Samsung R86/87/88 Owners Thread, Optimal Settings & Discussion

[Yemeth]

Originally Posted by osmangkobra

component 360...

There's a PIP compatibility table in the manual of your tv.

Its basically this: You need an HD input to act as your main window (HDMI/VGA/Component), and an SD input to act as your sub window.

Also, if you input a pc resolution e.g. DVI or VGA from a pc or 360 (1:1 mapping), you are restricted to a small corner window within the main screen, you cant choose 50/50.

[steve2493]

does anyone no if you can get surround sound in through hdmi then pass out of the spdif to amp?

cheers

[osmangkobra]

Originally Posted by Yemeth

There's a PIP compatibility table in the manual of your tv.

Its basically this: You need an HD input to act as your main window (HDMI/VGA/Component), and an SD input to act as your sub window.

Also, if you input a pc resolution e.g. DVI or VGA from a pc or 360 (1:1 mapping), you are restricted to a small corner window within the main screen, you cant choose 50/50.

so basically i can't watch DTV freeview with a 50/50 pip through component?? unless i have another freeview box with scart input?

[Yemeth]

Originally Posted by steve2493

does anyone no if you can get surround sound in through hdmi then pass out of the spdif to amp?

cheers

You cant. Only 2.1 will pass through.

Originally Posted by osmangkobra

so basically i can't watch DTV freeview with a 50/50 pip through component?? unless i have another freeview box with scart input?

DTV cannot be selected so the only way is to purchase a scart based box. I sometimes play on my 360 via HDMI and watch tv via my Virgin cable box. It works great.

[michele]

Does anybody know how I can use the DTV tuner to search for DTV Cable channels (planning to use a conax cam to decode mpeg2 channels) Do I have to make changes in the servicemenu? Firmware ?


Thanks


Mic

[sonic_fan82]

Originally Posted by osmangkobra

component 360...

sorry have not tryed that one only tryed hdmi and tv scart

[badbob]

Originally Posted by michele

Does anybody know how I can use the DTV tuner to search for DTV Cable channels (planning to use a conax cam to decode mpeg2 channels) Do I have to make changes in the servicemenu? Firmware ?


Thanks


Mic

If cable isn't supported it won't work.

[osmangkobra]

Originally Posted by Yemeth

You cant. Only 2.1 will pass through.



DTV cannot be selected so the only way is to purchase a scart based box. I sometimes play on my 360 via HDMI and watch tv via my Virgin cable box. It works great.

do u watch and play with 50/50?

[EdwinJ85]

Hi there, sorry to bother you all but I found this place on Google.

I have a LE23R8 and a few concerns and questions I hope you nice fellows can answer for me, but I think first a little history with me and my HDTV problems would help.

I used to have a LE23R71B for my Xbox 360 via VGA. It had the best picture I had ever seen on any LCD if I set the brightness to about 30-35 and maxed out the contrast although I couldn't get 1366x768 on HDMI for some reason and it would not display PC images from a DVI changeover lead. It also could not handle Component or HDMI very well as simple shapes (circles, like the button prompt shapes on the 360 dashboard) became distorted with jaggedly lines and distortions occurring horizontally. I loved the picture but it annoyed the hell out of me that it didn't handle anything else but VGA, so I sent it back to Digicare for a repair. It came back with a dent in the top left corner of the screen so I sent it back again and when it came back I couldn't get the same quality image over VGA anymore so I sold it.

In hopes of finding that 'perfect' image again which was the best I had ever seen on a LCD and still kept good detail in the shadows I purchased a LE23R8. This TV is very good and handles pretty much every input fine although the speakers are tinny and I get some distortion plugging my PC in via the DVI/HDMI changeover lead on my browser tool bar, but that's about it.

The problem however is that I can't get the image as 'good' and vibrant as I could on the LE23R71B no matter how hard I try. I've altered every setting I could and even tried limited fiddling with the service menu accessed by setting the TV to standby and then pressing info/menu/mute and power although I didn't do much for fear of breaking it. I do not want to have to deal with Digicare again - Samsung are good, Digicare are bad IMO.

I think this may have something to do with the fact that you cannot alter the colour level of the image when at 1366/768 through either VGA or HDMI. It is set at 55 and nothing seems to change it. I tried fiddling with the HDMI black levels but all that did was make shadows so dark I couldn't see a thing - COD4 is impossible to play like that, although the image did look good.

I fear I may be insane. I've tried buying other HDTV's (all 23 inch 1366/768 ones due to my room size and 360) such as a Sony Bravia and a Sharp model but they all were returned as they have their own problems and none of them can do 1366/768 via VGA which is *****. They don't have an image as good as the LE23R71B as far as I can tell.

If anybody here has some suggestions or ideas please let me know. I am at my wits end. I guess I should have stayed with the faulty but beautiful LE23R71B, but I just wanted something to handle my PC and component signals as well. I don't have much space in my room.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

[Yemeth]

Originally Posted by osmangkobra

do u watch and play with 50/50?

I watch with the little corner window as my cable box, and the main screen as it is, which is 1360x768 via HDMI.

If I change the 360 video signal to 720p or 1080i, I can choose 50/50, but i'd rather have the 360 pic untouched and retain 1:1 mapping, it looks better that way.

@EdwinJ85: When you input a 1:1 video signal, it's purposefully restricted in colour, sharpness etc. options because the tv isnt meant to be doing the scaling, the input device is. The picture with COD4 and anything else is absolutely FLAWLESS with 1:1 HDMI mapping and the VGA settings on the first page of this thread, so Im not sure what you mean by saying your R71 looked 'better' than your R8. Better to you may not necessarily mean a "true" image. Maybe you were used to colour saturation levels that are different in this tv? Have you tried changing the colour space, then colour tone?

[EdwinJ85]

@ Yemeth

By colour space do you mean the option that is available from the detailed settings menu of the LE23R8? I have tried setting it to expanded and normal but normal just looks pants so I keep it at expanded, at least on VGA. I'm on HDMI with the PC now and it won't let me access detailed settings even with 'media pc' switched on.

As for colour tone, I take it you are referring to the colour tone option available from the main menu? On HDMI and VGA 1366/768 I can only choose normal, cool1 and cool2. I keep it at normal because that's how it was on the LE23R71B and also because cool1/2 mute the redder colours in images. They do make whites look pretty damn bright though so it's not all bad but it isn't what I am after.

This is probably a obsessive compulsive thing. I know the image was perfect on the LE23R71B but I can't get it back even though the picture now is still serviceable and good. Is there any way to make the 360 change the colour/saturation levels? After meddling on GTA4 I did notice the picture was much better after I put up the saturation. Is there any way to adjust the LE23R8 saturation levels?

Thank you BTW, I know this is annoying and I appreciate the time you are giving this in such a specialised area.

[kjt2004]

Thought id add some latest pics of my bedroom set up

[Yemeth]

@EdwinJ85:

The only things that I can recall to affect colour are Picture Mode (Standard, Movide, Dynamic), Colour Space, and Colour Tone. You cant do anything with the 360 itself.

The problem is there's only a limit to how much I can "see" via an internet forum. Just giving a few stabs in the dark here.

The R8 is full of pic controls, do you have a record of what the R71 settings were? The tvs are fairly similar so it could help. Its hard to think that you cant get your R8 to look as good as an R71.

@kjt2004: That stand looks the business on your setup. Nice speakers too.

[kjt2004]

Yemeth

Many thanks got the stand for a bargain so i couldnt resist.

The speakers are cheap with an extra sony centre speaker i had bt the sound is musch better than the Tv ones

regards

[Guntha]

Just thought I would mention but I bought my LE32R88 a year last April from Dixons online. Got a great price but didn't get an extended warranty (stupid me but I never believe in them).

After fantastic service the picture went all screwy last week (really dark and the blurry) and with it out of warranty Samsung didn't want to know. They put me onto there local service center and I have been quoted £650 odd quid to get the panel replaced.

Moral of the story, either get an extended warranty or go to John Lewis. Now I need to find a replacement. Question is do I go with Samsung again or someone else.