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Samsung HLN617W 61" Widescreen Projection HDTV with DLP Technology

Samsung HLN617W 61" Widescreen Projection HDTV with DLP Technology

List Price: $4,799.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: great picture but breaks alot
Review: samsung dlp tvs have a great picture but if you buy one expect regular repairs - mine broke in less than a month and it has been 4 days and I still can't get through to the repair facility. This is common -- read the reviews. don't buy samsung!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cost effective technology and a great picture.
Review: The DLP system produces a stunning picture for the price. Another important feature for those with kids is that unlike a plasma or LCD, you can't "burn in" an image by pausing a playstation game, etc. Set is amazingly light. Purchasers need to understand up front that eventually you will have to replace the bulb, generally at 3-4 years. Get a service warranty that includes coverage for a bulb failure.

Also recommend purchase the Samsung (or other) DVD with a DVI interface. Movies are stunning with this feature.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great TV - make sure to get HD TV service at the same time
Review: The TV is great but you do need HD TV service, either from satellite, off the air, or cable, to really appreciate how good the quality is.

The TV arrived a couple of days before the cable folks came by, so all I had was my progressive DVD, which was a bit disappointing.

I also use it for my X Box and the quality of the games that are HD ready is amazing

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is home theater
Review: This is the first review I have ever posted on a product I have purchased. I am so impressed with this TV that I had to post a positive review as a public service. I know the time I spent researching big screen TVs and hopefully I can help somebody shortcut that time. This is the most amazing picture I have seen on any screen including LCD, plasma or anything else. I enjoy DVDs and HDTV more than the theater experience. I highly recommend this set.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best HDTVs on the market
Review: This is the second HDTV that I own (the first is a "normal" flat screen 36" Panasonic). I did a fair amount of reserach comparing this DLP TV with the Plasma and LCD types.

In side-by-side comparisons, I found the DLP to have sharp crisp images with deep saturated colors equal to the best Velvia slides. The TV is light enough for one person to move around (less than 100 lbs compared to 300 lbs for my 36" TV) and one can view the picture at angles of about 120 degrees.

I connected my DLP TV to a surround sound system (5.1 - 5 Klipsch speakers plus a Velodyne sub-woofer) and it works well right out of the box. Unlike the statements of one other reviewer, I have found absolutely no advantage to using monster cable (in fact I have engineer friends who work for some of the leading audio speaker companies who assure me that regular speaker wire can more than handle the miniscule amount of electric current that is flowing through speaker wire) and you don't need the services of any professional to hook-up or use this TV.

I have cable TV with an HDTV receiver. One minor quibble is that when you connect it using the component inputs, you lose the ability to zoom in - the only choices being the regular TV format or the letterbox.

I have had my TV for about one year now and use it for several hours every day. I have not had any trouble with it, the original lamp is working just fine and I have not purchased an extended warranty (with no regrets). For the price difference between this one and plasma or LCD TVs (the Sony WEGA LCD is a projection TV and not a true LCD) of several thousand dollars, this decision was a no-brainer - I would strongly recommend the DLP as one of the best on the market.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: DLP vs LCD is a give and take - See both and decide..
Review: When I bought my new house, I decided that my basement needed a MONSTER tv to make me feel all spiffy and like a big man :P. The choice for me was between the 70" Sony Grand Wega XBR and this 61" Samsung DLP.

DLP and LCD both have their pros and cons.. Seeing the two TVs at Circuit City (where I got mine) nearly side-by-side gave me the opportunity to notice things that I might not have remembered otherwise had I bounced back and forth between stores to make my decision.

Either TV is great.. These are both top of the line sets and you really can't go wrong.. However, here are a few things that I noticed.. And be aware, different people see different things so your mileage may vary..

LCD Pro: The LCD was very slightly crisper in general. For the most part, you couldn't tell the difference. However, there were certain cases where you could see a slightly sharper image on the LCD; namely the TV logos in the bottom right corner of the screen and the edges of cetain images. The picture was stunning and the black-depth was quite good, although not quite as deep as on the DLP.

DLP Pro: I am a big video game player, animation fan and movie buff. Video games and anime tend to have very rich colors since, after all, it is artificially generate.. In video games you will seen greens and blues that you rare ever come across in your life. In the color area, the DLP shines.. While the Sony XBR color was such that you could not criticize it in any way really, the DLP just blew it out of the water. The color on the DLP is *perfect*.. There is no over-saturation or bleed-through.. Colors are crisp, distinct and beautiful. The blacks are JET black.. Top notch.. Another huge plus, although irrelevant for most, is that the Samsung actually has an XGA port in the back, allowing me to hook a computer up to it directly so as to surf the web from my sofa.

DLP Con: As some people have noted, DLP really exposes flaws in your source.. If you have an 'iffy' signal quality, the DLP will make you aware of that. For me this was a non-issue as I bought the Monster Powerbar and the Samsung DVI progressive-scan DVD player.. Since I have a great-quality digital cable feed here, the images look perfect.

LCD Con: This was the killer. Some people do not notice it, but I did and it ruled out the Sony. LCD has a problem with 'motion blur' when there is fast motion taking place on the screen. This is VERY VERY slight.. so slight that even with movies, you are unlikely to notice it. However, as I stood perusing the TVs, the demo-disc cycled to a college football game.. And there it was.. On a long 50-yard pass, as well as a breakaway run, there was clear motion blur around the ball and the athletes.. The LCD just cannot keep up with the image at that level of speed.

As a huge sports nut (FOOTBALL!), this killed it for me..

So, again, you can't go wrong with these TVs. I was all set to spend the extra $2,300 to get the extra 9" of screen, since I do love Sony products.. But that motion blur killed it for me and I happily plunked down the money and took home my Samsung.. I have been COMPLETELY satisfied with it.

NOTE: Do yourself a favor.. Buy this locally (sorry Amazon) and get the extended warranties.. I never buy those but on LCD and DLP TVs, it will pay for itself.. CC's was $499 for a 4 year extension that covers bulb replacement as many times as you call it in.. Bulb replacement can run $200-$300 and is recommended every 2000 or so hours.. So, the extended plan will pay for itself over the life of your TV.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: DLP vs LCD is a give and take - See both and decide..
Review: When I bought my new house, I decided that my basement needed a MONSTER tv to make me feel all spiffy and like a big man :P. The choice for me was between the 70" Sony Grand Wega XBR and this 61" Samsung DLP.

DLP and LCD both have their pros and cons.. Seeing the two TVs at Circuit City (where I got mine) nearly side-by-side gave me the opportunity to notice things that I might not have remembered otherwise had I bounced back and forth between stores to make my decision.

Either TV is great.. These are both top of the line sets and you really can't go wrong.. However, here are a few things that I noticed.. And be aware, different people see different things so your mileage may vary..

LCD Pro: The LCD was very slightly crisper in general. For the most part, you couldn't tell the difference. However, there were certain cases where you could see a slightly sharper image on the LCD; namely the TV logos in the bottom right corner of the screen and the edges of cetain images. The picture was stunning and the black-depth was quite good, although not quite as deep as on the DLP.

DLP Pro: I am a big video game player, animation fan and movie buff. Video games and anime tend to have very rich colors since, after all, it is artificially generate.. In video games you will seen greens and blues that you rare ever come across in your life. In the color area, the DLP shines.. While the Sony XBR color was such that you could not criticize it in any way really, the DLP just blew it out of the water. The color on the DLP is *perfect*.. There is no over-saturation or bleed-through.. Colors are crisp, distinct and beautiful. The blacks are JET black.. Top notch.. Another huge plus, although irrelevant for most, is that the Samsung actually has an XGA port in the back, allowing me to hook a computer up to it directly so as to surf the web from my sofa.

DLP Con: As some people have noted, DLP really exposes flaws in your source.. If you have an 'iffy' signal quality, the DLP will make you aware of that. For me this was a non-issue as I bought the Monster Powerbar and the Samsung DVI progressive-scan DVD player.. Since I have a great-quality digital cable feed here, the images look perfect.

LCD Con: This was the killer. Some people do not notice it, but I did and it ruled out the Sony. LCD has a problem with 'motion blur' when there is fast motion taking place on the screen. This is VERY VERY slight.. so slight that even with movies, you are unlikely to notice it. However, as I stood perusing the TVs, the demo-disc cycled to a college football game.. And there it was.. On a long 50-yard pass, as well as a breakaway run, there was clear motion blur around the ball and the athletes.. The LCD just cannot keep up with the image at that level of speed.

As a huge sports nut (FOOTBALL!), this killed it for me..

So, again, you can't go wrong with these TVs. I was all set to spend the extra $2,300 to get the extra 9" of screen, since I do love Sony products.. But that motion blur killed it for me and I happily plunked down the money and took home my Samsung.. I have been COMPLETELY satisfied with it.

NOTE: Do yourself a favor.. Buy this locally (sorry Amazon) and get the extended warranties.. I never buy those but on LCD and DLP TVs, it will pay for itself.. CC's was $499 for a 4 year extension that covers bulb replacement as many times as you call it in.. Bulb replacement can run $200-$300 and is recommended every 2000 or so hours.. So, the extended plan will pay for itself over the life of your TV.


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