Samsung SP43Q5 CRT RearPro Convergence Problems

[hgerstung]

Hi there!

I just bought a nice 43" Samsung CRT Rear Pro TV (SP43Q5) and I am very happy with the overall picture quality (well, I had to rearrange my living room layout, but it was worth it ...)

My only problem so far is that I have to correct the colour convergence settings almost every 2nd day by using the MUTE-1-8-3 key sequence and then moving the RGB lines until I see a white grid instead of this colourful Scottish pattern

Now, after doing this and saving it (confirmed with "DATA SAVED" message on the screen) the picture is brilliant as expected. After 1-2 days it returns to a bad state, showing colour edges in the picture and especially in the On Screen Menu of my satellite receiver. This seems to happen when I switch the unit on (from Standby, not a full power off), not while watching TV or DVD.

Any hints from on of the other Samsung owners or do I have to call the service guy?

TIA,
Heiko

[scooby do]

Not sure if this is the isuue but when setting convergence the Tv should be "warmed" up for at least 1 hour. Also when the Tv is first switched on it is normal for the convergence to be a bit out until warmed up. It does sound however that yours is a bit more drastic. I think a lot of samsungs suffer from duff convergence boards. I have seen many that are beyond economical repair.

[hgerstung]

I did some more tests and it seems that I can reproduce it immediately by switching to the DVD (component input) ... I will check if it does not occur when I use S-Video for the DVD as well. The DVD picture quality seems to be slightly degraded, but at the moment that is better than correcting convergence every time I watch a DVD.

Thank you for your help!

Best regards,
Heiko

[scooby do]

some TV's store different settings per input source not sure if this one does

[hgerstung]

@scooby do: It would be great if it would do that, but it seems that this is not the case here. In fact it looks like the settings are affected simply by switching from S-Video to Component source.

Steps to reproduce:
1. calibrate convergence with MUTE-1-8-3 hidden menu
2. watch DVB-S TV (S-Video in)
3. Switch TV off
4. Switch TV on
5. Watch DVD (Component in)
6. Switch TV off
7. Switch TV on
and here convergence is bad, with S-Video _and_ Component sources...

Strange, but I will try it without using the Component input for a while. I would just like to know if there are people out there who own the same TV and spot the same odd behavior.

Regards,
Heiko

[scooby do]

Nearly all rearpros store different offsets for wide screen, 4/3 and stretch modes 1 per mode and also for both NTSC & PAL. But also I think some store different values for the inputs so Svideo, Composite, RBG, and perhaps component. So it may be that this area of the Tv is not storing the settings. I am only making educated guesses here. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will come along.

[Cliff]

I have a similar set and after doing the convergence "mute 183" and saving using the sound I-II buttone etc, I then have to do the Perfect Focus. This starts and does a very wide adjustment on the new convergence settings. After saving and exiting the set will run the perfect focus shortly after switch on and every hour or so. Although his can be turned off. This compensates for temperature changes.

I don't believe the input should affect the convergence unless there is some fault which occurs when switching on and off. When you check the convergence using the crosshatch pattern, again has it drifted?

However there are lots of settings in the main service menu which adjust delays between chroma and luminance for each type of input -which will appear as mis-registration- but that's not convergence.

[scooby do]

There you go someone with the same TV. Well done hopefully this will make it clearer what is going on. Sounds like the offsets are stored and then need to be written to the perfect focus

[MartinHD]

I have the same tv (and loving it) but I have one problem and that is the convergence in the component 1080i mode. (I think the tv does store differend values for the differend modes because of my problem). in the modes 480i 576i the auto-focus works. In the 1080i mode I can adjust convergence (and save it) but if I do the auto-focus at the end (still in de service menu) it starts with green but then turns-off so it does not store the new values for the auto-focus. So if I watch via component in 1080i mode and the auto-focus kicks in it says "check factory data". how is this we your tv does it allow you to adjust the convergence in the 1080i mode and save it for the auto-focus?
And for the progressive modes (576p) does your tv also not perfrom the auto-focus? my'n says "Not available".
last question (i'm happy I found someone with the same tv :
I can entre the convergence service menu with mute 183 but I can not entre the main service menu, I read soem where that this is mute 182 but that does not work for me. do you know?

[hgerstung]

Originally Posted by MartinHD

I have the same tv (and loving it) but I have one problem and that is the convergence in the component 1080i mode. (I think the tv does store differend values for the differend modes because of my problem). in the modes 480i 576i the auto-focus works. In the 1080i mode I can adjust convergence (and save it) but if I do the auto-focus at the end (still in de service menu) it starts with green but then turns-off so it does not store the new values for the auto-focus. So if I watch via component in 1080i mode and the auto-focus kicks in it says "check factory data". how is this we your tv does it allow you to adjust the convergence in the 1080i mode and save it for the auto-focus?
And for the progressive modes (576p) does your tv also not perfrom the auto-focus? my'n says "Not available".

Well, I currently do not use these modes and only use the S-VHS mode. I gave up on the component input because it seems that my Samsung always looses its colour convergence settings after a couple of hours powered off.

Do you have to recalibrate yours every 2nd day or so? If not, its time for me to call service, I guess.

Originally Posted by MartinHD

last question (i'm happy I found someone with the same tv :
I can entre the convergence service menu with mute 183 but I can not entre the main service menu, I read soem where that this is mute 182 but that does not work for me. do you know?

The service menu can be accessed like this:
TV has to be in Standby mode
Press INFO
Press MENU
Press MUTE
Press POWER

There you are :-)

Best regards,
Heiko

[MartinHD]

Hoi hgerstung, First thanks for the service menu code, this works now, what's left now is to find out what all settings do, do you have a service manual for this tv? I have one for a older type (sp-42W5) but not all is the same.
Second, I do not have to recalibrate every two days, I just did it last evening and the last time before that was something like 2 weeks ago, but I'm also still in the burnin period (I have the tv now for 4 weeks) in which I read that it drifts still a litle.
What I did notice is that the convergence is not realy stable, with this I mean that some times you can see that its a little off and 1/2 hour later its oke even after the tv has been on for a hour or so.
Its a pitty that you can not use the component input because that looks must better then the S-VHS input, I have my PC connected via component 1080i and an other harddisk media-player at 576p and both look realy good (must better that the S-VHS) so I would call samsung service support on your component convergence problems.

[AsGF2MX]

I tried the mute183 trick on the SP47W3HF I have here and it worked but how did you get the saved thing? Also pressing other buttons like 1 through 9 (with 789 being RGB) showed funny patterns...what are those? Also accidentally pressed the yellow button and ended up seeing the picture from my sky+ box with high color saturation and was unable to use the menu button or anything. After pressing some key...it finally showed the normal picture.

By the way when I went into this mode, I had the TV warm up for an hour in Wide (not auto wide) and also Automatic (not progressive) scan mode. I know the SP47W3HF isn't supposed to be an HD set but I just want to bring the best out of it and I'm still not getting much info on how to calibrate it.

A little OT but seeing the info here I'll ask:
In the main service menu...the info...how do you select the video source?

[Knarsta]

Hi! I wonder if someone have a service manual or can post me all the functions when i use "mute" + 1-8-3 to goto the hidden menu.
I have a Samsung SP-43W6HE, Crt, 1080i, 2 tuner its about 2 years now.
I have use the service menu to calibrate, but now i can´t start "Auto focus". It says "Check factory data".
//Benny (sweden)

[hgerstung]

Hi!

Unfortunately I have no service manual. I am still disappointed by the continous color convergence problems that my Samsung has. Besides that it is a great TV for a very good price.

@Knarsta:
My TV always seems to say "Check Factory Data" when it is performing "Auto-Focus", I though that this is normal behavior. Did yours behave differently in the past?

Best Regards,
Heiko

[hgerstung]

Originally Posted by AsGF2MX

I tried the mute183 trick on the SP47W3HF I have here and it worked but how did you get the saved thing? Also pressing other buttons like 1 through 9 (with 789 being RGB) showed funny patterns...what are those? Also accidentally pressed the yellow button and ended up seeing the picture from my sky+ box with high color saturation and was unable to use the menu button or anything. After pressing some key...it finally showed the normal picture.

"Save" and "Exit" are assign to the blue and green key (I am at work right now and do not remember their name). You will have to try it out :-/

Originally Posted by AsGF2MX

By the way when I went into this mode, I had the TV warm up for an hour in Wide (not auto wide) and also Automatic (not progressive) scan mode. I know the SP47W3HF isn't supposed to be an HD set but I just want to bring the best out of it and I'm still not getting much info on how to calibrate it.

A little OT but seeing the info here I'll ask:
In the main service menu...the info...how do you select the video source?

I never played with the service menu, therefore I have no idea (sorry).

Regards,
Heiko