Any thoughts on this choice? Anyone with actual experience comparing the current generation LED DLP's with current generation flat screens?

I'm looking at the 67" version, primarily because the room it will be going in is fairly long and narrow. So viewing angle won't be a problem, but the extra screen size compared to the 50/52" flat screen TV would be nice. Distance between couch and TV is about 12", base to base. The room is also in the basement, so lighting is controllable.

Anyway, thoughts/comments are appreciated. I posted in the "General HDTV" forum, and got less than positive comments on the TV choice. But again, whether those people are thinking of previous generation DLP's or not is up for debate.

Clint

Get the LED DLP Samsung and don't look back

November 18th, 2008 | Posted in LCD HDTV, Samsung | No Comments

Samsung HL67A750 67-Inch 1080p LED Powered DLP HDTV
Samsung HL67A750

First and foremost, size isn’t everything. But it’s certainly nice to have! When I began researching TVs to replace my 9 year-old Toshiba 36″ CRT, I was only looking in the 46-52″ range. I’m in the military and move every couple years, so I needed something that I could move safely and that would work in any reasonable environment. This eliminated plasmas, which reputedly do not perform well at higher altitudes. Next I looked at LEDs. The black levels are getting better, although it seems B&W stores continue to carry models 2-3 generations back for the same price you can order the newest models online. But then you run in to the dead pixel issue and the insecurity that comes along with an LED, and the hassle if you have a dead pixel out of the box and you purchased online. Nevertheless, I continued to look at LEDs until going out to a B&M store to actually look at TVs. I knew ahead of time that stores don’t calibrate TVs on display and you can’t judge picture quality based on what you see in the store, but I did want to get a better sense of the layout, saturation, issues with any uneven lighting of the screen, and so forth. On my way to the back wall with LEDs I walked through an aisle of DLP sets - a couple Sammies and a Mitsubishi. They looked nice, and they were larger than life. Black levels were solid, even when uncalibrated. So I went home and started researching DLPs to compare to the Sony and Samsung LEDs I had previously narrowed my search to. Lo and behold, the Samsung 6xA750 TVs were getting the most favorable reviews by videophiles. They didn’t like the sound from the TV’s speakers (and for good reason - it sounds like a tin can) but as a monitor everyone seemed to love the LED-based 750 series. I also read briefly about last year’s 650 series, but didn’t want to bother with bulb-based technology, so I was left with the 61″ or 67″ version of the A750 series. It seemed more people had QC issues with the 61″ than the 67″ for some reason, so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the 67″, which is so much larger than I originally contemplated that I can only imagine what my wife is thinking about me right now. However, the 67A750 is cheaper than any of the newer-model 52″ LED flatscreens I was considering, still weighs less than my old 36″ CRT, and the picture is incredible. On blu-ray discs the picture is breathtaking. I haven’t seen HD cable or satellite on it (I’m with DirecTV and they provide absolutely NO incentive to upgrade, wanting an arm and a leg to do so) but others with similar observations to mine on other aspects of this TV claim it’s the best picture they’ve ever seen. Those are certainly my sentiments with blu-ray. When I set up my 5.1 home theater it felt like I was *in* the movie, not just watching it. I’m afraid to watch a horror movie on this thing - I might poop myself. Have I mentioned the picture is incredible?

Even on SD sources, the TV looks great. It upscales to 1080p, and does a better job of it, in fact, than my Denon receiver, through which all sources run. You will still see some fuzziness around edges if you look closely, for nothing I’ve found can upscale a SD source perfectly, and you’ll see some splotches on a completely black screen, but the picture on this TV even with SD sources is more than acceptable. Perhaps the fuzziness would be even more difficult to see on a smaller TV of equal capability (the 61A750) but what you gain with the extra size when using HD sources outweighs the advantage the 61″ might have with SD sources by virtue of its size.

I did hundreds of hours of homework over 4 months before buying a TV. I was confident I had made the right choice when I ordered this from xxxx(edit), and am certain of it now that the TV has arrived.

One final note, which is about shipping: my experience was as follows. Ordered TV at 1pm central time friday. xxxxx(edit) package tracker originally said TV would not ship until Tuesday. This is because CEVA tries to get a full truck before pulling out of xxxx(edit. TV actually shipped same day, and arrived in Kansas City at 9am Sunday morning. Monday was Columbus Day. TV was delivered to my house in perfect condition at 9am Tuesday. Five stars for xxxxx(edit) as well as the TV!

Make sure you read the reviews on the optional extended warranty here on amazon before you buy it.

Summary: The only drawback of this TV is the quality of the sound it outputs. The picture is flawless. Amazon and CEVA did a great job getting the TV to me, which along with outstanding price makes Amazon one of the best sources for this TV.

Reviewed By : HCC3 : Oct 16, 2008

http://bestbuyhdtvreviews.com/

http://reviews.cnet.com/projection-tvs/samsung-hl61a750/4505-6484_7-32915921.html?tag=mncol;txt

Thanks for the post.

Clint

I bought the Sammy 61HLA750 about three weeks ago and love it. Every TV has its flaws no matter how much money you spend. Is there better TVs available, sure but how much money do you have?

This TV is great and I haven't look back. Some notes I made that I found:

Pluses

++ Inches per $$$ - best value on the market
++ great picture
++ very accurate colours
++ non reflecting screen for daytime viewing
++ really energy efficient with LEDs
++ doesn't create much if any heat - my old CRT was like a furnace and could raise the temp by 3-5 degrees in 2 hours. I hear some Plasma and LCDs are like this also.
++ no judder with 24hz movies
++ small bezel around screen

Minuses

-- Speakers sound like a clock radio - I'm not expecting amazing sound but its pretty bad. Not a real issue as we have a full 7.1 system.
-- Bigger screen means you can see more issues/flaws in films/video. Not a real negative as this goes for all tvs but do test what you watch most of before buying...any tv for that matter.
-- Off angle viewing at extreme angles (by product of DLPs)
-- Not designed for wall mounting if that is something you need.

If you have any specific questions let me know. I looked at almost every TV available between $1500-5000.

Thanks for the input. I'm not concerned about the sound quality, as we also have a HT system we're happy with (well, we'll probably end up upgrading it eventually too, but for now, it's ok). Testing the TV is a real issue; there's only one place here in town that sells them AFAIK, and getting them to do anything to set up a BluRay player or a "non-crappy" feed hasn't been possible. And wall mounting isn't an issue, as we wouldn't be wall mounting an LCD/plasma either.

So did you compare this TV with some of the mid-range plasma's, like the Samsung 550 and 650 lines? Any thoughts compared to those? It really seems to me that based on the distance we'll be sitting from the TV, the extra size will be a bonus, and the magnification of the source flaws will be reduced. But I could just be justifying it to myself. :)

Clint

You don't have your location in your profile....adding this will help others with region specific questions (ie: locating a model for viewing).

If you live in Toronto send me a PM and I'll try to setup a demo for you if you wish. Costco has the 61" version for sale, not the greatest for viewing (super bright lights, too many people) but it should give you an idea. Remember to take along the proper settings as this tv look horrible in torch mode.

I looked at the Sammy PN550, LN650 (?) and even last years LED LCD 5681 (?). Throw in some Pioneers, Sony W, Z and XBR series and my head was spinning.

Each tv had its +/- but I can't remember all of them anymore. The good news is all those tvs are great but we didn't want a reflecting screen which ruled out the plasmas. I also found finding calibrated tvs a hard task. I just shook my head when the sales guy would say how great the picture looked (in torch mode) knowing it can look so much better.

I would imagine having both the PN550/650 and this tv calibrated beside each other the differences would be close. How critical is your eye for details? Maybe on the best of the best BD you would see differences?

I'm in the Edmonton area. Costco has the 61" unit up on display, but it's on a shelf, so the bottom of the stand is at about chest level. The actual display is several feet above eye level. Not exactly a flattering display. The local Leon's store has the 67" unit on display, but getting someone to hook up a decent feed to it was a struggle. Might have to go back when the store isn't busy.

I'm not a stickler for details, and we've been using an old Toshiba 32" CRT for the past 8 years or so. No HD anywhere in the house (highest resolution feed is currently standard DVD. So ANYTHING will be a huge step up for us. :)

Clint

That has to be the worse position they could put that tv in. My Costco had it on the floor in torch mode with all their super lights it was still a terrible picture.

It amazes me how difficult some sales people make buying a tv and I had similar problem at some stores. This TV accepts pictures via a USB port if you wanted to just try that also. Since the port is on the side it would be easy to plus in. I know its not moving pictures but would be a start?

Still, go back to the store and get somebody to hook up a BD player for you. Take the settings from C-NET and change the tv to those (they are a great start) and see what you think.

NOTE: I find on some SD programs (the bad SD channels mostly) that the image is terrible but thankfully we don't have many shows that we watch in SD. It might even be my cable box doing the upconverting but since its only the odd show, I don't even worry about it.

I bought my 61A750 Sept 30th. Still love it. On vacation in Tennessee in august, got to look at the LCD's & DLP's side by side at BestBuy.

I did a lot of shopping before buying. Couldn't justify the price for plasma or LCD. I looked at Sony, Sammy, Pammy, LG, Toshiba & Sharp. anything from 52" to 65".
Then i paid exactly 1/2 the price of my 1st two choices. :)

I agree with all the positives below. I'm quite happy with the LED DLP. The only negative I would add; Doesn't work well as a computer monitor @1920x1080, it has about enough overscan to cover half the scrollbar and half the taskbar (so, you keep loosing your mouse cursor).

At Costco it comes with the stand included. I didn't like it and bought a Z-Line stand at Leon's. Still don't have a place for the sammy stand

Thanks, Tom. I guess for me, I can justify the cost of the LCD or plasma, but I'd be switching down from 67 glorious inches to 50 or 52. That's a big downgrade. There's no way I can swing the extra $1K to 2K (or more) for the big plasmas. And I don't plan on using it extensively as a monitor, as I've got a home office set up for that, with a small TV beside it. And even then, it seems like there's work arounds for the overscan, isn't there?

As far as the stand goes, I'm looking at options. Darn things are expensive! I've seen a few that I liked, but I like the idea of building one even more... Might have to dig out some tools and talk to my wood-working brother-in-law... But I'd still need one in the meantime. Our current stand is made for the current TV.

Thanks for your input, everyone!

Clint

As an FYI, just ordered the 67" DLP. Supposed to be delivered on Friday. Got my HD Shaw box today as well; now I just need a new receiver and BluRay player. :)

Clint

BTW, also got an Onkyo HT-S7100 (please, no HTiB comments) and will be picking up a Panasonic DMP-BD35 player today. Merry Christmas to us! :) The crappy part will be running home to accept delivery of the TV, and then coming back to work for the rest of the day, leaving the TV all boxed up still.

Clint

Can't wait to here what you think about your system. Right now I have the 50" Sammy DLP from 2005 (720p).

Otherwise, my system is pretty similar to yours - Shaw HD box and the Panasonic BD35.

I have thought the Shaw picture could be a little better on the SD channels and would be worried about the larger screen. And the HD channels are decent at 720p.

The BD35 looks awesome at 720p - I can only imagine what the 1080p will be!

Got everything set up tonight, after a bit of a struggle with the receiver. While it may be a matter of not knowing any better (and probably is, the more I think about it), I can't imagine anything better. Picture quality, right out of the box, was incredible. The sound system was literally shaking the house. We watched a movie with the kids that everyone had seen before (Kung Fu Panda), and they couldn't stop going "OOOOHHHH!". :) I'm looking forward to tuning it, and seeing if it's better!

The one slightly disappointing part is the SD TV broadcasts, but I knew that was coming. Just not enough pixels for that screen. The HD channels are much better, obviously. I'll be watching a hockey game on it tomorrow night (HD), and I'll see how that goes. I'm expecting to be impressed, after seeing my first HD hockey game on a 20" LCD (480i only). I thought that was impressive! But I only watch that from about monitor distance away.

I thought we might find it too big, but as we played musical chairs to experiment, my favorite seat was the one about 8' away. At 12 or 13', it was too small, relatively speaking. But considering we used to watch our 36" TV from the same distance, I don't have any complaints. And the viewing angle wasn't an issue at all (so far), from any seat we've got available. Haven't tried laying on the floor, but I can't think of the last time I've watched TV from there.

Tomorrow will be a cleanup, tuning, and PC hookup day. I'll post back if there's anything I find interesting. :)

Clint

Wow, I'm so jealous! I love my Tosh DLP but it's almost 4 years old now, (ancient in this day and age!), Hope you enjoy the new TV.

As for the Onkyo HTIB, don't worry, that system comes with Onkyo's full featured TSR-606 receiver, not some crippled HITB one... you have no worries if you want to upgrade your satellite speakers later on.

CNeufield - I personally use the movie setting for all sources as I find the SSE too noticeable otherwise.

Great set - I have the 67A750.

Congrats on the new TV and I'm glad to hear you like it so much. I agree that Kung Fu Panda does look incredible (and the sound is amazing also). We watched Wall-E last night and it also looks incredible (but a different style). Have fun tweaking everything.

Glad you are enjoying your new set

CNeufield - I personally use the movie setting for all sources as I find the SSE too noticeable otherwise.

Great set - I have the 67A750.
To be honest, I have no idea what settings were used for watching last night. They were right out of the box, with a quick step through the setup to make sure it wasn't in "Store" mode.

Clint

Movie
Contrast 90
Brightness 48
Colour 51
G50/G50

DS
Dynamic C Low
LED Off or Low

PO
Warm 2
Just Scan
Digital NR Auto

Everthing else off