How best to set up new Samsung DLP? (1 Viewer)

[Rob White]

Thanks for the help you all provided while I researched my first HDTV purchase this week. I selected the Samsung 42in. DLP. I don't have the Avia disc yet (I rented one last time, but I'm not in NetFlix anymore).

Are there any "features" that I should turn off right off the bat, that would give me a truer picture?

Any other advice?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Mike Milillo]

I don't know much about this stuff, but I know you should immediatly turn down the brightness and contrast. And turn off any special enhancements that may be on by default.

Like I said, I don't know much, I'm sure some others will correct what I told you, lol

 

[PeterTHX]

Well, you have to remember that this is a DLP.
I have yet to see a DLP that looked good with the contrast *below* 80% or so. I would have recommended the Sony KDFE42A10, same price, more resolution, better color.

Barring an exchange you have to experiment and see what's best for you. "Normal" color seems to cause sunburned-greenish fleshtones.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

As peter alluded, this is not correct with digital fixed pixel displays. It certainly is the case that you need to turn the white level down a great deal on CRT TVs, but not necessarily on digitals. There is no harm that can come with too high a white level, calibration of a dlp/lcd etc involves *maximizing* the available contrast range as much as possible, which means raising the white level as much as possible until you begin to clip or colorshift.

I don't know if this is one of the samsungs with dnie, but from what I hear that's stuck on by default, which is unfortunate, because that is something I would immediately want to turn off...

 

[Mike Milillo]

sorry I gave the wrong info, I was thinking about when they say TV's out of the box have the settings turned way to high. my bad

 

[ChrisWiggles]

mike: it's not wrong info, but it pertains to CRT displays instead of digitals, and in that case you're absolutely correct that CRTs are set way too high, and those high settings both degrade the picture AND reduce the life of the CRT display.

With digitals, they do not at all threaten the display, but they might degrade the picture. This is why calibration is always necessary, to align the black and white points, but it is much different than with a CRT.

 

[Mike Milillo]

oh, ok.

 

[Rob White]

Thanks for all your help folks. Bad news is that the tv just barely doesn't fit in our built-in entertainment center. It's a nice piece of furniture and we can't really work around it. I thought that the front of the Samsung would sit on the front ledge of the entertainment center, but it actually hands over the edge (can't force the set back any further). I don't know whether I'm making sense, but the bottom line is that I had to take it back without even turning it on.

Now I'm looking for an alternative. If Samsung make the same set in a 40inch, then I'd grab it, but the smallest DLP is the 42inch.

And the price of the 40 inch LCD's seems to be around $1000 more.

Oh well, what to do?

Rob

 

[Billy Fogerty]

Precisely the reason I would never,ever have a home entertainment center. You are so limited.

 

[PeterTHX]

Try the Sony KD-FE42A10.

Smaller set. Same screen size & price. BETTER PICTURE.