delivered.

As the weeks passed, I kept up to date with other customer’s experiences via the DTV forum and found out that Samsung were effectively doing a product recall on these TV’s as there were some problems being encountered by an increasing number of dis-satisfied customers. Some of these problems were fixed, such as the wave issue with a firmware upgrade, however other problems like the 100Hz motion flow issue are still causing some concern. I contacted the sales staff at JB HI-FI on several further occasions, and again in February I was told that there was going to be a further 2 to 3 week delay. I re-negotiated the price for both my brother’s LCD TV and mine as there was a price reduction during this period. The new price agreed to was $2800 for each TV.

I finally received a call and was informed that there were two Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV’s awaiting pick-up on Saturday 23rd February 2008. This was around eight weeks since the full purchase was completed. I was at work over that weekend so my brother picked up both TV’s the following day, Sunday 24th 2008. I arranged to leave work early that day and detoured via my brother’s place on my trip home. He had his LCD TV unpacked and plugged in by the time I arrived to collect my TV. I checked some settings and his firmware version was the 1008. It looked like the TV was in good working order and had the latest firmware upgrade. I took my unit home and unpacked it only to find that there was immediately an issue with the LCD panel. Basically with no signal input the menu had horizontal lines streaking across the screen. When a signal was plugged in (TV aerial and DVD component input into AV1 were tested) the number of horizontal lines streaking across the screen increased and the screen looked like it had vertical blinds across it, this rendered the picture totally unacceptable.

Therefore, after waiting nearly 2 months I was very disappointed with the final product. I checked the firmware version and found that this TV had the 1009 version. The DTV forum members were still trying to figure out what this latest version was meant to fix. Further inspection showed some scratches on the four main screws on the back of the panel. I suspected that this unit had somehow been tampered with and was not as originally shipped from the factory. There were rumours of incorrect tuners in some TV’s shipped to Australia. I then wondered whether this unit was a factory second. The way it was packed and some of the scratches certainly indicated to me that this unit had been opened prior to delivery. The SERAIL NUMBER of the FAULTY unit was AKDD3MNQ/00454Z, CASE ID 81918, TYPE NO PY46SO.

I contacted JB HiFi and arranged to return the LCD TV. I think this was my fifth trip back to the store (around 65km round trip). I enquired about the 52’ version but was told there were no units in stock and the sales staff were un-able to tell me if the 52’ had similar issues as the 46’ version. I was offered their 46’ Showroom unit until a new Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV was available. I was not happy with the way things had turned out and it was then I decided to pull the plug and requested a full refund. I was offered a good deal on a Sony LCD however I declined as I needed to re-think my whole purchase. The store manager reluctantly gave in and refunded my purchase. I was further disappointed to realise that I was also giving up the free 26’ LCD TV.

I think I would have been happy with the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV as advertised with all of it’s features including the 100Hz motion flow feature working correctly, however I am now wondering whether Samsung is being honest to it’s customers. I am still interested in buying a FULL HI DEF LCD TV. I still think that Samsung has a pretty good reputation and I am willing to forgive and forget as long as this episode proves to be a one off. I have done some further investigation (on the internet) and I was hoping you could give me some detailed information about the SAMSUNG F9 LCD TV and what versions will be available in Australia and what time frame? I have been told that this version will be available around mid-2008, could you please confirm this?

[CrazyEyes]

My understanding is that it depends on what you are watching. If it is slow moving or still pictures then 1080i is supposedly better, but for fast moving action films use 720p. The reasoning is that 1080i may have some image tearing on fast motion due to the interlacing.

I'm no expert (I can't really tell the difference between the quality of 1080i and 720p) but the guy in this youtube clip http://tinyurl.com/yq93bl tries to explain it (I can't vouch for his expertise though ).

If I were you I would just try them both and see what you like the best. When I first got my 50C91 I spent a lot of time looking for the best settings and I found quite a few different settings on the avsforum, but to me they all looked terrible LOL. After wasting a lot of time searching for some good settings - I just ended up adjusting the settings to what I thought looked the best. Apparently some of the settings on that forum were calibrated in - but to me they looked terrible, and I tried to use them for a while thinking I'll get used to this professionally dialed PQ, but I didn't. Bottom line is you should set it up to what you enjoy the most - I've got mine set to 720p, but I think you should decide based on what you think looks good.

[Sicarius123]

Took a friend of mine to buy another F46 on Friday for the last day of the free LCD deal.

Went to bing lee, told middle of march but they still haven't filled orders from January, apparently a Samsung factory burnt down (not beleiving that), they then tried to sell us a Sony.

Went to Myer, also not sure about delivery date and saying it could be two weeks but it could be more.

Went to The Good Guys again, told 2 weeks on the phone, arrived there and he had rang up and confirmed their shipment arriving this week. I trust their delivery date as they managed to pull through on my TV while the others did the same thing with dodgy delivery dates.

I think it really depends on your retailer as to your wait time at the moment, not just your state.

[lioannou]

I think I would have been happy with the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV as advertised with all of it’s features including the 100Hz motion flow feature working correctly, however I am now wondering whether Samsung is being honest to it’s customers. I am still interested in buying a FULL HI DEF LCD TV. I still think that Samsung has a pretty good reputation and I am willing to forgive and forget as long as this episode proves to be a one off. I have done some further investigation (on the internet) and I was hoping you could give me some detailed information about the SAMSUNG F9 LCD TV and what versions will be available in Australia and what time frame? I have been told that this version will be available around mid-2008, could you please confirm this?

I doubt waiting for the F9 LCD will solve you concerns.

Firstly, the F9 is already in Australia - but only in the 70" LCD (yes, 70" LCD - RRP about $45k). The Dymanic contrast ratio they quote of 500,000:1 is more of a marketing play on numbers.

Secondly, your concerns about the F8 would not be solved by the F9:

- Stock delays: waiting for the F9 for 6 months wont solve that. And you run the very high risk of having the F9 been pushed back to Dec 08. No one can promise a date, especially 5 months in advance.

- Faulty unit: Unfortunately your unit was faulty, most are not [remember: the amount of complaints on the forums is weighted towards a negative bias). So waiting for the F9 does not solve that

- 100Hz Motion Plus: As far as I know, the 100Hz feature is not in the F9. Therefore, by turning off the feature in the F8, you dont get a difference between the two units

[lioannou]

Went to bing lee, told middle of march but they still haven't filled orders from January, apparently a Samsung factory burnt down (not beleiving that), they then tried to sell us a Sony.

You know, I read that and thought it was a lie to. But I decided to quicky google "samsung factory fire", and I think they got their wires crossed.

There was a large LCD factory fire, but it wasnt Samsungs:

http://www.smartofficenews.com.au/Business...nology/X8A2X4D4

The reason for the stock delays is the worlds (not just Samsungs) ability to meet the huge increase in demand for LCDs. The factories cannot keep up with stock requests, and they are trying to increase production.

Also, personally, I think the problem is Australia was compounded by the "sweet spot" price of the 46" LCD (and they value it provides) which was compounded by a free 26" HD LCD.

[djlist]

I just got my 46 delivered on Friday the 29th, and the picture is gorgeous, and no problems whatsoever, knock wood.

A few questions, from a hardware idiot who had it installed...

1. I'm using it with a (6 year old) BOSE HT set-up. The sound works fine, but I can only alter the BOSE sound on the BOSE remote, and the TV remote only changes the TV sound. On my old Loewe, changing the TV sound changed the HT sound. Can I fix it?

2. The installation guy set FOXTEL to AV8, channel 42(?). Is there a simple way to access it without going to the channel manager?

3. I KNOW the picture isn't as good with a normal (even upscaling) DVD, but do you guys really think it's worth getting Blu-Ray yet? I mean (reading the Blu-Ray thread here) it just seems like the technology isn't quite mature, it's very annoying with the regions, and there's not much good stuff out on BR yet. But maybe I'm wrong. What are other opinions?

Thanks

David

[Khtulu]

2. The installation guy set FOXTEL to AV8, channel 42(?). Is there a simple way to access it without going to the channel manager?

You've got yourself a decent tv. Now go buy yourself a decent remote. I suggest the logitech harmony series. You can assign macros for whatever it is you'd like to do. Btw you have to play around with it for some time before you'll get it the way you like. Suggest the xbox 360 harmony remote if you have an xbox connected otherwise go for your life.

[k3nnis888]

Thanks Crazyeyes

Yeah i also tried the settings posted on the forum but i didn't fancy it....

I tried watching Bourne Ultimatum yesterday in 1080i on my HD DVD player and i also tried 720P but i can't tell the difference!!!

[danielcjtodd]

Hi all,

I live in the USA and I have the 40 inch LN-S4065f. Its the best television I've ever had, and I spent a lot of time trying to find a good 1080p LCD under $2k. ($1700 off amazon when "Best buy" had it for $2300) I get the majority of signals through my PS3 hdmi, or my dish network 1080i. Fantastic picture, great sound. Many evenings of bluray movies and Rock band at full volume are

I am STOKED to be moving back to OZ in couple of months, but mortified that I may have to leave behind this tv. I spoke to the call center robots about bringing my TV over, but something tells me that they are not to be trusted. They said apart from the power issue and cable connection, everything else should be fine. Can anyone support that for me?

Has anyone got any other thoughts or comments about bringing my TV home. Or should I just leave it here?

Cheers,

Dan

[scarecrow420]

I just got my 46 delivered on Friday the 29th, and the picture is gorgeous, and no problems whatsoever, knock wood.

A few questions, from a hardware idiot who had it installed...

1. I'm using it with a (6 year old) BOSE HT set-up. The sound works fine, but I can only alter the BOSE sound on the BOSE remote, and the TV remote only changes the TV sound. On my old Loewe, changing the TV sound changed the HT sound. Can I fix it?

2. The installation guy set FOXTEL to AV8, channel 42(?). Is there a simple way to access it without going to the channel manager?

3. I KNOW the picture isn't as good with a normal (even upscaling) DVD, but do you guys really think it's worth getting Blu-Ray yet? I mean (reading the Blu-Ray thread here) it just seems like the technology isn't quite mature, it's very annoying with the regions, and there's not much good stuff out on BR yet. But maybe I'm wrong. What are other opinions?

Thanks

David

Not sure what you mean by AV8 and channel 42? Is the foxtel connected via RF aerial plug, and you "tune" the tv into that channel?

Get yourself a SCART to Component cable, to hook the foxtel into the Component Input #1 or #2 on the Samsung. This will give a better picture quality than RF/composite or svideo as well. Dont go spending stupid $$ on a cable though... check out SelbyAcoustics and other places like that: http://www.selbyacoustics.com.au/storefron...amp;i=188072026

Remote wise, i think the samsung remote can take codes for other devices, have a look in the manual and see if there is a BOSE code. However i also suggest you get a Harmony... the 525 is great and is only $80 or so from OfficeWorks and other places

Regarding BluRay well the picture and sound quality are amazing, and in my opinion are worth it... but i am quite "techy" and dont mind being on the "bleeding edge". I definately wouldnt be recommending it say to my parents at this stage. Really it's up to you to decide how you feel on this issue... The region coding issue is never going to go away (shame HD-DVD didnt win but oh well), yes you do pay a price with immature players (although my Samsung BD-P1400 hasnt had any problems, apart from being a bit slow) and expensive discs (i use MovieGuys/QuickFlix rentals... $30 a month for 2 or 3 movies at a time, and unlimited exchanges... typically only really watch movies once anyway so this is better than buying them to me). A PS3 might be a good option for you if you would like to play the odd game, and would use it's media centre functionality. If you dont fancy "a games console" then the Samsung 1400 has been going great for me... the Panasonic BD30 is coming out in March but it only bitstreams the audio, which your BOSE wont handle, so probably not a good option for you. Otherwise you can sit back and wait until later in the year, for the next gen BluRay players like the Samsung 1500 and Pana BD50

Edited March 3, 2008 by scarecrow420

[powerman1]

For anybody considering purchasing the Samsung F8 46 Full Hi-Def LCD TV, please read my experience below, this information was originally sent to Samsung (about a week ago, currently with no response) in the hope of getting some information about the F9 also known as the LN-T4681F as I have decided to wait and hopefully avoid all the problems with the F8. The F9 has an LCD backlight with 500 000:1 contrast ratio. Uses about 30% less power and should last longer as I normally only purchase TV's once or twice a decade. The 52 Inch version is currently available in the US for around $4600 US (only 52' and 70' versions available). Does not use 100Hz Motion Plus.

Over the past 2 months I have gone through quite an experience whilst trying to purchase the Samsung F8 46 Full Hi-Def LCD TV. After doing a little bit of research on the internet I decided to take a closer look at the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV. I was tempted by the offer of a free 26 inch LCD TV and made my purchase on 29 Dec 2009. This was paid in-full on 2-Jan-2008 from JB HI-FI (Rouse Hill, NSW). My brother was also interested in this offer and he also purchased the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV on the same day as we thought we could each get a better price by purchasing from the same store. We each paid $3450 and we did this in good faith in order to qualify for the free LCD TV which was on offer until Jan15th. We were told that there was no stock currently available and it would be a two week wait before new stock arrived.

Whilst waiting for the arrival of my new Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV, I did some further research on the internet and came across the DTV forum about the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV which I read (and have continued to read), and this raised some concerns. I decided it was too late to change my mind and I thought the TV was still pretty good.

I contacted the JB Hi Fi sales staff around mid-January and was informed that there was an Australian wide shortage and that there was going to be a further delay and early February was going to be the closest date that more stock would be delivered.

As the weeks passed, I kept up to date with other customer’s experiences via the DTV forum and found out that Samsung were effectively doing a product recall on these TV’s as there were some problems being encountered by an increasing number of dis-satisfied customers. Some of these problems were fixed, such as the wave issue with a firmware upgrade, however other problems like the 100Hz motion flow issue are still causing some concern. I contacted the sales staff at JB HI-FI on several further occasions, and again in February I was told that there was going to be a further 2 to 3 week delay. I re-negotiated the price for both my brother’s LCD TV and mine as there was a price reduction during this period. The new price agreed to was $2800 for each TV.

I finally received a call and was informed that there were two Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV’s awaiting pick-up on Saturday 23rd February 2008. This was around eight weeks since the full purchase was completed. I was at work over that weekend so my brother picked up both TV’s the following day, Sunday 24th 2008. I arranged to leave work early that day and detoured via my brother’s place on my trip home. He had his LCD TV unpacked and plugged in by the time I arrived to collect my TV. I checked some settings and his firmware version was the 1008. It looked like the TV was in good working order and had the latest firmware upgrade. I took my unit home and unpacked it only to find that there was immediately an issue with the LCD panel. Basically with no signal input the menu had horizontal lines streaking across the screen. When a signal was plugged in (TV aerial and DVD component input into AV1 were tested) the number of horizontal lines streaking across the screen increased and the screen looked like it had vertical blinds across it, this rendered the picture totally unacceptable.

Therefore, after waiting nearly 2 months I was very disappointed with the final product. I checked the firmware version and found that this TV had the 1009 version. The DTV forum members were still trying to figure out what this latest version was meant to fix. Further inspection showed some scratches on the four main screws on the back of the panel. I suspected that this unit had somehow been tampered with and was not as originally shipped from the factory. There were rumours of incorrect tuners in some TV’s shipped to Australia. I then wondered whether this unit was a factory second. The way it was packed and some of the scratches certainly indicated to me that this unit had been opened prior to delivery. The SERAIL NUMBER of the FAULTY unit was AKDD3MNQ/00454Z, CASE ID 81918, TYPE NO PY46SO.

I contacted JB HiFi and arranged to return the LCD TV. I think this was my fifth trip back to the store (around 65km round trip). I enquired about the 52’ version but was told there were no units in stock and the sales staff were un-able to tell me if the 52’ had similar issues as the 46’ version. I was offered their 46’ Showroom unit until a new Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV was available. I was not happy with the way things had turned out and it was then I decided to pull the plug and requested a full refund. I was offered a good deal on a Sony LCD however I declined as I needed to re-think my whole purchase. The store manager reluctantly gave in and refunded my purchase. I was further disappointed to realise that I was also giving up the free 26’ LCD TV.

I think I would have been happy with the Samsung 46 F8 LCD TV as advertised with all of it’s features including the 100Hz motion flow feature working correctly, however I am now wondering whether Samsung is being honest to it’s customers. I am still interested in buying a FULL HI DEF LCD TV. I still think that Samsung has a pretty good reputation and I am willing to forgive and forget as long as this episode proves to be a one off. I have done some further investigation (on the internet) and I was hoping you could give me some detailed information about the SAMSUNG F9 LCD TV and what versions will be available in Australia and what time frame? I have been told that this version will be available around mid-2008, could you please confirm this?

Hi ZiggyPiggy333 - welcome to the forum - yes, I agree with others that your TV is/was definitely a "lemon" - a few others have received F81 TVs that had the same problem and there should be absolutely no problem with getting it replaced (but I see that you got a refund) - fortunately, most of us have not had to endure that particular problem which, of course, is totally unacceptable - makes you wonder about Samsung's Quality Control processes to let one with such an obvious fault get through - unless it went faulty after it left the factory - who knows.

As you are aware, the only real issue with the F81 TVs now is the 100HZ Motion Flow which Samsung appear to be "on to" so all we can do is wait to see what they come up with. Yes, it's a hard decision that you had to make as we all know there will always be something better and cheaper "around the corner":-)

Cheers

powerman1

Edited March 3, 2008 by powerman1

[lounge lizard 1]

the wave problem you are seeing indicates that you still have the 1006 firmware. Just contact Samsung and they'll send you out a usb key with 1008 (or 1009) firmware on it (which will solve the problem)

The 100Hz problem.. well as a lot of other posts in here have said, we have informed samsung of the problem, it has been noted, but now we must all exercise some patience because it will simply take time.

oh, and dvds (while looking ok in a normal dvd player) should really be viewed with a proper upscaling unit on this tv, as with the standard dvd player you will see artifacts and bluriness... not really the panel's fault as it's simply a small resolution image trying to display on a large screen tv (which emphasises the low resolution artifacts). Any upscaler will do (PS3, bluray/hd-dvd player, upscaling dvd player, a/v receiver with upscaling), and you're sure to notice the difference.

And to Skouta, I agree wholeheartedly... This TV is fantastic quality for the price, and the 100hz problems are rather minor to my mind. I've checked out a lot of the competition in lcd panels, and the sony x is the only one that really approaches it's PQ.

I had the firmware 1006 and had the "wave" issue, installed firmware 1008 approx 6 weeks ago all looked good (on the wave issue anyway) until watching the charity shield game on fox on the weekend. When they had the team details (in black) at the start i could clearly see the old waves had come back. Might just be be a one off ...........haven't seen it since

[BirdieNumNum]

Hi BirdieNumNum .

Those settings were for Tv only.

I am not much of a movie person.

In fact I only own 15 dvd's and they are all concerts.

I am much more interested in its ability to perform as a PC monitor,and in that aspect it seems to excell.

For me the ability to switch from TV/DVD/PC/Web at the press of the source button is utopia.

This is what an entertainment center is all about.I guess you can tell that I am single.

Will invest in Blu-ray soon,that should complete it for a little while.

HDROCKS.

Heya HDROCKS

yeah, the PC monitor thing is pretty sweet. I can't justify having my rig in the lounge but it sure is weird being able to surf from such a distance.

Blu-ray for me too, the PS3 is starting to look attractive but I'm a bit short of cashish... waiting for my custom made arcade 360 stick to arrive

[BirdieNumNum]

I had the firmware 1006 and had the "wave" issue, installed firmware 1008 approx 6 weeks ago all looked good (on the wave issue anyway) until watching the charity shield game on fox on the weekend. When they had the team details (in black) at the start i could clearly see the old waves had come back. Might just be be a one off ...........haven't seen it since

Hey Lizard

Check your firmware hasn't reverted to 1006 ... I had this happen a few weeks ago.

[Psygnosis]

Ok i just got my F81 this morning and i put the Motion Flow on low and it stuttered but switched it to Medium, and it's about 1 hour into the movie and no stuttering yet.

Playing Casino Royale via PS3

firmware is 1009

though on the ps3 after it stuttered, i went to the menu and switched off 24hz.. dunno if that fixed it.

It's actually perfect now.

UPDATE:

I went to see if i was right or going crazy, so i went and activated 24hz again and stuttering started... So now i turned it off again, and no more stuttering. The movie can now play Motion Plus on Low, Medium and High without stuttering.

Another quick update, watched another BluRay film with Motion Plus, no stutter.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Psygnosis

[djlist]

Not sure what you mean by AV8 and channel 42? Is the foxtel connected via RF aerial plug, and you "tune" the tv into that channel?

Get yourself a SCART to Component cable, to hook the foxtel into the Component Input #1 or #2 on the Samsung. This will give a better picture quality than RF/composite or svideo as well. Dont go spending stupid $$ on a cable though... check out SelbyAcoustics and other places like that: http://www.selbyacoustics.com.au/storefron...amp;i=188072026

Remote wise, i think the samsung remote can take codes for other devices, have a look in the manual and see if there is a BOSE code. However i also suggest you get a Harmony... the 525 is great and is only $80 or so from OfficeWorks and other places

Regarding BluRay well the picture and sound quality are amazing, and in my opinion are worth it... but i am quite "techy" and dont mind being on the "bleeding edge". I definately wouldnt be recommending it say to my parents at this stage. Really it's up to you to decide how you feel on this issue... The region coding issue is never going to go away (shame HD-DVD didnt win but oh well), yes you do pay a price with immature players (although my Samsung BD-P1400 hasnt had any problems, apart from being a bit slow) and expensive discs (i use MovieGuys/QuickFlix rentals... $30 a month for 2 or 3 movies at a time, and unlimited exchanges... typically only really watch movies once anyway so this is better than buying them to me). A PS3 might be a good option for you if you would like to play the odd game, and would use it's media centre functionality. If you dont fancy "a games console" then the Samsung 1400 has been going great for me... the Panasonic BD30 is coming out in March but it only bitstreams the audio, which your BOSE wont handle, so probably not a good option for you. Otherwise you can sit back and wait until later in the year, for the next gen BluRay players like the Samsung 1500 and Pana BD50

Great helpful advice, leading to MORE QUESTIONS:

1. I'm already using a SCART to component cable, into Component 1. But (now that I've worked it out) it has been programmed into an ANALOG (atv) slot. When I select COMPONENT 1, it says "no signal", while it plays through the analog channel. What should I do?

2. What do you know about the differences between the 1400 and the 1500?

3. Thanks again for your help.

David

[Machvayne]

Ordered my 40 inch F81 on the 22nd of February and was told approx a 3 week wait. Got a call today from Bing Lee telling me that they are getting their stock delivered tomorrow and I'll be able to pick it up! I'm absolutely stoked, especially when I was expecting it to be at least another 2 weeks minimum!

I'll keep you guys updated after I pick it up.

[scarecrow420]

Great helpful advice, leading to MORE QUESTIONS:

1. I'm already using a SCART to component cable, into Component 1. But (now that I've worked it out) it has been programmed into an ANALOG (atv) slot. When I select COMPONENT 1, it says "no signal", while it plays through the analog channel. What should I do?

2. What do you know about the differences between the 1400 and the 1500?

3. Thanks again for your help.

David

you have verified the SCART to componen t (red, green, blue for video, plus red+white audio) cable is coming out of the TV SCART plug on the foxtel (which foxtel box do you have by the way?) and going into the component input on the Samsung? You also need to set video output mode to "YUV" in the foxtel setup menus to enable the component output.

Has the SCART to component cable been verified to work? Where did you get it? SCART is directional and sometimes you do get a cable where it is for video input over SCART, rather than video output. Some SCART plugs also have a switch that controls the direction... so check these things too

Not sure what else you can try... if you find the original SCART to composite (yellow video, plus red+white audio) cable that the foxtel would have originally come with, and try hooking that into AV1 input on the Sammy, do you get a picture then?

As far as i have seen anounced, the Sammy 1500 will have full onboard decoding (for multi channel analog outputs, or PCM over HDMI) and bitstreaming (for sending over HDMI 1.3 to latest gen audio receivers that can decode these formats themself) - as opposed to 1400 being having bitstream support for all codecs, and internal decoding of everything except DTS-HD Master Audio). The 1500 is also going to bew profile 1.1 out of the box... we are hoping for a profile 1.1 update for the 1400 - we believe it does have the necessary and samsung service drones have said they are planning on an update but it is a while away yet - depends how much stock you put in samsung support people. Certainly i dont expect them to release a profile 1.1 update for the 12400, until after the 1500 is released so they can coax people into buying the newer model, before topssing a bone to those who bought the previous gen! Nevertheless, a profil 1.1 upgrade would be a bonus and definately would be happy days for us who already own the 1400 One also assumes the 1500 should be faster at loading etc, being the newer generation

[Psygnosis]

I keep watching everything about this TV, and it's simply the best looking TV out there, image quality on Digital TV with the right settings look unbelievable, and PS3 BluRay movies not producing the stutter with Motion Plus turn on anymore, it's amazing.

Admiring this TV is a understatement.

[mintox80]

Hey all,

having a sound lag when watching foxtel at the moment. Before I call Foxtel or Samsung about this can other users confirm if they have experienced this problem with foxtel. Only been happening over the last few days.

Cheers

[Gunny05]

Hi guys, got my 46F8 this arvo and I couldn't wait to play. Used Hardrock's setting for TV and wish to thank him for that as it is perfect for me. Skin tones are very natural. It has the 109 firmware. Is running on 100hz set to low and is working perfectly. The only thing I could see or so it appeared was when they showed an ad for the footy final this weekend, when the ball was in the air tumbling towards the goalposts, the ball looked like a tumbling square block. Not sure if this was my eyesight or not. Will attach the ps3 to it this evening and watch a blueray movie. After observing the quality of the set so far can absolutely say it was the best decision I have made.

[djlist]

you have verified the SCART to componen t (red, green, blue for video, plus red+white audio) cable is coming out of the TV SCART plug on the foxtel (which foxtel box do you have by the way?) and going into the component input on the Samsung? You also need to set video output mode to "YUV" in the foxtel setup menus to enable the component output.

Closer and closer... I shifted the Foxtel (it's the IQ, by the way) to YUV, and immediately got a picture. But no sound, even though it still comes out of the analog channel when I select that (and you are spot on about the difference in picture quality...)... any other suggestions about the sound?

Thanks again

David

[lounge lizard 1]

Hey Lizard

Check your firmware hasn't reverted to 1006 ... I had this happen a few weeks ago.

Thanks birdienumnum..i will check it out