Samsung DLP - best choice for the Money

My father has a Samsung 65" DLP set that he bought last year. It has started acting funny - losing picture after 2-3 hours of continuous use. The problem corrects itself after the unit is off for a period of time (apparently to cool down). My guess is that it is a bad circuit board, but Samsung has not been terribly helpful with this. Of course this problem occured just after the warranty ran out. I has been 2 months and the set is still not fixed. A circuit board is on order, but my father has to pay for the board and installation even if this is not the part at fault. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly why this problem is happening.

When the set is working it produces a very nice picture. The only thing that bothers me is a wierd effect with the white lines during football games. (Luckily I am not a football fan.) Maybe this is the "rainbow effect" that people talk about.

After this experience, I would consider an extended warranty as part of the price of a new set DLP set. Buy from a retailer that has the option for at least a 3 year warranty. A 5 year one would be even better. From my experience it would be worth the extra cost.

3 chip DLP sets may start to appear in the near future, but they will be VERY expensive at first. There are already some 3 chip DLP projectors available for consumers, and this is the standard for movie theater DLP projectors ($$$$$$$$). Apparently this totally eliminates the "rainbow effect."

Depending on your budget Toshiba & Cannon have developed SED sets. Google "toshiba sed."

Larry,

I am a very satisfied customer of two Samsung DLP RPTVs, and think you will be very pleased with your choice. I personally prefer DLP over LCD in a rear projection TV. I have not video-auditioned LCOS RPTVs, nor have I compared Samsung to other brands of DLP RPTVs.

Regarding new technologies, Samsung (and others) are coming out with 1080p native resolution sets, and I have heard their picture quality (PQ) is very impressive. However, they are not going to offer 1080p in a 46" size as its questionable if 1080p has any PQ advantages over 720p in a 46" size.

One advantage of Samsung for sure, maybe others, is they will accept a 720p digital input over HDMI/DVI and display the image directly without any additional D/A & A/D or rescaling. This means a synergy with upconverting DVD players for improved PQ.

I recommend getting an extended warranty that includes bulb replacement.

I bought my sets from a local B&M chain that I have done business with off and on over many years. I wanted the peace of mind of a local store, they offered a better price than Circuit City or Best Buy, and I know they provide excellent service.

If instead you want to try an internet purchase, I recommend going to www.avsforum.com and using the TVA Power Buy.

Good luck,
Bruce

Hi Larry,

I second everything posted by Bruceomega, and for that matter by all the others above. We were an early DLP adopter. Our Samsung HLM437W actually came off the first boatload to reach these shores, before the first ever TVA power buy on avsforum.

The DVI/HDMI connection Bruceomega mentioned is indeed critical for best PQ. Both our digital STB (for TV) and our DVD player (Denon 3910) have DVI video outputs. Do not even consider a source for use with a digital display that lacks a DVI or HDMI output. PQ suffers significantly with an analog video connection.

Every display technology has pluses and minuses. DLP suffers from rainbows, black levels that don't quite match the best CRT's and a somewhat disconcerting lack of focus during fast camera pans. Not everyone sees rainbows (we don't), and I'm reluctant to describe them since looking for them makes them more noticeable for many people. DLP black levels have improved since the HLM series and we're quite satisfied with ours. Careful setup, including a couple of service menu tweaks, can produce a very satisfactory gray scale. The soft image during fast pans is also something many people don't notice until it's pointed out to them, so don't read the preceding paragraph! ;-)

We bought from Tweeter and took their extended service plan for 5 years. (Early adopter nervousness.) That has worked out well. The most frequent problem on early Samsung DLP's was the infamous "three blinking lights" problem, which meant the light bulb or bulb detector switch was wonky. Tweeter fixed ours in 2 days. People without such coverage sometimes waited much longer.

Bring some favorite movies with you on your next visit and you can see the PQ for yourself. We could watch something from our pathetic library of course, but if there's something you're familiar with it might be more helpful.

Cheers,
Doug

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Thanks to all for the help in clarifying a few issues for me.
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Doug / Bruce.....Great posts. I will definitely spring for the extended warrantee (with the bulb included) and shoot for the 5 year version if available.
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I am convinced that I want to work with a local dealer that I can count on.
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Thanks,
Larry
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