Samsung 72" DLP

[talmazor]

I'm currently selling off my high-end home theater projector and going for a more "economical" setup.

I'm looking at the Samsung 72" DLP - HL-T7288W. Seems like a great bang for the buck.

Anyone have one or have any comments about it? Good, bad, ugly?

Thanks.

 

[brulaha]

What don't you like about having a projector? If It were me, I'd want a LCD or Plasma in addition to a drop down projector. That way you have the best of both worlds.

 

[talmazor]

I love my projector but in moving my setup to another room it makes more sense to get rid of it. The existing room has a 119" fixed screen, which won't work in the other room. Plus, the new room has a wall unit which won't allow for the screen to be installed on the wall. Not to mention that the wife isn't keen on having a projector hanging from the ceiling in the living room, which would be the first thing you see when you come into the hoiuse.

So all that leads me to, getting rid of my projector.

 

[itschris]

One thing you have to be careful of with the Samsungs is screen bow. The use very thin bezels that have difficulty supporting the screen which actually causes bowing.. basically an curve up on either side of the screen.. about 4-8 inches from each side near the top and bottom. It's been well documented on other forums and Samsung never specifically acknowledged the problem or said it was corrected.

My neighbor has a 57 in one room that's perfect and a 61 in the other that has pretty bad bowing. You can check it out by putting up menu or guide on the screen that has a horizontal line going the width of the screen. Just look to see how much it curves up near the ends. All DLPs have some bowing... usually slight, but some of the Samsungs have developed a significant issue with it.

There are however many very happy Samsung owners out there. They make fine TV's... just look carefully at it when you get it home and make sure you have the option to exchange the TV if you find there is a bowing issue. It may not be as much an issue with the latest generation set, though last year it was the big talk.

I would also check out Mitsubishi. I spent a lot of time looking at both sets and felt the Mits Diamond had the edge. They make a 73" in the regular and Diamond lines that you may just want to give consideration to. On my 65, I have only the very slightest bowing about 3 inches from the side. I can't even notice it unless I look close with a straight line going across the screen from the menu guide.

That's my 2 cents. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[talmazor]

Thanks for the info, that's the first time I heard about the bowing in the DLPs.

So just to clarify, if I turn on a menu, or something with a horizontal line which goes the full length of the screen, the line won't be straight? Is it something that is obvious to the naked eye, like a straight line looks like a happy face? What is within the acceptable tolerances? Do the manufacturers usually warranty a problem like this?

Thanks alot.

 

[GlocksRock]

my 73" mitsu has some very slight bowing, but it's not bad enough that I would want them to replace it. Besides it could very well happen to the next set and be even worse. And it's only noticeable when I'm using my PC on the tv and have certain apps or web pages up. Still the best bang for your buck is a nice DLP tv.

 

[talmazor]

I'm still trying to figure this out.

What's considered "very slight bowing"? 1"? 6"?

 

[GlocksRock]

not even 1/2".

 

[jostenmeat]

Hi again talmazor.

The one thing with certain Sammy DLP's that would drive me nuts is that the IR sensor is smack dab in the middle of the display (well, lower/center). This means you can't use a center speaker at that specific position. The speaker will have to be even lower stuffed in the cabinet, or above the display, which I imagine/presume happens pretty rarely with large TVs...

Note the first pic in this thread and my immediate response:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45145

 

[armaraas]

Hi again talmazor.

The one thing with certain Sammy DLP's that would drive me nuts is that the IR sensor is smack dab in the middle of the display (well, lower/center). This means you can't use a center speaker at that specific position. The speaker will have to be even lower stuffed in the cabinet, or above the display, which I imagine/presume happens pretty rarely with large TVs...

Note the first pic in this thread and my immediate response:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45145

I've been wondering if they've changed that...it was a bit of a hindrance of my available choices for center speakers that would fit my space. My DLP is an older, about 3 years, Samsung 56". Luckily the sensor on mine is only an inch off the stand, so I found having 2 dvd cases stacked under both sides of the speaker was just enough for the remote to work consistently. One case did not give enough room. Anyway, I ended up putting the new center on the shelf below the tv for now since that's my wife's preference. So far it seems fine there, haven't had any localization issues. As long as I don't change tv's I know I can put the speaker in either location, a new tv and I'm not so sure...

 

[gus6464]

Yeah Samsung bowing on DLP is bad. Before I got my plasma I originally bought a 55" Samsung DLP because they were giving me a superb deal at Sears and when I got home I researched the model a bit further and found out about the bowing. Needless to say I went back to Sears the next day to cancel the order and just for kicks I put my pinky finger on the middle top of the display, and with just a tiny bit of pressure the whole screen collapsed.

Mitsubishi Diamonds are good as well as Sony XBR2's if you can still find one. Sony was coming out with a new 70" XBR SXRD but they canned it.

 

[itschris]

I measured the bowiing on my Mits Diamond 65. At about 6 inches from the right of the screen and about 5 inches from the left, there's a slight curvature of just under a 1/4 inches. You can see it if you're paying attention, and the guide is up where there's a straight line. You can kinda see it if you looking for it on letter box movies, but overall, I don't even notice it.

The Samsungs have... well a lot of them anyway... have a much more pronounced bow. My neighbor has about a 1/3 inch bow on the 4 inches from the sides and it varies just slightly on all four corners. Not good and definately noticable.

 

[GlocksRock]

Hi again talmazor.

The one thing with certain Sammy DLP's that would drive me nuts is that the IR sensor is smack dab in the middle of the display (well, lower/center). This means you can't use a center speaker at that specific position. The speaker will have to be even lower stuffed in the cabinet, or above the display, which I imagine/presume happens pretty rarely with large TVs...

Note the first pic in this thread and my immediate response:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45145

I had that exact same issue, but I used one of these to fix it. It has a small wired transmitter that you can connect which is what I used, and it worked perfectly. They have since discontinued those and made a newer model. They are made by Terk.

http://www.zwaveproducts.com/AUDIO/Leapfrog-IR-Remote-Extender.html

 

[klix58]

Talmazor, check the new series 7 Samsung 67" it is obviously a bit smaller but LED no bulb and in the 5 months I have had this no "bow"