Image extending off screen/blurry edges

I just bought this Samsung 26" HDTV that looks very similar to the model in this link:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/DynaFlatHDTV/TXR3075WHXXAA.asp

My actual model is TX-P2664W and I am having two strange problems. When playing games or movies with my Xbox 360, the picture on my screen extends off the screen too far to the left and right. It's not a huge amount but enough to notice some text and images are slightly cut off at the very edge of my TV. I had the TV in to the repair shop and they couldn't find a problem with any other source. I spent a lot of time with Xbox support as well and we went through all the settings and reset to defaults and still nothing works. I've learned to just live with it as I've heard a few other people mention they have the same problem.

My other problems is that I can just barely notice that the TV seems to have a higehr resolution around the center than the edges. It might sound crazy but I have a keen eye and I can tell the image does not look quite as sharp near the edges. I can really only notice this if I look very closely though. I paid about $600 CDN total so it was a really good deal so I'm going to keep it. But when I compare my Xbox 360 on my parents Sony 30" HDTV, there is really no comparison. I have not seen any HDTV look as good as that Sony.

come on this is supposed to be the ultimate high def forum so why is everyone scared of my question? Is this really so bizzare and unusual that everyone is stumped?

This forum isn't quite as active and useful as I'd like either, although you should be willing to give people more time before complaining that no one responded.

> the picture on my screen extends off the screen...

That's just overscan. Figure out how to activate the Service Menu on your model TV and you should be able to fix it.

> My other problems is that I can just barely notice that the TV seems to have a higehr resolution around the center than the edges. It might sound crazy but I have a keen eye...

You are completely correct on this. It is not uncommon for some TV makers to produce TV screens with a finer dot pitch in the center compared to the left and right edges. The Samsungs indeed do that. So do the Toshibas, Prima, and probably many other HDTV makers. I don't think the Sonys do it. Whether a TV maker does it or not is up to them, and it's not wrong or right either way. All that means is that in the center of your screen you get more detail and at the edges you get less. At the edges of the screen most TVs have bad geometry and convergence problems anyway, so this approach is cost-effective in my opinion. It all boils down to cost, and evaluating if you are getting what you pay for.

If you are comparing to a 30" XS/XBR Sony, then the Sony will crush any other HDTV in terms of screen dot pitch resolution fineness. If you are comparing to a 30" HS model, then the Sony will be comparable to the Toshiba/Samsungs in dot pitch (with most of the other brands being worse).

I don't think anyone's scared, they just don't have experience with your set.

Porcupine's right, you need to get into the adjustment menus that allow you to adjust horizontal size or width. Unlike video games/computers, video and film material has little going on at the extreme edges of the frame in order to avoid just this problem--each set is adjusted a little differently and consumers don't want to see uneven black edges around their video, so the sets are adjusted to go off the screen.

On the second issue, this is an inherent problem to some extent in any Flat-screen CRT. The electron guns sweep out an arc as they traverse the screen (they are firing from the back-center of the tube). This means the edges of a flat tube are farther away from the gun than the center of the tube, which causes a change in focus. This can be compensated for to a certain extent by changing the beam focus, but the beam also disperes more the farther it travels. Curved front tubes don't have this problem (that's why they curved them in the first place).

I've not had a call on this HDTV as of yet, but all of the answers to date are on target.

I spent a lot of time with Xbox support as well and we went through all the settings and reset to defaults and still nothing works.

Every single input source I have measured to date, save for mega bucks DVD players from (and this is important) the same company, have various issues. One of the main reasons we ISF techs like to calibrate to "Signal Source" at all costs.

Indeed in service you will find parameters that decrease/increase the amount of overscan, among many others. I'm not at liberty to disclose service access...NDA. You can find this info by doing some investigation or paying attention to a professional calibration performed on your display.

Good viewing,

Doug k

Thank you so much all of you for your input. It sounds like you guys really do know your stuff. I have tried changing all the settings but the regular menu does not have any adjustmetns I can make for this overscan problem. I called Samsung's tech support and they never suggested doing anything like this and thought there was a problem with the TV. Suffice to say their tech support is dreadful because I was even hung up on once jsut because I asked why they transferred me to the wrong department. I will call them again and use that term overscan and maybe, just maybe it will jog their memory, or I will get level 2 support adn maybe they actually know how to do their job.

You have two options to deal with the overscan. One, you need to learn the "secret method" to open the "Service Menu" on your TV. It's not the regular menu you've seen. There is another, more comprehensive menu, that can only be activated by some secret combination of button pushes. I don't know what the method is for your TV so you need to do some Internet investigating of your own. If you do manage to find this information (I don't think it will be too hard) make sure you write down the values of any settings before you change them (so you can change back if you have to).

If you don't want to do that yourself the other option is to call a TV serviceman or ISF calibrator to make your TV good. They will probably do that for you (they may do other things as well). You may have to pay a fee for that.

Calling Samsung customer service will be of no help. I don't think most people consider overscan a serious problem (unless it is terrible on your unit). They won't tell you how to activate the Service Menu on your TV either. They don't want users to know about it, otherwise it would be accessible normally. At least that is what I think.

You did mention that you had your TV in for repairs at one point, if I recall. They *should* have been able to fix that problem. If they didn't it is because they were incompetent, probably (I hope I am not offending anyone by saying that). I have never tried to take anything in for repairs before so I do not know how well things tend to go, sorry. :)

Hidden service menus are not normally publicized so that users don't go in and mess up their product, then complain to the manufacturer to fix it.

Even competent service people won't necessarily change something if you don't complain about it. Too many people get upset when they receive their product back and it's different in some unrelated way than when it went in. It also takes time and costs money to perform updates and adjustments that weren't asked for.

You're right, Samsung support was of no help again. They actually said there is no hidden service menu for this TV. The repair guy didn't even open the TV up. He said he didnt' want to go "messing" with it and screw something up. Because he didn't see much of a problem like I did he didnt' take it too seriously. Personally I think he has no clue about repairing new model Samsungs. He's just some washed up small town hick repair guy. Oh well I don't need to fix this problem anyway because it's just not that big of a deal and not worth the trouble.

I did some websearching and came upon the following way to activate the Service Menu on Samsung TVs. I have no idea if it will actually work on your TV or not. Use at your own risk, and remember to write down the values of any settings before you change them.

Since you don't seem to be that familiar with things I suggest you try to find the options that affect overscan and only touch those. If there are labels, they will probably be called H-Size and H-Position and V-Size and V-Position or something similar. Don't go around messing with the other stuff.

With TV powered off press: [mute], [1], [8], [2], [power]

Television will power up in service mode and GAMMA GAIN1 will be displayed on the screen.

Use [mute] and the [menu] button to move values up and down.

Use the [volume +] and [volume -] keys to move to other adjustements.

Use [add] to save the settings.

Yeah, that will get you in.... Just be ready by writing down or shooting a dig pix of the parameters you see. If you do not and change a parameter that you did not quantify, you are (up a creek without a paddle) to say the least.

Doug k

I dont know if this one has your set on it,and I would highly caution you in messing with the service setting if you do indeed find the ones for tv here but,just to give you an idea of what your up against,read on it a lil nit herehttp://www.epanorama.net/links/servicemanuals.html


about 3/4 of the way down the page youll se some info on service menus