Personal settings for the LN52A650A

windstrings · 09-09-2008, 01:04 PM

I searched and searched for "settings" for my new LN52A650A1F but couldn't find them anywhere. I did find the Cnets version for the plasma, but nothing for the LCD, only comments about how "settings" could never be listed for one unit and expected to be right for the next.... I wonder if that’s true for the plasma too?

Anyway, I thought it would be cool to post a thread that allowed personal settings to be posted for taste by pros as well as novices like myself.
The thread about "LN52A650A owners" has simply gotten so big that its very hard to find things this specific.

Anyway, the Samsung LN52A650A1F has presets which look fine out of the box for many users, but with just a little tweaking you can make "fine" turn into absolutely exquisite!

We must all realize that not only are we dealing with the fact that settings for my unit may not be the perfect ones for yours, but we all have different taste.

If one person does not have perfect vision, settings that make things crisp may not be preferred and may look unnatural to them, on the other hand... settings too enhanced makes it look like a computer generated program rather than real life.

I had guest over last night and one commented that it looked so perfect that it looked like you were looking through a magnifying glass as you could see so much more than even real life presented.

The scenes are actually breath taking for someone who has never seen HD on such a high quality screen.

My dad told me that my new HD screen made his projection screen that shows HD look like regular TV!

You can watch a football game, Nascar race, wilderness or city shots, views of the beaches, ocean depths or even space, as well as concerts of masses of people with different skin tones and see "all" of them better than if you were really there.
The only thing that would come close is if you were viewing through High definition binoculars at the crowds.

Sounds hard to believe??? The power of HD cameras really bring in more now than even our eyes can pick up if we only have a monitor that can present it properly.

I'm not an expert by any means and still have allot of questions myself, but after hours of comparing I decided I prefer the "DNIE" setting that some don't seem to like because it tweaks in ways I cannot... the only catch is you have to tweak to offset as it tends to "over do it".

I think Samsung did a splendid job of giving us another option in viewing.

The Dynamic setting is the only setting which allows this feature.... however, right out of the box, the dynamic setting is grossly overpowering and needs to be toned down big time to look realistic. So both the Dynamic mode that’s needed to use DNIE and DNIE itself both tend to do overkill IMO on my unit… I therefore am posting the settings I found that seem to be the best compromise between all channels and give devastatingly beautiful results.

I am extremely pleased with my final outcome.... there are two complaints I still have however and maybe someone could help me with this?

1. Very dark scenes still seem a bit too dark "this may be the effects of the DNIE setting, but the benefits for general use still seems to outweigh any negatives for me.

2. The other is that there appears to be no way to get every channel absolutely perfect... seems every broadcaster sends signal tweaked a bit different than the other. Commercials will even look different than the show they are being broadcast under and when viewing people under stage lights may also look different than shots in the sun as well as shots indoors.

I guess if the manufacturers "forced" certain colors then the subtle differences would be missed as I notice sometimes two people can be standing side by side and one looks perfect while the other looks a bit red... Is it their makeup.. High blood pressure...? who knows, but I love the realism in detail of this TV.

But at least this will get you started and you can tweak to suit your taste from these settings.

---------------------------------
As you set these settings, don't freak out if they don't look good until we get to the part where "DNIE" will be set to on as “until this feature is activated”, these settings will look too toned down... these settings actually tone down the DNIE “that we cannot otherwise access” and the DYNAMIC settings obtain the realistic look of DNIE without most of the negatives of overkill it seems to afford
Once you are done with "all" the settings, only then tweak to modify for your taste...but be sure to bounce between many channels first to compare.

DNIE set to "on" settings. "My preference!"
Go to your menu to your picture settings and:
1. Pick your mode as "Dynamic"
2. Backlight... set at 6
3. Contrast… set at 50
4. Brightness… set at 50
5. Sharpness… set at 80
6. Color ….set at 50
7. Tint (G.R) leave at defaults of G50/R50
8. Detailed settings will be greyed out.
9. Go into "PICTURE OPTIONS" and set Color tone…. to Cool1
10. Digital NR at Auto
11. DNIE…. set to "ON""
12. All other options here will be greyed out except "Auto Motion Plus".. I set at "High" for full 120Hz.

I get zero artifacts. I have about 95% signal on both of my Satellite channels and I'm using a HDMI cable from my Satellite box to the TV.

Remember my taste may be different from yours and each TV out of the box if different from the next according to experts.

Try the settings if you like and share your results or tweaks that improved them even more.

Loves2Watch · 09-09-2008, 01:16 PM

The best results are attained using a calibration disc like Avia or DVE.

windstrings · 09-09-2008, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loves2Watch

The best results are attained using a calibration disc like Avia or DVE.

I may get the nerve to try something like that if I get my hands on one, but for the lay person that is not to versed yet, I just needed something that would get me started, so I posted this for everyone else too.

As in sound, I found that what appears to be perfect according to preset standards of the profession, may not be as appealing to the eye or ear, so I'm nervous about using the calibration method as my sole means of adjustment, but I'm sure it would get me "bore sited" so to speak.

Loves2Watch · 09-09-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windstrings

I may get the nerve to try something like that if I get my hands on one, but for the lay person that is not to versed yet, I just needed something that would get me started, so I posted this for everyone else too.

As in sound, I found that what appears to be perfect according to preset standards of the profession, may not be as appealing to the eye or ear, so I'm nervous about using the calibration method as my sole means of adjustment, but I'm sure it would get me "bore sited" so to speak.

It's really quite easy, it just takes some time. About 2 hours the first time.

windstrings · 09-10-2008, 09:21 PM

That would be some fun to mess with.

BTW... seems I can't edit my post any more....after some more monkeying around.... I think I prefer my color setting at 55 instead of 50.
Also I forgot to post My firmware version is 2002.2

Maybe messing with Gamma etc may tweak some of the reds.. sometimes they can be quite overpowering, but usually only when someone is wearing a full red coat or dress.

**PFC5** · 09-11-2008, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windstrings

That would be some fun to mess with.

BTW... seems I can't edit my post any more....after some more monkeying around.... I think I prefer my color setting at 55 instead of 50.
Also I forgot to post My firmware version is 2002.2

Maybe messing with Gamma etc may tweak some of the reds.. sometimes they can be quite overpowering, but usually only when someone is wearing a full red coat or dress.

That is a sign that you have your color saturation set way too high I would think. THIS is why you should get a calibration disc. Most people are use to having an inaccurate picture so when they get a HDTV they apply them with that also.

It really depends if you want you picture to look like real life or how you WISH real life looked.

If you want to see it as close to real like, you should get a calibration disc.

windstrings · 09-11-2008, 12:13 PM

I think I have to admit, I want it to look "better" than real life, but not so where anyone would notice.
I do think the Reds go a bit too much, and sometimes maybe the blues, but everything else looks good.

I think I will try to find a calibration disk and if I can get it set to that first, then I will have a good base to start from to alter it further is something looks weak.

right now, I may not be very even at all and I can't tell without calibrating where I really stand...

whether I will like those final results I have no way of knowing until I try... but at least I can tweak from there to customize to my taste and have nothing to lose in trying and everything to gain.

Now I have to find one.. Circuit City does not sell them.

**PFC5** · 09-11-2008, 12:32 PM

Here:

http://entertainment.circuitcity.com...did=DIDD712DVD

windstrings · 09-11-2008, 12:40 PM

Wow!.. your awesome PFCS!... you may rehabilitate me yet!

I"m ordering it right now!

**PFC5** · 09-11-2008, 12:43 PM

Glad to help! I saved the link because it is a frequent request as to WHERE they are.

windstrings · 09-11-2008, 01:11 PM

Hey... just so you know.. I talked with thier tech and I guess this is the one they really recommend for "widescreens"
I'm not sure what the big difference is supposed to be, but they do sell different versions.

http://entertainment.circuitcity.com...&catOid=-13219

Here are all thier different versions:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Searc...o.x=16&go.y=10

Here is the site that made me realize I may actually be able to pull this off!
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdt...libration.html

**PFC5** · 09-11-2008, 03:47 PM

That first link is to the combo disc with HD DVD on one side of the disc & SD DVD on the other side of the disc. The SD side is the same as the regular SD DVD without the HD DVD side. I owned the regular SD version before buying the combo version and I gave away the regular disc.

I wasn;t aware you HAD a HD DVD player or I would have recommended the HD DVD combo version, so you could use both.

windstrings · 09-11-2008, 04:39 PM

I"m glad you brought that to my attention... I'm so dense sometimes.... I don't have a blueray "or" HD player.. mine does upsample to 1080i but its not the real thing.

If it has both disk like you say, I sounds like I will still be ok... I does say "combo format" at the top, but it doesn't really spell out what that means.

**PFC5** · 09-11-2008, 08:34 PM

But they do not make HD DVD players anymore. Sure you can still find them on eBay and in some online stores and the true HD DVD movies are real cheap (about half or less than what BD movie discs cost), but it is basically a dead format for new movie releases.

They are also damn good upscalers so for around $50-80.00 it would be good just for upscaling, but if it breaks (I had 3 breakdowns), there are going to be a limited number of players you could get. Because of this, it is likely not a good choice, so you would be better to save the money and just get the SD version at the cheaper price.

windstrings · 09-12-2008, 07:57 AM

Seems everytime I need to build another computer or buy a big ticket electronic item, I have to do all my homework again as I don't live here everyday but have many other intrest that also tie up my attention.

I appreciate you getting me up to speed because I was wondering about that. I have them both ordered now... LOL!
I'll just take the combo pack back to the store for a refund and keep the SD version.

somehow I originally thought there must be some kind of "HD test" it may try to do that the other one would be missing.... but it sounds like its the same basically.

The guy at Circuit City said he had an LG that would play "both" formats but it was 499.00... I didn't see the point.

Anyway, I'm sure I may develop a few questions when I run the disk as it obviously doesn't know the menu on my given TV and so I will have to figure out where to go to find all the settings they suggest tweaking as I assume it will be more than the standard settings!

Thats another thing that was puzzling me.... I guess I'll find out when I get the disk, but this TV unit has more tweaking abilities than many TV's.. yet the disk is obviously made to be used with any set.

So will there be settings that DVD suggest that some sets cannot access?... or will it be the other way around, whereas there will be settings and tweaks available in my menu that I most likely not adjust?

09-09-2008, 01:04 PM	#1
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	Personal settings for the LN52A650A I searched and searched for "settings" for my new LN52A650A1F but couldn't find them anywhere. I did find the Cnets version for the plasma, but nothing for the LCD, only comments about how "settings" could never be listed for one unit and expected to be right for the next.... I wonder if that’s true for the plasma too? Anyway, I thought it would be cool to post a thread that allowed personal settings to be posted for taste by pros as well as novices like myself. The thread about "LN52A650A owners" has simply gotten so big that its very hard to find things this specific. Anyway, the Samsung LN52A650A1F has presets which look fine out of the box for many users, but with just a little tweaking you can make "fine" turn into absolutely exquisite! We must all realize that not only are we dealing with the fact that settings for my unit may not be the perfect ones for yours, but we all have different taste. If one person does not have perfect vision, settings that make things crisp may not be preferred and may look unnatural to them, on the other hand... settings too enhanced makes it look like a computer generated program rather than real life. I had guest over last night and one commented that it looked so perfect that it looked like you were looking through a magnifying glass as you could see so much more than even real life presented. The scenes are actually breath taking for someone who has never seen HD on such a high quality screen. My dad told me that my new HD screen made his projection screen that shows HD look like regular TV! You can watch a football game, Nascar race, wilderness or city shots, views of the beaches, ocean depths or even space, as well as concerts of masses of people with different skin tones and see "all" of them better than if you were really there. The only thing that would come close is if you were viewing through High definition binoculars at the crowds. Sounds hard to believe??? The power of HD cameras really bring in more now than even our eyes can pick up if we only have a monitor that can present it properly. I'm not an expert by any means and still have allot of questions myself, but after hours of comparing I decided I prefer the "DNIE" setting that some don't seem to like because it tweaks in ways I cannot... the only catch is you have to tweak to offset as it tends to "over do it". I think Samsung did a splendid job of giving us another option in viewing. The Dynamic setting is the only setting which allows this feature.... however, right out of the box, the dynamic setting is grossly overpowering and needs to be toned down big time to look realistic. So both the Dynamic mode that’s needed to use DNIE and DNIE itself both tend to do overkill IMO on my unit… I therefore am posting the settings I found that seem to be the best compromise between all channels and give devastatingly beautiful results. I am extremely pleased with my final outcome.... there are two complaints I still have however and maybe someone could help me with this? 1. Very dark scenes still seem a bit too dark "this may be the effects of the DNIE setting, but the benefits for general use still seems to outweigh any negatives for me. 2. The other is that there appears to be no way to get every channel absolutely perfect... seems every broadcaster sends signal tweaked a bit different than the other. Commercials will even look different than the show they are being broadcast under and when viewing people under stage lights may also look different than shots in the sun as well as shots indoors. I guess if the manufacturers "forced" certain colors then the subtle differences would be missed as I notice sometimes two people can be standing side by side and one looks perfect while the other looks a bit red... Is it their makeup.. High blood pressure...? who knows, but I love the realism in detail of this TV. But at least this will get you started and you can tweak to suit your taste from these settings. --------------------------------- As you set these settings, don't freak out if they don't look good until we get to the part where "DNIE" will be set to on as “until this feature is activated”, these settings will look too toned down... these settings actually tone down the DNIE “that we cannot otherwise access” and the DYNAMIC settings obtain the realistic look of DNIE without most of the negatives of overkill it seems to afford Once you are done with "all" the settings, only then tweak to modify for your taste...but be sure to bounce between many channels first to compare. DNIE set to "on" settings. "My preference!" Go to your menu to your picture settings and: 1. Pick your mode as "Dynamic" 2. Backlight... set at 6 3. Contrast… set at 50 4. Brightness… set at 50 5. Sharpness… set at 80 6. Color ….set at 50 7. Tint (G.R) leave at defaults of G50/R50 8. Detailed settings will be greyed out. 9. Go into "PICTURE OPTIONS" and set Color tone…. to Cool1 10. Digital NR at Auto 11. DNIE…. set to "ON"" 12. All other options here will be greyed out except "Auto Motion Plus".. I set at "High" for full 120Hz. I get zero artifacts. I have about 95% signal on both of my Satellite channels and I'm using a HDMI cable from my Satellite box to the TV. Remember my taste may be different from yours and each TV out of the box if different from the next according to experts. Try the settings if you like and share your results or tweaks that improved them even more. Last edited by windstrings; 09-09-2008 at 05:03 PM.

09-09-2008, 01:16 PM	#2
Loves2Watch SPAM Police Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: AZ, NM, TX, MX Posts: 13,746	The best results are attained using a calibration disc like Avia or DVE. __________________ Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player. Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.

09-10-2008, 09:21 PM	#5
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	That would be some fun to mess with. BTW... seems I can't edit my post any more....after some more monkeying around.... I think I prefer my color setting at 55 instead of 50. Also I forgot to post My firmware version is 2002.2 Maybe messing with Gamma etc may tweak some of the reds.. sometimes they can be quite overpowering, but usually only when someone is wearing a full red coat or dress. __________________ * The second mouse gets the cheese. --------------- Samsung LCD LN52A650A1F Last edited by windstrings; 09-10-2008 at 10:07 PM.

09-11-2008, 12:13 PM	#7
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	I think I have to admit, I want it to look "better" than real life, but not so where anyone would notice. I do think the Reds go a bit too much, and sometimes maybe the blues, but everything else looks good. I think I will try to find a calibration disk and if I can get it set to that first, then I will have a good base to start from to alter it further is something looks weak. right now, I may not be very even at all and I can't tell without calibrating where I really stand... whether I will like those final results I have no way of knowing until I try... but at least I can tweak from there to customize to my taste and have nothing to lose in trying and everything to gain. Now I have to find one.. Circuit City does not sell them. __________________ * The second mouse gets the cheese. --------------- Samsung LCD LN52A650A1F Last edited by windstrings; 09-11-2008 at 12:22 PM.

09-11-2008, 12:32 PM	#8
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,041	Here: http://entertainment.circuitcity.com...did=DIDD712DVD __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

09-11-2008, 12:40 PM	#9
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	Wow!.. your awesome PFCS!... you may rehabilitate me yet! I"m ordering it right now! __________________ * The second mouse gets the cheese. --------------- Samsung LCD LN52A650A1F

09-11-2008, 12:43 PM	#10
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,041	Glad to help! I saved the link because it is a frequent request as to WHERE they are. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

09-11-2008, 01:11 PM	#11
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	Hey... just so you know.. I talked with thier tech and I guess this is the one they really recommend for "widescreens" I'm not sure what the big difference is supposed to be, but they do sell different versions. http://entertainment.circuitcity.com...&catOid=-13219 Here are all thier different versions: http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Searc...o.x=16&go.y=10 Here is the site that made me realize I may actually be able to pull this off! http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdt...libration.html __________________ * The second mouse gets the cheese. --------------- Samsung LCD LN52A650A1F

09-11-2008, 03:47 PM	#12
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,041	That first link is to the combo disc with HD DVD on one side of the disc & SD DVD on the other side of the disc. The SD side is the same as the regular SD DVD without the HD DVD side. I owned the regular SD version before buying the combo version and I gave away the regular disc. I wasn;t aware you HAD a HD DVD player or I would have recommended the HD DVD combo version, so you could use both. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

09-11-2008, 04:39 PM	#13
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	I"m glad you brought that to my attention... I'm so dense sometimes.... I don't have a blueray "or" HD player.. mine does upsample to 1080i but its not the real thing. If it has both disk like you say, I sounds like I will still be ok... I does say "combo format" at the top, but it doesn't really spell out what that means. __________________ * The second mouse gets the cheese. --------------- Samsung LCD LN52A650A1F Last edited by windstrings; 09-11-2008 at 06:36 PM.

09-11-2008, 08:34 PM	#14
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,041	But they do not make HD DVD players anymore. Sure you can still find them on eBay and in some online stores and the true HD DVD movies are real cheap (about half or less than what BD movie discs cost), but it is basically a dead format for new movie releases. They are also damn good upscalers so for around $50-80.00 it would be good just for upscaling, but if it breaks (I had 3 breakdowns), there are going to be a limited number of players you could get. Because of this, it is likely not a good choice, so you would be better to save the money and just get the SD version at the cheaper price. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

09-12-2008, 07:57 AM	#15
windstrings A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	Seems everytime I need to build another computer or buy a big ticket electronic item, I have to do all my homework again as I don't live here everyday but have many other intrest that also tie up my attention. I appreciate you getting me up to speed because I was wondering about that. I have them both ordered now... LOL! I'll just take the combo pack back to the store for a refund and keep the SD version. somehow I originally thought there must be some kind of "HD test" it may try to do that the other one would be missing.... but it sounds like its the same basically. The guy at Circuit City said he had an LG that would play "both" formats but it was 499.00... I didn't see the point. Anyway, I'm sure I may develop a few questions when I run the disk as it obviously doesn't know the menu on my given TV and so I will have to figure out where to go to find all the settings they suggest tweaking as I assume it will be more than the standard settings! Thats another thing that was puzzling me.... I guess I'll find out when I get the disk, but this TV unit has more tweaking abilities than many TV's.. yet the disk is obviously made to be used with any set. So will there be settings that DVD suggest that some sets cannot access?... or will it be the other way around, whereas there will be settings and tweaks available in my menu that I most likely not adjust? __________________ * The second mouse gets the cheese. --------------- Samsung LCD LN52A650A1F

Similar Threads to Personal settings for the LN52A650A
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
The Benefits of Lowering Sharpness?	Peter Marlowe	Rear-Projection TVs	15	09-11-2008 09:21 AM
Samsung 5053 Settings Revisited	Nailzaz	Flat-Panel TVs	5	09-25-2007 08:33 PM
Are Panasonic EDTV'S Good And Is EDTV HD?	rickbbb	Flat-Panel TVs	252	02-20-2006 10:03 PM
Westinghouse's LVM-37W1 LCD TV	zedd	Flat-Panel TVs	23	02-16-2006 01:44 PM
I need Help with the calibration settings in the service menu	bleoutsacos	Direct-View (tube) TVs	2	12-25-2005 04:40 PM