New Samsung 43 or 50" DLP rear projector in stores NOW!! (1 Viewer)

[jason_sh]

I went to purchase the 34" widescreen wega when I saw them unbox the new Samsung HLM437W and WOW!!!! Unbelievable colors, black level, brightness, vividness. The placed it right between the 42" Plasma and the 34" sony wega widescreen and honestly it blew the plasma away. It supports up to 1280 * 720. Here's the key point, the 50" is only 3999.99 and the 43" was 3499.99 but I found it online for 2899 DELIVERED. the best thing about these DLP's is there is no moving parts, thus no calibration is needed...basically it's lovely out the box.
What's everyone's take on these. Does anyone actually have one or seen one. I can tell you that for the past month I been researching the purchase of a new TV/Projector and this (BY FAR) blew everything else away hands down!
http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?eUser=&prod_id=HLM507WX%2fXAA
This DLP has incredible picture from virtually all angles and distances that I tried.

 

[jason_sh]

Keep in mind that the 43" can be found online for 2899 delivered. and the 50", at the same store was 3399 delivered. After seeing this in person, it's a done deal as far as im concerned.

 

[dpippel]

Jason - Could you PM me with your online source for this price on the 50"? Sounds like a great deal!

 

[jason_sh]

Samsung DLP, 43" - 2899 delivered, 3399 for 50"
navigate your way through the site and you'll see it

 

[David Susilo]

any 'rainbow' effect just like the one riddles many DLP systems? How about fast movements?

For example, Yamaha DPX-1 (Yamaha's 1st gen DLP), can't handle fast movement too greatly, and it has rainbow effect. However, Yamaha's 2nd DLP projector completely eliminates the rainbow effect by having a much faster color wheel.

 

[Ken_F]

If the potential for burn-in is a deal breaker for you, then the Samsung DLP and Sony GWII are good alternatives. I would suggest comparing both the Samsung and Sony with your eyes (on more than one occasion, with different sources) to see which you prefer. If you can wait until December, and have $7000+ to spend, then the 1920x1080P (ohh my!) Toshiba LCOS becomes an option too.
Most Tweeter stores will go down to $3400 on the Samsung and Sony 50" if you push them. The trick is to go to the store when there aren't many people around. Tell them you are ready to buy the 50" for $3400 on the spot. It could help your chances if you are willing to pick up the set yourself, rather than wait for the in-home delivery/setup backlog. If the representative you talk to isn't willing, return to the store later and talk to a different rep.
There a good many reviews of this set, as well as some service menu tweaks to improve blacks and shadow detail, over on the AVS Forum.

 

[Gary_Sc]

Ken_F,

Are you the infamous KenF from the old AVSForum days?

 

[Derek1]

Beginning Rant....

I'm sure the store you saw it at is just thrilled they got the oportunity to pay for a building, electricity, sales staff, management, shrinkage, taxes, fixtures and product so that you could see it there and then buy in online.

The fact of the matter is if Brick and Mortar stores are used only as demos then they will go away.

Here is a quick bit of info for the a/v shoppers out there. We in the retail side of this business are in for a very difficult 4th Quarter. The economy is still holding back many purchases. The port shutdown has delayed much of the product until well after Christmas. The last thing any of us need is some &%#@$ wasting our time to inform them all about a product so they can buy it on the net and save a few bucks.

Ok Rant Over.....

Derek

P.S. Jason this was in no way aimed specificly at you, more of just a general thinking within the industry. I'm just getting fed up with spending hours with customers explaining technologies and helping them to decide what will work best for them so that they can go home and search the net and expect me to match a price from cheapassshit.com that's $50 over my cost on a $3000 item. Now I fully realize that several "salesmen" in this field are pretty much worthless, but I have spent years learning this stuff and frankly I know my shit. Krell, Lexicon, Rotel, Yamaha, Sony ES, Denon, Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Integra, KEF, Energy, B&W, Velodyne, Jamo, Canton, M&K, Mission, Polk Audio, Niles, Toshiba, Panasonic, Loewe, Sony XBR, Mitsubishi Diamond, Richard Gray, Kimnber Kable, Studio Tech, Salamander, etc...etc...etc. I carry it all.

Support your local dealer so they can support you later.

 

[jason_sh]

generally speaking, I always prefer to go with the local dealer, even if it costs me a little more. But in this case, the price difference was just too significant to overlook. 50" from the wiz after taxes was @4300, online delivered was 3399...thats almost $1000 difference. Becuase they just got it in that day, they wouldn't bend on the price at all...if they would have come down to say, even 3700 BEFORE taxes, I would've went for it. i appreciate good salesman such as yourself and am always inclined to give you the business, but not when it's to my detriment so significantly. I got kids to feed and and that 1000 bucks can go a long way man...

 

[Robin Smith]

I am potentially considering a Samsung TV as I can get Samsung at cost, however I have no experience with their stuff as a HT manufacturer. I know their PC monitors well and they are IMHO "middle of the road" in quality. Anyone know the scoop on Samsung in the HT world in general? Generally speaking, I have found most manufacturers position themselves as fulfilling a certain niche (cheap, high-end, middle of the pack, etc) and rarely offer equipment that meets the needs of all markets.

Derek, risking a slight derailing of this thread, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

The bottom line is, as a consumer, for me its all about price. If you can buy a product elsewhere for less why would you want to pay more? There has to be a value that can justify the extra expense. I would much prefer to buy equipment from a local retailer than an online store, just in case of returns, plus there are no potential hassles with damaged shipments, warranty, etc. And you can demo multiple models side by side.

These benefits have a value, but it is not an unlimited value. I would pay a little more to get it locally, as the convenience of the local store does make up for some price discrepancy. The reality however, is there is a new economic model that has to include online shopping. B&M retailers are competing with online stores now and if they want to play they will have to be more agressive about competing.

A $1,000 price difference is huge. That's a 25% difference! If a B&M can't compete with that then tough. I refuse to say that pleading for sympathy from the customer (over the plight of the B&M) should overule the fact that people don't want to be ripped off. If there is room to reduce a price by $1,000 and the online store can still turn a profit, then the B&M stood to make a ton of money on that sale and would be, IMHO "ripping off" the consumer. Overheads and marketing campaigns are not my problem or concern, they are the retailers. Find ways to be competitive AND profitable, or go out of business. To me, its that simple.

Thanks


Robin

 

[David Susilo]

US$1000 can pay tuition for a full course at a university/college. I'm taking a course at Berklee for only US$900.

$100 difference for a $3000 unit I can understand, but having to pay 30% MORE. I have no problem buying it elsewhere. Who do you think you are? We should give our hard earned $1000? EARN IT YOURSELF! having something 30% higher is a RIP OFF plain and simple.

As far as Samsung AV products in general... try to avoid it like a plague. I've tried their RPTV, Direct View, DVD player, MP3 player, portable DVD player... quite unfortunately not a single one of them works well out of the box. Some items needs to be replaced up to 4 times and even then there are still problems.

oh, btw, I bought them from "mom and pops" B&M (not Bestbuy-kind), but not the one that charges 30% more than online stores.

 

[Jim FC]

As an electronics salesman I agree with what Derek said. But I also think anybody has the right to buy the cheapest thing they find, but if you are going to shop online you should do just that: SHOP online. Do your research online and buy online and you aren't bothering anybody and there will be nobody to complain (except you, when you run into a problem that the online store won't help you with). But once you enter a store and talk to a salesperson, you are already taking advantage that "extra value" that was mentioned.

I'm not worried that brick & mortar stores will be seriously threatened by the internet, though, because we've become a service-oriented society. People like being waited on, and they appreciate good service when they see it, whether it's at a restaurant or a TV store. I feel that most people will continue to pay more as long as they recieve that extra value.

Folks call me all the time asking for help hooking up this to that, or they call in with a broken whatever. Because of all the internet sales, my first question to these people now is. "Did you buy it from us?" If the answer is yes, I am glad to help them. If not, I tell them to get support from where they bought it, I thank them for calling, and I politely hang up. Deep down inside, I LOVE doing this. Some would see this as losing a potential customer, while I see it as refusing to do work someone else got paid for.

 

[Derek1]

Jim has hit the nail right on the head.

I have absolutely no problem with people buying online, If and only if they don't need any guidance from a B&M store to aid in their decision.

Would you spend $3400 on a set that you have never seen?

The split second you step into a store to view a model or ask a question you are taking advantage of the service that store offers. Clearly there is quite a lot of expense associated with this.

David and Robin... If you really think 30% would be ripping someone off then let me inform you of the margin on things like clothing, jewelry, decor items, etc. FYI these items routinely carry as much a 500% markup. Yet somehow when people buy a shirt from Dillards for $89.99 that cost them $20 the perceived value is there.

The only way to be able to compete price wise with the Internet discounting is to carry some refurbished or B-Stock goods (Fry's) or to offer products in a much less expensive environment like Sams Club (we all know how good their "salespeople" are).

Derek

 

[David Susilo]

You really don't get the point do you?

If the market value of a $1 T-Shirt is $500 everywhere I go, then I'll be willing to pay $500 for the T-shirt. However, if that same $1 T-shirt market value is $300, I'll be damned to pay $500 for it!.

SO, if you still don't get it, if the TV is being sold everywhere for $2000, I don't mind paying, say $2050 for it from a store, but I'll be damned if I'm willing to pay $3000 for the very same item.

Let me ask you this... are you willing to pay US$30,000 for the same car you get from a different dealership for only US$20,000? by your logic, you are.

 

[Ian C]

Here's my take on the whole B&M vs. e-tailer take. When I'm shopping for a big-ticket item, I tend to do most of my research on the internet. Then, after I've narrowed it down some, I get prices plus shipping from various e-tailers. I then walk into the local store, hand them my narrowed down list of choices with the prices, and ask them how close they can come to the online price.
If I find the higher price reasonable enough to give me the feeling of "safety" buying from the local guys without feeling like I'm getting shafted, I go with them. I then ask for advice about the various models I have narrowed down.
As far as the Samsungs, I've been out of the loop. Now that DLPs are affordable, I would be highly interested in this as well. I'm assuming burn-in is not an issue, right?
Oh, and Derek, if you wouldn't mind posting the name of your store, I'm in your area. We're looking to buy a house in February and, of course, I'm wanting to upgrade a few things
Ian

 

[David Susilo]

LCD, LCOS, DLP don't have burn-in issue

 

[Marvin E]

I saw the Samsung DLP at a local Tweeter yesterday. I was amazed at the color, detail of the images. I walked around the store comparing RPTVs and Direct View HDTVs to the Samsung and I was trying to find a way to justify purchasing one. I mean, I was really impressed. Then something happened: as I watching the football game that was playing on the Samsung I became a little nauseated. If I concentrated on the players standing on the sideline, seeing the players on the field in the background, caused me to feel a little sick (motion sickness?). It was like three layers of images: the players on the sideline on top of the players on the field on top of the people in the stands across the field; all at at the same level of detail. It didn't seem realistic to me; almost most too much detail. IMHO.

 

[Steve Conrad]

I'd like to revisit this topic, and I have a question for the gurus out there.

I was looking at the set this weekend (the 43") and
while I only viewed 1 movie (Lilo & Stitch) I found something disturbing.

Imagine watching a 1.85 OAR movie on a 4x3 set, the top black bar is the space we're going to discuss, got it? okay.

During scenes with alot of straight line activity on top of the screen (like palm trees etc etc) the image was completely distorted. It was straight as an arrow up until the top inch and a half of the screen, then it looked like a vertical QRS wave. (it looks like a pulse on a heart monitor) only running up, instead of from left to right.

I hope I explained it well. While regular cable didn't exhibit this DISTURBING artifact, I've never seen it before, what was this?????

I messed with the set's controls AND the DVD players, but everything was "correct"

I love this set, but this is a real bummer.

Help!
-steven

 

[MarkDesMarais]

I've been following the discussions on this set over on AVSforums, and I haven't heard any mention of this problem. . . maybe a defective unit??

Markd

 

[Steve Conrad]

Mark, you may be right.
No salesman knew what it was. They've only had the unit on display for a week, and very well might not have noticed it. I should have checked the larger version for the same problem.

I'm also researching issues with this set (as well as the 50") on AVSCIENCE, looks like I'll be reading well into the afternoon... oh well.

still looking for the perfect set...

-steven