SAMSUNG: Share Your Custom Display Settings

[IntelliVolume]

That's just great. Just what I needed right now.

It's not bad enough that I'm sitting too far away from this new display that cost me $1300 (U.S.) or so, and that I basically flushed that money down the toilet, now I have to worry that I may need to get Samsung involved for a warranty issue...

[beefytwinkie]

Dang, I just wanted to check how you're faring with your sweet new TV and it appears you're really not happy with your purchase.

With regard to the firmware, you can always just install it and see if that fixes your HDMI issues. There are a few pages going back and I say, respectfully, I may have missed the reason you have not yet updated the firmware if one is available.

I did, however, manage to fix my own HDMI quirk. I got my TV to rename the input by connecting my Apple TV directly to the television and bypassing the receiver. Although, this means nothing to you because you are clearly experiencing a competely separate issue.

Hopefully updating the firmware will sort out your HDMI issues. It would suck if you have to go through Samsung for the warranty repairs. If a technician comes to your house and opens up the TV, just make sure they wear gloves and what not. You don't want them smudging the screen, etc. when they are working on your television. Needless to say, I sure as hell don't trust them.

I would have suggested you go back to Best Buy and maybe get a new television but you're way out of the return period at this point.

I really hope your TV stops giving you a hard time and you're able to enjoy it to the max.

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

Dang, I just wanted to check how you're faring with your sweet new TV and it appears you're really not happy with your purchase.

With regard to the firmware, you can always just install it and see if that fixes your HDMI issues. There are a few pages going back and I say, respectfully, I may have missed the reason you have not yet updated the firmware if one is available.

I did, however, manage to fix my own HDMI quirk. I got my TV to rename the input by connecting my Apple TV directly to the television and bypassing the receiver. Although, this means nothing to you because you are clearly experiencing a competely separate issue.

Hopefully updating the firmware will sort out your HDMI issues. It would suck if you have to go through Samsung for the warranty repairs. If a technician comes to your house and opens up the TV, just make sure they wear gloves and what not. You don't want them smudging the screen, etc. when they are working on your television. Needless to say, I sure as hell don't trust them.

I would have suggested you go back to Best Buy and maybe get a new television but you're way out of the return period at this point.

I really hope your TV stops giving you a hard time and you're able to enjoy it to the max.

Thanks Twinkie...

Appreciate your sentiments; I really like the TV when it works properly (that is, when inputs are labeled right and incoming resolution is correct) and aside from the flashlighting that I can't seem to curb with the local dimming feature. I was just telling Chip that I watched Jurassic World on Blu-ray last night, and the picture quality was pretty jaw-dropping with the TV upscaling the 1080p signal to 4K.

At this point, I don't know what I am going to do about the issues I'm having; I will keep your notes in mind if I ever have to get techs to come out. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

[IntelliVolume]

Chip:

In continuing our discussion from the other thread...

Samsung informed me that I didn't have to do a factory reset after the firmware update (most manufacturers insist that this is always done after such an update, including Oppo with their Blu-ray players), but should I attempt one to see if that improves the situation since the update? They suggested it "couldn't hurt"...

Would doing a factory reset ERASE the current up-to-date software/firmware I just installed?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Would doing a factory reset ERASE the current up-to-date software/firmware I just installed?

Generally they don't erase the current firmware, they just clear all the user data, settings et cetera.

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by chip75

Generally they don't erase the current firmware, they just clear all the user data, settings et cetera.

So this probably wouldn't help then...

[IntelliVolume]

Did the factory reset, yet again, Chip, and I'm still getting the green squares on certain cable channels and the weird "rotating circle" when ONLY my Blu-ray player is turned off...I just cannot understand what is going on here.

Let me move beyond this for a second and ask you something with regard to AUDIO on these TVs -- I obviously don't use the TV's internal speakers during film playback (I have an external 5.1 surround setup), but I do use them for cable viewing...in this Samsung's audio setup menu, there's a selection for incoming HDMI audio signals, and it's either BITSTREAM or PCM. My audio is coming in over my HD cable box to the Samsung via an HDMI cable (for audio and video), and the box is set to output "two channel" audio...however, the Samsung automatically defaults to BITSTREAM for audio input, which does enable sound from the box, but when I switch it to PCM, the audio seems to get LOUDER...

Here's something else that's quirky: When I switch the Samsung's HDMI audio input from BITSTREAM to PCM, initially the TV won't accept the change and I get no sound. I have to switch back and forth between PCM and BITSTREAM a couple of times in order to hear sound from my cable box.

What is the correct setting here for my setup when I have an HDMI cable sending audio to the Samsung from the cable box? Should the Samsung be on PCM or BITSTREAM?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Here's something else that's quirky: When I switch the Samsung's HDMI audio input from BITSTREAM to PCM, initially the TV won't accept the change and I get no sound. I have to switch back and forth between PCM and BITSTREAM a couple of times in order to hear sound from my cable box.

Are you exiting the menu? Usually it accepts the change after the menu is exited. If you have to go back in and change it then that might be an issue.

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

What is the correct setting here for my setup when I have an HDMI cable sending audio to the Samsung from the cable box? Should the Samsung be on PCM or BITSTREAM?

It depends on what you want to do the decoding, bitstream will let the TV decode the audio, the cable box will decode it first with PCM. You shouldn't have any real problems with either (you could select PCM if your TV had problems decoding the audio, but that's not an issue with the Samsung).

[chip75]

Originally Posted by chip75

Generally they don't erase the current firmware, they just clear all the user data, settings et cetera.

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

So this probably wouldn't help then...

It might, but it's usually device dependent.

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by chip75

Are you exiting the menu? Usually it accepts the change after the menu is exited. If you have to go back in and change it then that might be an issue.

No, usually I don't exit the Sound Setup menu when doing this; the TV does dim and then get bright again when making audio adjustments, though...is this normal?

It depends on what you want to do the decoding, bitstream will let the TV decode the audio, the cable box will decode it first with PCM. You shouldn't have any real problems with either (you could select PCM if your TV had problems decoding the audio, but that's not an issue with the Samsung).

I totally understand the differences between PCM and bitstream when dealing with separate surround components such as DVD/BD players and A/V receivers (I'm not new to the HT hobby in general, just to new TV tech )...I'm totally on top of all that. I just don't understand how this works with regard to audio coming from a cable box over HDMI -- I didn't have to mess with any of this stuff with my previous TV, because I was hooked up with component video cables and red/white analog audio cables from the box to that previous television.

Now that I'm using HDMI from the box, I don't understand how all of these interact; in my box's audio output setup, there is a choice of either DOLBY DIGITAL or TWO-CHANNEL ONLY. I keep this at TWO-CHANNEL ONLY, being that I planned on sending basic two-channel audio to the TV set's speakers...is this correct?

Now, when I select TWO-CHANNEL ONLY on the box and then go into the Samsung's audio settings, I am offered two selections there for HDMI audio input: BITSTREAM or PCM. If the CABLE BOX is sending a two-channel stream, what should the TV's setting be on -- bitstream or PCM?

[IntelliVolume]

Also wanted to let you know that even after the full factory reset yesterday, Chip, I'm STILL getting the cable box input's information screen reading "1080i/60" when the box ISN'T powered on. And, I am still getting that "spinning circle" icon in the middle of the screen when the Blu-ray player is powered down (NOT on the cable input)...and the two different HDMI inputs are behaving weirdly in other ways, as well, such when they're "called up" by me pressing the info button and then clicking on their on-screen icons...

I haven't tried unplugging the box's HDMI connection yet, though, per your previous suggestion.

Do you have any idea what this spinning circle is when I shut off my BD player? This DIDN'T occur prior to me doing the software update...

Here's something else I wanted to share with you: On my previous Sony television, the screen DID read "1080i" as the incoming resolution for the cable box when the box WASN'T on (as I'm experiencing now with the Samsung)...that resolution ALWAYS stayed on the screen before the box was powered up. Could this be some kind of funky anomaly with this outdated HD box, being that it's causing it to happen on BOTH televisions?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Now that I'm using HDMI from the box, I don't understand how all of these interact; in my box's audio output setup, there is a choice of either DOLBY DIGITAL or TWO-CHANNEL ONLY. I keep this at TWO-CHANNEL ONLY, being that I planned on sending basic two-channel audio to the TV set's speakers...is this correct?

I don't think either one is incorrect, but if your box is similar to our UK boxes, you might not get any sound if you select Dolby Digital. As not all channels output in Dolby Digital.

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Now, when I select TWO-CHANNEL ONLY on the box and then go into the Samsung's audio settings, I am offered two selections there for HDMI audio input: BITSTREAM or PCM. If the CABLE BOX is sending a two-channel stream, what should the TV's setting be on -- bitstream or PCM?

It doesn't make much difference, if you're getting sound, then I'd leave it at bitstream. It might make a difference if you're not getting sound with the Dolby option mentioned above, but I'm not sure.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

I haven't tried unplugging the box's HDMI connection yet, though, per your previous suggestion.

It's worth trying to see if all the results are the same.

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Do you have any idea what this spinning circle is when I shut off my BD player? This DIDN'T occur prior to me doing the software update...

The TV's memory is buffering as it's accomplishing a task.

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Here's something else I wanted to share with you: On my previous Sony television, the screen DID read "1080i" as the incoming resolution for the cable box when the box WASN'T on (as I'm experiencing now with the Samsung)...that resolution ALWAYS stayed on the screen before the box was powered up. Could this be some kind of funky anomaly with this outdated HD box, being that it's causing it to happen on BOTH televisions?

It could be, does the box have a quick start function? perhaps it's always almost on. It's worth trying unplugging it completely and trying it in different inputs.

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by chip75

I don't think either one is incorrect, but if your box is similar to our UK boxes, you might not get any sound if you select Dolby Digital. As not all channels output in Dolby Digital.

Okay -- so then I will DEFINITELY keep the BOX'S output at "Two-Channel Only."

Thanks for the confirmation.

It doesn't make much difference, if you're getting sound, then I'd leave it at bitstream. It might make a difference if you're not getting sound with the Dolby option mentioned above, but I'm not sure.

Well, I'm getting sound whether the Samsung's HDMI audio input is set to PCM OR bitstream -- the difference is, when I switch to PCM from bitstream (it defaults to bitstream out of the box or after a software update), there's a delay and the TV does this weird "dimming out" thing as the audio format changes (don't understand why this would affect VIDEO)...at first, PCM doesn't seem to "click" as I get no audio, but then it eventually does if I switch the formats back and forth (though you said I probably have to get out of the menu for the audio to kick in).

Here's another thing: It seems that switching to PCM in the Samsung makes the volume level of the cable channels LOUDER for some reason; I just don't know if the TV's speakers should be set to PCM or bitstream if I am sending two-channel audio from the cable box via HDMI...

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by chip75

It's worth trying to see if all the results are the same.

Alright.

The TV's memory is buffering as it's accomplishing a task.

Alright...by why didn't this happen PRIOR to the firmware update I performed, and why is it ONLY happening with the BD player input? It DOESN'T happen when I power down the cable box, only the Blu-ray player...

It could be, does the box have a quick start function? perhaps it's always almost on. It's worth trying unplugging it completely and trying it in different inputs.

I don't know if it has the quick start function -- I'll check on that and get back to ya...

Thanks for everything, once more.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Here's another thing: It seems that switching to PCM in the Samsung makes the volume level of the cable channels LOUDER for some reason; I just don't know if the TV's speakers should be set to PCM or bitstream if I am sending two-channel audio from the cable box via HDMI...

I don't think it's uncommon to have different audio levels between PCM and bitstream. It doesn't matter which one you choose.

[IntelliVolume]

Are you sure about which one to choose?

[IntelliVolume]

Here's something else I was concerned with, Chip...

I did the firmware upgrade for the TV, but the official version of the current firmware is "1131.9" and my TV is indicating the same version but without the ".9" at the end...is this normal, or should I ask them what's going on?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Are you sure about which one to choose?

Unless you're having issues with the sound output it doesn't really matter.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Here's something else I was concerned with, Chip...

I did the firmware upgrade for the TV, but the official version of the current firmware is "1131.9" and my TV is indicating the same version but without the ".9" at the end...is this normal, or should I ask them what's going on?

As long as the first four digits updated, it shouldn't be an problem.