Club 4 VOOMer w/Samsung DLP TV

[svx94]

I'd like to start this thread for VOOMers using Samsung DLT TVs. I hope we can share our experience on the usage, installation, connection, tweaking, HT system, etc.

My installation is (re)scheduled this Friday and I don't have much input for you for now. I am planing to connect VOOM receivers as follow:

1. Trying to have separate lines for OTA and the dish if possible;
2. DVI to my HLN617W TV;
3. Optical to my Denon 3803 receiver.

My questions so far:
1. Shall I connect to the TV with BOTH DVI and component for any reason?
2. Any problem reported for using the optical audio output from the VOOM receiver?
3. Shall I use AUTO (all 4 light bars on the receiver) to feed the DVI to the TV, or use 720P? I assume the TV has much better up-converter than the relatively cheap Motorolar receiver.

Thanks!

 

[Sean Mota]

I also have a Samsung DLP 42". On my first box, I was able to connect through DVI at 1080i. The 720p through DVI never worked. On my second box (got swapped), I have not been able to connect again through DVI. I have it right now on Component at 1080i. Even at 720p through component, I have problems.

I remember that when I was succesful through DVI, I had to change between Component and DVI using the Samsung Menu to make it work.

I will suggest you to connect through component first to make sure that you can get a signal and video. Afterwards, try to see if you can get it to work through DVI. If you do get it to work, please let me know and post what type of DVI cable you are using and what you did to make it work.

Thanks.

EDIT: the digital audio should be fine.

 

[prince123]

Hey I also have a samsung DLP and Voom. I use DVI, single link, Voom box set at 1080i. It looks best this way, don't go with the box set to 720p. I tried the all four lights setting (native) but the menu looked real shaky after I went to a SD channel. also, the SD channels look bad (off center and real blurry). however if you only look at HD channels and never look at a SD channel, it looks great. But set to 1080i all the channels look great, SD and HD. let me know if you have better luck than I did.

ps- click the display button on your dlp remote and you'll see the resoultion you are in.

 

[Ken F]

I also have DVI, single link, with Voom box set this way on my Samsung. The picture initially looked a little washed out compared to the component output, but some slight picture adjustment changed that. I see a bit more detail with DVI.

Note you've got to be in 1080i mode for the box to function correctly with the Samsung DLP over DVI. If you have it set at 720p (the default), DVI won't work with the Samsung, or won't work reliably. This is an issue they are exploring.

For the HDCP handshake with the new software, it's probably best to turn on the television before you turn on the VOOM box. I don't know if it makes a difference on the Samsung (it's obvious that this isn't always necessary), but this is required on some other boxes with HDCP enabled.

 

[faithntim]

My setup:

Samsung HLN567w
Voom into DVI
Voom also into Replay TV for recording

I also have the Voom receiver set to 1080, as I didn't have any success with it set to 720p. It is a beautiful picture -- stunning actually.

Tim

 

[soledade]

I also have an HLN567.

I am connected over DVI. Seems much better than component. My STB is set to 1080i. 720p worked for me as well.

I decided to leave it on 1080i because most of the VOOM programming is broadcast in this format. I figured that the TV does a better job at converting to 720p (native display format) than the STB.

What do you guys think about letting the TV convert instead of the STB to the display's native format?

Carlos

P.S. Native mode on the STB (1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i) does not work well for me. When I turn to an sd channel the menu is shakky and looks really really bad. I was hoping to use this setting but the menu in this format is not really usable.

It looks like at least one other person had this same problem.

 

[prince123]

hey soledade, I think the samsung DLP simply broadcasts in whatever resolution the incoming signal is in. when I push the display button on the DLP remote it shows 1080i for every channel when I have the STB set to 1080i mode. when the STB was set to native, the display on the remote would show some 720p and some 1080i. Others agree?

 

[soledade]

What I meant is that the samsung is 1280x720p resolution. The reason the resolution is fixed is because the DLP chip has 1280x720 mirrors. So any incoming signal that is not 720p has to be converted to 720p before it can be displayed by the mirror in the DLP engine.

So my question was should I let the samsung do the conversion (farroujda chip ?sp?) by setting the box to 1080i all the time, or should I set the STB to 720p and let the STB convert the signals from 1080i to 720p.

The display menu on the tv just shows the resolution of the incoming signal. However all signals get converted to 1280x720p prior to being displayed.

 

[prince123]

I did not know this. thanks. I think 1080i looks the best for the Voom stb. If the box is set to 720p sometimes there is a black border around everything. and inch or so on all sides.

prince

 

[wasch_24]

P.S. Native mode on the STB (1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i) does not work well for me. When I turn to an sd channel the menu is shakky and looks really really bad. I was hoping to use this setting but the menu in this format is not really usable.

It looks like at least one other person had this same problem.

Carlos,
I get the same thing on my RPTV.
Todd

 

[soledade]

I did not know this. thanks. I think 1080i looks the best for the Voom stb. If the box is set to 720p sometimes there is a black border around everything. and inch or so on all sides.

prince

Try hitting the aspec/ratio button on the tv remote. Through DVI there is wide pc and wide tv. Wide tv should get rid of the borders.

Carlos

 

[rang1995]

I have a 65'' CRT toshiba(high end model) but am waiting for the new chip (HD2+)this summer and will get a sammy for my second hd set,,but now their is a get/wait concerning the new color wheel..what to do what to do..any help from those who know???thanks

 

[subdude212]

Note you've got to be in 1080i mode for the box to function correctly with the Samsung DLP over DVI. If you have it set at 720p (the default), DVI won't work with the Samsung, or won't work reliably. This is an issue they are exploring.

FWIW, with the software versions before 5.5c I could not get my Sammy to display 720P correctly (it took up the top 2/3 of the screen and had noise over the rest of the display). Now at 5.68 software version I get 720P to diplay OK but with a black border of 1"-2" which may be a moot point if the suggestion to use the Sammy zoom function works to eliminate it. I'll have to give that a try. I have VOOM connected with S-Video, component and DVI currently. With S-Video I had gotten a horrendously bad picture with dropouts that made this impossible to view and record. I haven't looked at S-Video with the latest software update to see if it is any better.

DVI works great for me on the fixed 1080i resolution but I do have a question for other Sammy DLP owners... Does anyone have a quick synopsis of when/how the PIP works when one is viewing a DVI display? To me there seems to be a series of different options when one uses component or S-Video versus DVI (which seems to be the most restrictive). With S-Video I can get a split screen and multiple PIP window sizes but DVI I can only get the two smaller PIP window sizes and I can never get it to "Swap" with the other source. So, if anyone has insights, instructions or other info I'd be much obliged.

 

[mntoyx4]

We have an install scheduled for Saturday morning (4/3). Will post our success/failures after the install with our HLN437W.

Have noticed that the DTC-100 and W combo do not seem to like each other. Or this set has problems. Every so often during channel changes, or just sitting on certain channels, the screen losses sync and flips out. We had an HLN507W1 the week prior, it never once showed this problem.

Edits to follow saturday afternoon.

Can someone edit the subject to say DLP instead of DLT?

 

[svx94]

Finally got my VOOM installed... Separate lines for dish and OTA; optical for audio; BOTH DVI and component for video, and conposite output to VCR...

1. The setup process can NOT be done with DVI. The installer doesn't know that. Thanks for the info provided by this forum;

2. The new version of software get downloaded right away. The installer thought there's problem. I told him not to worry and wait. Again, thanks to this forum!

3. DVI works after the setup, but hard to tell the difference with component, and the color seems not as good as component. I have both connected to the DLP and use DVI anyway;

4. Audio works great with my Denon 3803/KEF Speakers. But most channel seem just have steero rather than 5.1 channels.

5. SD channels (through dish or OTA) definately are NOT good as cable. VOOM needs to work on it.

6. Playboy HD A MUST HAVE!!! - far exceed expetation.

Have not yet get chance to tweak the TV for the new DVI input, will keep you posted. The PQ, black level and color tone look very good as it is. But I will try it just for fun. I remember the gamma setting is 0 when I show the installer how to tweak the TV (he has a DLP at home too). The Gamma setting made the most difference in my other inputs on the TV.

 

[lizard20022000]

I think you hit the nail on the head here. Search in the AVSForums for the apporpriate tweaks for your DLP. This made a huge difference in my Sammy 61" I am seriously considering getting a proffessional tweak done now...

Mark

61" Sammy
DVI (component hooked up)
1080 fixed