I'm in the market for a HDTV but after reading the various manufacturers forums here. It would apper that Samsung models have nothing but problems . !! Faulty colour wheels, smudges, flickering brightness levels etc etc . I understand the forums lean to problems with sets , but compared with other mnfctrs forums Samsung has more than its fair share...or am I wrong.??? Are there any positive comments to be made re the sets or should I cross them off my list ???

I'm perfectly happy with my 5085. No problems whatsoever. For you, though, I might suggest a Panasonic DLP. They have a picture that is just as good as the (higher-end) Samsung and you wouldn't be starting out with a negative impression. ie 'garbage'

I like my HLN4365 big time. I think these problems are the exception, not the norm.

Because the Samsaung set are popular, you will find alot of problems being reported. But in as a percentage, they probably have the same ratio of defects as any other maker.

ie say a 1% failure rate...
Maker A sells 150,000 sets to "knowledgable" buyers who research the set. This leads to 1,500 sets that fail, most of which might be discussed here.

Maker B sells 10,000 sets via the Brick. Failure rate is 150 sets but none every make it to this forum because any who researched at all would see that the picture from the maker is far below average.

Based on the problem reports, set maker B would look much better!

It's easy to get the wrong impression from what you read in forums. Most people post only their problems because they're looking for solutions. The bad always outweighs the good because not many post just the good.

Regardless of the problems I've had, I still don't regret getting the set.
(of course thats what anybody might say to justify a questionable purchase.)
I blame most of my troubles on being one of the early adopters of these sets,
and maybe being a lot more picky then the average consumer.
That being said, next time I'm gonna wait till a set (or technology) has gone through its 'teething" stage.....

sully

PS
I've had 3 friends also by these sets (Samsung DLP's) and I'm the only one who's had any problems....

Foremost pentictonite, Samsung DLP televisons are not garbage. I don't think you believe they are either, or else you wouldn't be investing time asking about them in this forum.

The real questions are:
1) Do they have quality problems?
2) Should a consumer still consider purchasing a Samsung DLP despite the quality problems?

IMHO, the answer is yes to both questions. Here is why:

1) Quality Problems

a) I have had 4 Samsung HLP4663W televisions. Each one, including the one I have now had both unique and common problems.

b) I have 4 close friends and relatives that purchased a HLP*63 series set around the same time I did. Each one of them has had problems with the television. These problems include smudges, colour wheel noise, failure to power on etc.

Perhaps my friends, family and I are all cursed with bad TV luck? The evidence may not be empirical, but personally I think it's indicative of a Samsung side problem.

2) Should the sets still be considered?

a) Price vs. Picture Quality- I challenge you to find a TV with better PQ in the same price range. Yes, the Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony etc all offer comparable PQ, but none are superior.

b) Price vs Screen Size. Take for example the HLP4663. For the same price as a 44" Toshiba, 42" Sony, or 43" Panasonic, the Samsung has a 46" screen. Larger screen sizes are true all the way up the line.

c) Inputs. No other manufacturer comes close in this category. The HLP*63 series has HDMI, DVI and PC inputs in addition to a multiple component, composite, and SVideo inputs.

d) Form. The HLP*63 series is very compact, and can fit almost anywhere. In fact, we have more space in our family room now with a 46" Samsung than with the 32" Sony we had before.

The Samsung DLPs will offer you lots of features and beautiful PQ at a competitve price. Be prepared, however, to run into some quality problems. The choice is yours.

Pentictionite, subject headers such as yours are not welcome here. It's prejudicial attitudes and open ended comments that give the forums and the people who use them a bad name.

I would have deleted the thread but so many people have responded that I have only changed the subject.

MY HLN4365W1 has been flawless so far, we love it, there
are probably more Samsung DLP's out on the market then
anyother Maker, thus the higher # of reported problems,
it seems like there was a peticularly bad batch of HLP, models
suffering various problems. On the other hand from all my
contact with samsung and many others it seems that samsung is trying to
address service issues faults & fix anyones set if they can in a reasonable &
timely manor and are standing behind thier product.
I think you could probably consider this a plus , I havent heard of them
blowing anyone off with legitamiate complaints.

Whoa there guys !.
guess I hit a nerve. At no time did I say Samsung TVs were garbage. I asked a question , plain and simple are Samsung TVs garbage. I apologise if I offended any one with the subject title ( including the adminstrator) but read my post again. I did not make a comment as I am in no way qualified to do so .
It was a moot post anyway. Who in the right mind is going to say they bought a lemon after spending several thousand dollars on it.
My observation is that with all the posts critical of Samsung quality I can only believe that Samsung TVs are of inferior quality .
Take a deep breath and read my post twice.

My observation is that with all the posts critical of Samsung quality I can only believe that Samsung TVs are of inferior quality

And that's why I suggested you look elsewhere.

pentictonite, I did read your post now read my post again but I'll re-iterate

subject headers such as yours are not welcome here.

Didn't say anything about the post did I?

pentictonite,
I will not dispute their picture quality but as far as Samsung's build quality I would have to agree with you, they are inferior, and I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would recommend a product they admit to have issues with. :o
FYI you CAN find sets out there that have as good of picture quality and a larger screen for less money, however Samsung's do seem to have the most types inputs that I've seen (ie RGB, AVI, HDMI, Comp), and they are a compact design, if that matters to you.
My 2 cents

Who in the right mind is going to say they bought a lemon after spending several thousand dollars on it.

No problems with my HLP5685W that I have been using since Nov 2004 (knock on wood)... No smudges, no color wheel noise, no audio-video sync issues (except those caused by the source).

I did have problems with my HLN568W which I returned to the dealers early 2004... I also wrote about those problems in this forum as well as in other forums so your observation that nobody in his right mind will admit to having bought a lemon is wrong...

OK everyone , thanks for the feedback.......I think I'll try another manufacturer with a better track record. As someone previously suggested:)

After much research on this and other forums, I went ahead with my original decision to purchase a Samsung DLP set (HLP5663W) about a month ago. So far it has been flawless, and after spending some time calibrating the set the picture quality is amazing (not to mention the flexibility with the number of inputs). I agree with what others have said in that most people on forums such as this post about their problems looking for a solution so obviously it will appear that there is a strong negative bias. I'd personally recommend Samsung, but to each their own I guess.

To all HLN4365 owners,

I bought my Sammy HLN4365 May 2004 and I am now experiencing a faint high pitch sound. I taught it was the color wheel problem that was being discussed on the forums. The service tech picked-up my Sammy and they told me that the problem is the ballast. Anybody here experienced this problem on their Sammy?

Thank you,

Although Samsung seems to have some quality issues no matter where you buy it, I would specifically advise against purchasing one at Costco unless you like taking things back. Although I love Costco and their liberal return policies Their model HL-R5662W Samsung has a video artifacting problem that is especially prevalent on DVD video on dimmly lit or smoky scenes.

I was able to reproduce this only at Costco on their other sets but not at FS on their Samsung sets or on any other HDTV using the same input media. If Picture Quality and Reliability were the only factors I would probably pick one of the Sony SXRD sets but you have to have deep pockets for one of those.

The main problem right now is that most of this Technology is still new. If you can wait a couple of years for them to iron out all the problems with the new displays that would be wise.

CRT projection has it's problems too and is on it's way out. We have huge CRT monitors here at the ACC made by Sony and they will be replaced by LCD since Sony has stated that they will only be making one more production run for CRTs. That is why you are seeing the CRT sets at such big discounts right now. Some of them are outstanding buys. The problem is when you get to 60" Projection you are talking about a set that weighs more than 300lbs. Otherwise I would have one as I think they still offer one of the best overall pictures given all lighting conditions and all quality of signal inputs.

I'm also perfectly happy with my 5085 and now they are down under $2500 it's a rock solid choice with a mature design form factor and a good chip.

Panasonic products typically have very high reliability but the 5085 and 5087 Sammys are prestige products for Samsung having won a number of awards. I'd not be surprised a bit more attention to detail is done on a signature model.

Buddy who saw mine today is going to buy one shortly.

The new units arriving shortly use a longer life 3x LED light source with no colour wheel. Interesting convergence.