Ever had problems with an HDTV?

[MJW]

I was wondering if anyone on the board has ever had technical problems with an HDTV that required service?

I bought my first Samsung HDTV a little less than 3 months ago and have recently noticed incosistencies in the picture quality. The right 1/3rd of the screen displays "lighter" than the rest, meaning that if the screen has a solid color fill, the portion referenced will be lighter in color than the rest. This is ESPECIALLY noticable while playing PS3 games and/or watching animated movies (which is basically every Blu-ray I own...).

To make a long story short, I filed a service request with Samsung and was told a local tech would call for an appointment in the next few days.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience in having their HDTV serviced and/or replaced while under warranty? It doesn't even have to be by Samsung, I was just wondering how this usually goes. I fear I am going to be stuck with a dud and basically refused service from Samsung. Either that or I am going to be treated like an idiot that makes a big deal out of nothing. After all, this is a TV and shouldn't picture quality be one of the more important things?

[dvdjunkie]

Sounds like one of your panels is weak. Your HDTV is probably three panels wide (this is not knowing how big your screen is) and one of the panels has a weak source. Could be nothing and could be a replacement is needed. Wish you luck with it. Just a question: Did you ever have your HDTV calibrated to cut down the heat it throws out. HDTV's have a lot of heat associated with the screen and calibration is what will turn that heat level down and prolong the life of the panels in your set.

Just a question - why Samsung? Was it price? I am a firm believer in the old saying "you get what you pay for". My own personal taste is to do comparison shopping before buying and not letting the price get in the way. That is how we decided on our LG 62" HDTV monitor.

[MJW]

Thanks for the response and the info. The screen size is 46".

It wasn't all about the price, I actually liked the Samsung, I shopped around for months and months and decided to go with it. I am a frugal person but I have no problem in spending money on something that I intend to keep for a long period of time. The price fit within my budget and I liked the picture quality I saw on display. This was my first HDTV and other than the problem outlined above I am pretty happy with it.

I never fathomed for one second that there would be something wrong with the picture quality; it never crossed my mind. The only concerns I had was if it would go on sale right after I bought it or if I should have gone bigger with a 55". From the display I saw in stores, the picture quality was flawless.

I have been back to the store to look at the other Samsungs for evidence of this issue in TV's other than my own, but I haven't seen it and of course the sales people have no idea what I am talking about.

I am hoping that the service tech that comes out is going to be on my side and not just try to save Samsung money by pretending nothing is wrong. I'm ready for a fight but I would really prefer for this to go smoothly.

[ajmrowland]

When my family first got our Toshiba from American Express, it was shipped with FedEx. A similar problem. One half of the screen was dim and the other was normal brightness. We sent it back for a replacement, this time with UPS. That replacement has yet to show signs of slowing down. This was back in 2007.

[MJW]

That's good to hear, I hope that if they choose to repair or replace my TV, the 2nd one will be flawless. That would be such a relief!

[ajmrowland]

Yeah, chances are for both of us that one of the lamps was knocked loose.

[MJW]

Was there an extreme difference between the darker and lighter or was it subtle? I'm worried the tech is going to pretend like it's not a big deal or that I am overreacting. I'm going to put a game in to show him what it looks like so there will be no denying that it's beyond acceptable.

[ajmrowland]

It was almost as different as black and white, I guarantee. However, I'm thankful, because after that, I learned that the connections I was using were Sh**, and about Home Theater Calibration and stuff like that before the new one arrived. Gotta keep up with technology.

[dvdjunkie]

And if you can't afford Professional Calibration at least use a DVD with a THX calibration test and set your television up to that. I was willing to spring for the extra bucks to have the Geek Squad from Best Buy come out and calibrate my HDTV. After the first 200 hours of burn-in time is the recommended time for the calibration. You will definitely notice a heat difference and a picture quality difference when you get it calibrated.

[ajmrowland]

Dont even use the THX. If you have some time, use either Digital Video Essentials, or Disney's WOW World Of Wonder. The tests on those are high quality, though DVE might be a bit better.