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User Submitted Samsung HLN437W 43-Inch Widescreen Projection HDTV with DLP Technology Reviews Date: 2007-02-02 color wheel problems These tvs look great but are seriously defective. You can count on the TV breaking within 3-4 years. The color wheels will break and it's an expensive repair > $500. The lamp will also go in a couple of years for another repair. Date: 2004-09-20 Poor quality compared to other products One of the first DLP-based RPTV's to hit the market this side of teh Pacific Ocean, this TV feels like a beta (or alpha) product. Picture quality is sub-par compared to DLP TVs from Sony and Panasonic, and those brands (surprise!) cost even less. Given the many better choices available, I don't see why anyone would buy this one. Date: 2004-09-15 Not yet ready for Prime Time I've owned this unit for 6 months, and already have 2 problems (which have yet to be resolved). My unit developed a stripe on one edge of the picture area, when playing 3:4 aspect images, broadcast or video. It does not appear in wide-screen mode. And then - after only 6 months - the unit started SQUEALING like a high-pitched CHAINSAW at boot-up, and later randomly during use. Complaint aside, the image quality - from DVD, widescreen - is really great. And the sound from the set itself is far better than most. But it can't be enjoyed when the unit is trash otherwise. Other things to consider: The construction of the unit is all plastic and feals flimsy. The remote is slow to respond to channel changes. The vertical viewing range is limited. (The horizontal is ok.) My $300 normal TV worked for 10 years without a problem. Now, for $3000, I get only 6 months. Ridiculous! And I've called the service department 3 times without any real person ever picking up the phone! I believe the product was released before its time. If you're considering purchase this, I would wait. There are other technologies that look better. Or get a DLP after the bugs are worked out. And you may want to select a company with actual service and support to back them up. Date: 2004-09-09 NO SERVICE Don't expect any service from a third rated company. If you are buying a big ticket item or an expensive item, don't go with Samsung. They will not help you when it breaks down even when it's under the warranty. They will delay it until the warranty is over. Date: 2004-08-28 get the HLPs... better than HLNs.. Here's a feedback which I left for HLP model TVs also. HLNs are older thatn HLP and the feedback below compares HLP/HLN/HLM. It does not has the nunmber of input/output (composite/component etc) since that can easily be found on the product description page. This reviews pretty much applies to all the DLP level TVs from Samsung. I researched for around more than couple of months before finally buying this one. Samsung initially started with HLM/HLN series DLP models which were using HD2 chip from Texas Instruments and the contrast ratio was 1000:1. This performed very well in reviews, quality and black level as compared to Sony LCD rear projection. The next series is the latest on which is HLP xx63 series where xx is the size in diagonal (HLP 4663, HLP 5063). The improvements in this are 7 segment color wheel instead of 6-segment, which gives better color. This also uses 3rd generation chip HD3 which has contrast ratio of 1500:1. The bulb are also better in this one since there were some problems in the earlier version of the TV. This is a great TV, light weight as compared to some other and plasmas. The next series which is out only in 2 models is HLP 5085 and HLP5685. These are also 7-segment color wheel but they have HD2+ chip. This is 4th generation chip and is better than HD3. Its contrast ratio is 2500:1 which should mean better black levels. These are the ones with pedestal which looks cool in the picture but is kinda bulky looking in the store. I'm not sure why this model is not out in 46 inches, may be it doesn't make difference in smaller sizes. Next, 5th generation chip is going to be xHD3 and should give around 4500:1 contrast ratio. Overall, DLPs are better since they have better contrast than plasmas and weigh less. They also don't have a burn-in issue like plasmas. HLP series is the best one till now and Samsung is the oldest player in this. Other manufacturers are also catching up, so this should drive the price down further. good for consumers. Hope this helps and good luck shopping. -------- Some more feedback on the picture and input modes after two weeks into the purchase: The contrast ratio of HLN/HLP series are good provided you are watching the TV at the same height. If you watch from slightly above/below or left/right, then you'll see it slightly less bright. Just like a laptop screen behaves, maye slightly better. It has following picture modes: - 4:3 standard definition (SD) cable programming. puts black bars on the side of the picture if you watch it in this mode. - wide mode (16:9). if you watch SD tv on this mode, it'll stretch the picture - panorama mode. stretches only the outside portion of the picture making center of the picture in the correct proporting (aspect ratio) but the sides bit distorted - zoom1/zoom2: they just soom in from the center with different stretching methods. Component inputs (in SD and HD) aspect ratios only have normal and wide options. Normal being a little pinched, while wide is normal. ----- Some more feedback after 5 weeks of purchase. I started seeing some problems with the lamp. The manual says that when the bulb/lamp needs replacement, all the three lights on the front switch will start blinking. Atleast couple of times a day, the following was happening: - when I switch on the TV, the lamp will try to bring the picture while the audio was there - after couple of seconds tv will go to standby mode - it'll turn on again after couple of seconds and try to bring up the picture - and go again the loop to standby mode something this happens 3-4 times and the pictures comes and sometime it just gives up and the tv turns off. I'm glad that I bought the warranty after couple of weeks from Circuit city itself, otherwise lamps are not covered in one year Sammy warranty. ... to be continued ... updated on 12/19: The TV has been working great ever since, no complains what so ever. I've also tried playing DVD and asf format movies on the laptop connected to the TV thru 25pin monitor cable and stereo audio cables, and it all works fine.
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