Learn: Home » Trying Out a 21st-century TV
Calibration makes a good thing even better
Before watching any more DVDs, I got out my trusty Avia setup disc and adjusted the Samsung's picture controls. For an in-depth look at using this disc effectively, check out Advisor's TV setup article. After making the changes, I revisited a couple of chapters from the Superbit DVD of The Fifth Element. It had looked very good before, but now it looked noticeably better — among other things, the color balance seemed more neutral. (If you're not familiar with Superbit DVDs, they are encoded at a higher bit rate for a better-looking picture. The difference is noticeable, especially on a big-screen.)
The HL-P5063W is part of Samsung's 3rd-generation "63-series" DLP models. It uses one of Texas Instruments' newest DLP chips, the HD3. Unlike previous chips which use square microscopic mirrors to form pixels for images, the HD3's mirrors are diamond-shaped. This, along with Samsung's Cinema Smooth™ Gen 3 "light engine," gives this set a smoother look overall. I preferred it to previous-generation DLP models, which at times can seem unnaturally sharp. For a detailed explanation of how DLP works, see our "Choosing a Digital Big-screen TV" article.
With its high resolution and big screen, the HL-P5063W revealed flaws in video sources the way a high-end audio system exposes recording glitches. I began noticing subtle (and not so subtle) imperfections that I'd read about in magazine reviews for years, but never seen firsthand: things like compression artifacts on DVDs, edge enhancement, etc.
DVDs were looking great, but I figured they could always look a little better, so I started experimenting. Initially, I used my DVD player's interlaced mode and let the Samsung's Faroudja DCDi™ video processing handle de-interlacing and 3-2 pulldown. (Hey, it's one of the best processors available.) Out of curiosity, I selected the Sony player's progressive-scan video mode (which bypasses the TV's Faroudja chip). To be honest, I couldn't see any differences on the scenes I looked at. Both were free of any jagged lines.
--Attempting to take DVD beyond progressive scan
I hoped to take the DVD picture quality to an even higher level by connecting Samsung's new upconverting DVD player, the DVD-HD841. The player is able to upconvert to 720p or 1080i, sending the signal over the digital DVI connection. Unfortunately, I was never able to make the DVI connection work. The other jacks on the TV (and player) worked fine, but I was never saw a picture of any kind via DVI. I sought help from Crutchfield's tech advisors, as well as Samsung's tech support line, but received no solutions. I thought the player's supplied DVI cable might be the culprit, so I substituted a length of Monster Cable DVI, but to no avail.
-->
Plenty of options
Aside from its crisp, high-impact picture, the HL-P5063W crushed my old TV when it came to conveniences and customizable features. The Samsung's setup menus were polished, well thought-out, and easy to use. You could assign a set of picture controls for each video input, which was great, since the settings for the DVD player ended up being quite different from those for the cable box. Another nice touch is that each picture setting has a number value, so once you've got everything dialed in, you can jot them down for safe-keeping, in case the settings ever get accidentally changed.
It was great having several aspect-ratio options to choose from, and the ability to change them from the remote. When watching regular TV programs, I tried out the stretch modes, but the distortion was too distracting. Besides, DLP is probably more immune to screen burn-in than any other display technology, so I never minded viewing with vertical black pillars on the sides. Where the black bars did become intrusive was on the occasional standard TV program that was letterboxed. In that case, I had an image with bars on the sides and on the top and bottom!
My final DVD test was The Man Who Wasn't There, the Coen brothers' black and white film set in the '40s. It looked amazing — DLP's image consistency gave scenes a truly seamless look. There were deep blacks, bright whites, and a seemingly infinite number of shades of gray in between. I did notice a few more "rainbows" while watching this disc. The multicolored flashes really stood out. Also, I noticed some "false contouring" in a couple of scenes. In one, the characters played by Frances McDormand and Billy Bob Thornton are in a room with their lawyer, played by Tony Shalhoub. Bright sunlight streams down through a window, illuminating drifting clouds of cigarette smoke. Viewed on the Samsung, there were distinct layers to the smoke, rather than a smooth gradient.
Wrap it up, I'll take it!
Priced at $3500, the Samsung isn't cheap. But there's a lot going on inside its slender cabinet. It's an A/V switcher with capacity for 7 A/V components. It's a 50" HDTV-ready display (HDTV reception requires a separate HD tuner of some kind). It also has Faroudja DCDi line-doubling that's more advanced than stand-alone doublers from a few years back that cost thousands! Overall, I was extremely impressed by the Samsung. As I write this, it's the day after I had to pack it up and return it. I already miss it.
Before watching any more DVDs, I got out my trusty Avia setup disc and adjusted the Samsung's picture controls. For an in-depth look at using this disc effectively, check out Advisor's TV setup article. After making the changes, I revisited a couple of chapters from the Superbit DVD of The Fifth Element. It had looked very good before, but now it looked noticeably better — among other things, the color balance seemed more neutral. (If you're not familiar with Superbit DVDs, they are encoded at a higher bit rate for a better-looking picture. The difference is noticeable, especially on a big-screen.)
The HL-P5063W is part of Samsung's 3rd-generation "63-series" DLP models. It uses one of Texas Instruments' newest DLP chips, the HD3. Unlike previous chips which use square microscopic mirrors to form pixels for images, the HD3's mirrors are diamond-shaped. This, along with Samsung's Cinema Smooth™ Gen 3 "light engine," gives this set a smoother look overall. I preferred it to previous-generation DLP models, which at times can seem unnaturally sharp. For a detailed explanation of how DLP works, see our "Choosing a Digital Big-screen TV" article.
With its high resolution and big screen, the HL-P5063W revealed flaws in video sources the way a high-end audio system exposes recording glitches. I began noticing subtle (and not so subtle) imperfections that I'd read about in magazine reviews for years, but never seen firsthand: things like compression artifacts on DVDs, edge enhancement, etc.
DVDs were looking great, but I figured they could always look a little better, so I started experimenting. Initially, I used my DVD player's interlaced mode and let the Samsung's Faroudja DCDi™ video processing handle de-interlacing and 3-2 pulldown. (Hey, it's one of the best processors available.) Out of curiosity, I selected the Sony player's progressive-scan video mode (which bypasses the TV's Faroudja chip). To be honest, I couldn't see any differences on the scenes I looked at. Both were free of any jagged lines.
 The HL-P5063W sports a wide array of connection options. |
--Attempting to take DVD beyond progressive scan
I hoped to take the DVD picture quality to an even higher level by connecting Samsung's new upconverting DVD player, the DVD-HD841. The player is able to upconvert to 720p or 1080i, sending the signal over the digital DVI connection. Unfortunately, I was never able to make the DVI connection work. The other jacks on the TV (and player) worked fine, but I was never saw a picture of any kind via DVI. I sought help from Crutchfield's tech advisors, as well as Samsung's tech support line, but received no solutions. I thought the player's supplied DVI cable might be the culprit, so I substituted a length of Monster Cable DVI, but to no avail.
-->
Plenty of options
Aside from its crisp, high-impact picture, the HL-P5063W crushed my old TV when it came to conveniences and customizable features. The Samsung's setup menus were polished, well thought-out, and easy to use. You could assign a set of picture controls for each video input, which was great, since the settings for the DVD player ended up being quite different from those for the cable box. Another nice touch is that each picture setting has a number value, so once you've got everything dialed in, you can jot them down for safe-keeping, in case the settings ever get accidentally changed.
It was great having several aspect-ratio options to choose from, and the ability to change them from the remote. When watching regular TV programs, I tried out the stretch modes, but the distortion was too distracting. Besides, DLP is probably more immune to screen burn-in than any other display technology, so I never minded viewing with vertical black pillars on the sides. Where the black bars did become intrusive was on the occasional standard TV program that was letterboxed. In that case, I had an image with bars on the sides and on the top and bottom!
My final DVD test was The Man Who Wasn't There, the Coen brothers' black and white film set in the '40s. It looked amazing — DLP's image consistency gave scenes a truly seamless look. There were deep blacks, bright whites, and a seemingly infinite number of shades of gray in between. I did notice a few more "rainbows" while watching this disc. The multicolored flashes really stood out. Also, I noticed some "false contouring" in a couple of scenes. In one, the characters played by Frances McDormand and Billy Bob Thornton are in a room with their lawyer, played by Tony Shalhoub. Bright sunlight streams down through a window, illuminating drifting clouds of cigarette smoke. Viewed on the Samsung, there were distinct layers to the smoke, rather than a smooth gradient.
Wrap it up, I'll take it!
Priced at $3500, the Samsung isn't cheap. But there's a lot going on inside its slender cabinet. It's an A/V switcher with capacity for 7 A/V components. It's a 50" HDTV-ready display (HDTV reception requires a separate HD tuner of some kind). It also has Faroudja DCDi line-doubling that's more advanced than stand-alone doublers from a few years back that cost thousands! Overall, I was extremely impressed by the Samsung. As I write this, it's the day after I had to pack it up and return it. I already miss it.
