Samsung HLP6163W 61" HDTV Monitor with DLP Technology

Rating:
Summary: Quality of the TV is poor, service is terrible
Review: recently bought this TV using Amazon.com's website (Jan. 10, 2005). The entire process has been terrible. For starters, I was very disappointed with the picture quality, and colors (while the TV was working). The clarity is awful, and regardless of the adjustments made, the colors are not right. There is another review below that goes into greater detail about the shortcomings of this TV.

Three days after I received the TV, it stopped working. I contacted Amazon and told them they sent me a broken TV. In so many words they said, Tough Luck, call the manufacture! Amazon absolutely refuses to assist me in any way. Buy your TV from a reputable retailer that will stand behind their products.

This is a copy of the email I sent to Amazon, followed by their response.
Dear Amazon.com, This is the second email I have sent. The TV completely stopped working last night. The quality was so poor before it broke, I don't think this was a new TV Amazon sent to me. I expect Amazon to stand behind it's products and make arrangements to receive this tv back from me. In addition, I expect a full refund including shipping charges. This experience has been extremely disappointing for me and I sure hope Amazon works quickly to resolve this problem.

The Response : Thank you for contacting us at Amazon.com.

I am sorry to hear that you have encountered a problem with the Samsung HLP6163W 61" HDTV that you recently ordered. Unfortunately, as my colleague previously stated, we cannot accept the return of televisions 27 inches and larger after delivery.

At this point, I can only recommend that you consult the In-HomeService Warranty for this item. You can find contact information for the manufacturer by visiting this link:

http://www.amazon.com/o/tg/browse/-/901908/ Thank you again for shopping at Amazon.com


Rating:
Summary: Better bang for the buck than plasma
Review: After doing a fair bit of research, I bought my first HDTV- the Samsung HLP6163. The picture is fantastic, especially in high definition. I would highly recommend this TV. However, with any technologically complex products there are some tradeoffs. First the pros -- size of screen, low weight (less than a 100 lbs), excellent 1500:1 contrast (higher is better), DVI, HDMI, RGB as well as 2 component video input options, 3rd generation TI DLP chip and 7 segment color wheel, and of course, size of screen. The 61 inch screen is enormous.

Some minor negatives: the picture on the HLP 5163 (the 51 inch cousin) seems brighter; the manual has virtually no technical information (for example, whether the DVI input is DVI HDCP (thats some sort of copyright protection scrambling to prevent copying)), and personally, with a system of this cost, I would have preferred if Samsung had skipped the speakers (and lowered the cost) and just sold the monitor.

First, a few words of advice for accessories. You need to understand the different input modes and the varying quality of the input. You must buy a DVD player with DVI output that automatically upconverts the video to 1072i. (Samsung makes a fairly inexpensive one). I tried another new DVD player with only the component output without the automatic upconvert of the video and the picture was not very good. I then read several reviews about the 6163 in some magazines and they all recommend a DVD with DVI output. The one problem is that the 6163 has only one DVI input connection. The right thing to do is to hook up the high definition receiver (I am using DirectTV) using the component cables and the DVD with the DVI. If you use DirectTV with HDTV, I recommend setting all output at 1072i (rather than native 1)which converts all video signals to the higher definition (it makes standard tv video look better in my opinion).

As far as the picture goes, it seems to me that the angle viewing is worse looking up or down at the screen rather than side to side (it boasts of a 160 degree side to side view). For this reason, I think correct height placement of the TV is important. A standard low widescreen TV table is a tad low for my tastes. Also, while the picture is very bright and sharp, any sunlight reflection tends to show up on the screen much more than a CRT or a plasma, so you need to think about placement if there are bright lights or sunlight.

Rating:
Summary: terrible color accuracy ruins an otherwise nice set
Review: After much research and in-store staring, I picked up this set. I found that the colors were quite a bit off, no matter what adjustments I made, so I traded it for another -- sadly, to no avail. The brightness, contrast, and detail are all great -- but the color is just wrong. And you can't fix it yourself -- there's a special "service port" that doesn't take USB or any other normal connector; you have to hire a pro to come out and "calibrate" your set for several hundred bucks. In other words, you're paying someone to play with the hue and contrast knobs. No thanks. For this price, it should either work out of the box, or I should be able to adjust it myself. It's not rocket science -- or rather, if it is, then the product is badly misdesigned.

The most noticable color problems are with skin, which looks either too green or too pale or too pink -- and it varies with the scene. That's the killer: it's not a single-directional error, like "always too green", which you could potentially correct. It's variable. The most common problem is that it makes yellows too green, but sometimes it makes them too orange. It also tends to make reds look magenta, and exaggerates blues.

Another thing, which will probably vary from person to person, is that I find the picture exhausting to watch. Unlike a CRT or plasma or LCD, the DLP image has absolutely no residual. That's great for fast motion, because it'll never streak. But it means that you're not looking at a steady light source, you're looking at a strobe light. In theory, it's flashing fast enough that you can't tell. In practice, I find that it wears my eyes out, in much the same way that very early CD players would wear your ears out. It's just a very harsh thing to look at.

Low-light images look horribly grainy. Star Trek: Enterprise, X-Files, Twin Peaks, anything that has a lot of dimly lit scenes looks just awful -- like you're getting it off a UHF antenna. Speaking of Enterprise, that's a good place to observe the color problems. Watch the color of the uniforms -- as the surrounding scenery changes, they go from almost neon-blue to dark gray.

Finally, whatever set you buy, don't repeat my mistake of only watching the store's HD feed. You need to see what it does with normal low-res content, because that's going to be 95% of what you're watching for the useful lifetime of the TV. No, really. You don't realize how little HD content there is until you have an HDTV.

Rating:
Summary: Great TV - HDMI Useless
Review: Have had 61" Samsung for 3 months. Picture is great but cannot use some of the features, such as the 6 different screen options due to cable box limitations. Also, connected HDMI port to new Samsung DVD player through a HDMI/DVI adapter cable but get no signal. Was told by Best Buy reps that HDMI will only work with another device that also has HDMI. Since both my cable box and DVD player do not have HDMI, that feature is worthless today. Also have noticed a lip sync problem with the HD TV network transmissions. Was told by salesperson that this is a network TV or cable box problem. Not too sure about that one. Anyone else with the same problem out there?

Rating:
Summary: Amazing TV
Review: I am incredibly happy with my Samsung HLP6163W. I actually ordered it through Amazon and the price was so good, all the local electronic stores thought I photoshop'd the receipt until they looked it up themselves.

Now on to what you care about: I did A LOT of research before buying this TV. I spent several months browsing the AVS Forums (search for it) and doing side-by-side comparisions in stores.

Brand: I chose the Samsung because they were one of the first companies to make DLP tv's and they have already worked through the numerous problems plaguing other manufacturers. I also liked the Mitsubishi TV but couldn't get past the horrible glare from the removable protective screen.

Technology: I like the softer picture on the HD3 chip in the HLP's. The HLPs use 1 mirror per 2 pixels. The HD2+ chips use a sharper 1:1 ratio of mirrors to pixels. In theory that's better, but I spend most of my time (as you will) watching regular SD (standard definition) TV signals from my cable provider. There just isn't a lot of HD content out there yet. The softer picture on the HLPs makes SDTV looks much nicer. The low mirror to pixel ratio blurs the picture a tiny bit which you won't notice much at a 10-15 ft viewing distance. With the HD2+ tv's you can clearly see how crappy the SD signal really is with large blocky areas.

Size: Size choice is mostly based on two factors, money and living area. Use some measuring tape and little common-sense and you'll figure this out quite easily. Personally for my 25'x20' living room, I would have gone with a 70" TV if I had the cash.

Common complaints:
Rainbows - I have never seen these. Nor has my gf, roommate, or the 10-20 other people who've seen my TV.
Light Bulb - I have only owned my TV for about 3 months now, but I'm still using the original bulb. I recommend buying a spare one though so you won't have to wait for a new one to arrive. You shouldn't have to replace the bulb more than once per 1-2yrs.
Inputs - The HLP6163 has 3 component inputs, 1 HDMI, and 1 DVI. HDMI will be the connection of the future or so the MPAA has decreed. DVI is the most common high-resolution connection of the present. Component is quickly going the way of the Dodo but lots of game systems (like XBox) still require it.
Games - XBox over a Monster Cable connector looks amazing. That's all I own.

Overall - The TV is amazing. Everyone who visits my house wants to play Halo 2 or watch a movie. Heck I haven't been to the movies more than once since I got it, as my friends would rather rent one and watch it at my place. HD Football is incredible and I leave work early every Monday to catch the game. Nuff said.

Rating:
Summary: A bit expensive, but well worth the money...
Review: I purchased this item 4 months ago...and just recently switched to an HD Cable Box from Brighthouse. I knew the difference would be noticable...but it is amazing!!!! If you are a sports fan or movie buff, you will love this TV...again, it is on the expensive side... but after comparing this TV to the other 61"-ish DLP's on the market, this one stood out as the best. One quick recommendation... I tried using a DVD player with DVI outputs...seems there isn't a reliable one on the market yet... Toshiba makes a great DVD/VCR Combo unit with HDMI outputs...both the picture quality and sound quality are amazing, and although I was skeptical at first about buying a DVD/VCR combo, I have used it often and couldn't be happier....it actually helped the VCR tapes look more like DVD's... hope you enjoy!!!

Rating:
Summary: SAMSUNG CUST SERVICE IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: IT'S a shame that the tv looks great but, when i called for tch help or service i was put on hold and disconnected 6 times in an hour and a half when i asked for a supervisor, no one was available.ther seems to be very poor customer service here for a $4000.00 purchase.
LET IT BE KNOWN YOU CANNOT SWAP PICTURE IN PICTURE WHEN ONE SOURCE IS A CABLE BOX going to "component 1" AND you have another signal going to another spot such as "Av1" Disappointing!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: I love this TV
Review: This set has a simply beautiful picture after calibration (my friend did it with a calibration DVD in 30 minutes). The colors are especially brilliant. My friend has a Samsung HLN617W (I liked his TV so decided to stick with Samsung), and the major improvements with my 6163 are more brilliant colors and darker black levels. These are easily noticeable differences between the two sets. My TV is also light (100 lbs) - easily carried and positioned by two people. So far (two weeks), I have no complaints about it at all, and I think I'm a little bit in love with my television.

Some were complaining about only 1 DVI port, but it also has an HDMI port, and you can get an HDMI to DVI cable (which keeps the identical digital signal).

In my opinion, DLP (and this set specifically) offers the best bang for the buck right now. Who needs a heavy LCD rear-projection, or super expensive flat panel plasmas or LCDs which get duller or burn out pixels with time. The 6163 fits beautifully against the wall (on a stand), it's only 17" deep. DLP's drawbacks are bad black levels and rainbow effect. This set dramatically improves black level performance (from its Samsung predecessors), it looks black to me. I do occasionally see the rainbow effect, but only during hugely contrasting pictures, like moving white letters on a black background. During normal movie or TV watching, I hardly ever detect it. To me, this is a minor drawback of DLP that is far outweighed by its many strengths. I can strongly recommend this TV!