Samsung TXR3079WH review and questions

So, I just bought the Samsung TXR3079WH slim-fit TV. It was $899 at CircuitCity and had free delivery. So far it has been great for the most part. Here is my review:
1) Slim-fit - TV is only 16" thick, but it still weighs 120 pounds, so this really is not much of advantage. It does look great though
2) while this may seem silly, I love the black plastic cover around the screen. I find with brigh lighting it's hard to concentrate on a screen with silver tube. Always liked the black plastic tubes.
3) Image quality (most important) - SD looks great, I watch SD programs (non-digital cable) in widescreen mode the whole time, and can't really see much image distortion from stretching - no need to use the bars on the side. HDTV looks amazing (free OTA channels via my Phillips Silver Sensor antenna) provide unbelievable quality images. There is however a lot of red being pushed, which makes skin textures (like faces) look pink or red and unnatural. I use my own custom video settings to reduce colore and red scale, also setting temperature to cold1\normal is better than warm2. There are also some geometry issues (slight puncushion effect on the sides).
4) sound - i have it hooked up to home theater so sound is excellent, but even without home-theater, this TV packs sufficient sound for large size rooms. My only grudge is that many programs broadcast with different sound levels, so if you watch law and order, I set sound to 50-60, for Nascar it can be down at 20-30 and still loud. This is especially a case with HDTV programming, where different channels use different sound levels in their broadcasts.

Ok now for the questions:
1) if you have this tv, what picture settings do you feel are best (brightness\color\RG\temperature levels) for movies and for regular television?
2) does anyone else feel that some programs (even in HD) offer too much black and this TV tends to darken things (like hair or clothes) to point of even black)? Is there anyway around this problem - maybe brightness adjustment?
3) I noticed with some XBOX games that entire screen is filled (widescreen 480P- using xbox hd adapter) and everything looks great, But some games, while looking great have minor black bars on the sides (not from letterboxing) - just thin lines - almost pincushion like in nature. For exampla GTA vice city fills screen completely, but GTA San Andreas has these thin bars (even in 4x3 or zoom modes). Is this from game code or TV issue? Anyone seen this? Any idea how to get around it?
4)There is some pincushion on my tv, where some curvature is present vertically. I know these TVs have service menues that can adjust for that (like on PC monitor). Is this covered by warranty or is this considered calibration and should be done by users\techs. What settings control pincushion on Tvs?

Sorry about message length, but maybe I'll get some help and maybe this will help others with their questions.

I do find the TXR3079WH case to be attractive. However, the picture quality was like I figured it would be. I could actually notice the spacing between the pixels get larger the farther from the center I viewed. Also, during a 2.35:1 aspect ratio playback, I noticed the top bar bowing in towards the center and the bottom bar bowing in towards the center. I figured it was an adjustment until the a horizontal line appeared in the video feed (which was in the dead center of the grid) and it was centered perfectly. This means that inorder for Samsung to produce such a thin CRT they had widen out the outer pixel spacing, thus allowing them to move the "gun" closer to the grid itself. Also the fact that it's flat doesn't help out in that same arena either...

Just got one for the bedroom. The image quality is great, even the slight bowing at the bottom in certain modes. With the on board ATSC Tuner pulling in OTA HD broadcasts from all the local stations in the Los Angeles area, this set was a very worthwhile buy for $849 from Fry's in Woodland Hills.

Also bought the matching Samsung DVD Player (DVD-HD850) with HDMI output and HDMI cable included in the box for $149! DVD playback on this set through native HDMI mode of the DVD Player into the set's HDMI source input is astounding!! The units together default to 1080i (1920 x 1080) and everything is a joy to watch.

The remote control units are not up to par with what I've grown accustomed to with Sony products, but they do get the job done.

OTA Channel switching is a bit lethargic, but can be sped up by pushing the zero button "0" before channel 2 through 9.

Also, as there is no decimal point (nor dash) button on the remote, there's no easy way to go directly to the HD channels unless you delete the NTSC channels from the memory channels.

Overall I'm happy with the set. LG does have a 30" direct view tube with built in HD Tuner which I saw at Best Buy for around $900. It had a better on board sound system and a more adept remote. Unfortunately it was out of stock and not due in for at least a month. The LG's cabinet is a few inches wider and deeper. If you're out shopping check it out before you buy.

I was looking at getting this T.V. I think I can get it at Best Buy for 5% over what they pay. Is it worth it? It seems every T.V. I look at it has its flaws. Are the Flaws very noticable, or are you just being very detailed? If not what good HDTV's are out there for about $1000. I was leaning towards this T.V., but I saw that LG is also coming out with a thin T.V. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Hi, I purchased this unit a couple of months back at Circuit city, on sale, for $899. I feel that this unit has great value. The slimmer fit (16" depth) makes it easier to get in the back and make the connections and the lighter weight (120 lbs) makes it easier to handle. The cabinet is very attractive and it has many new adjustment features to perfect the video and sound.
I haven't noticed any bowing that others have mention.
The picture presets (dynamic, standard, movie and custom) offer a good balance of picture options.
The movie pre-set is good for watching movies, but I find the contrast settings are way too high on the dynamic and standard settings. My custom setting is normal color temperature, 45 on contrast, 55 on brightness, 25 on sharpness, 40 on color and 50 tint.
This makes for a good picture for regular programing and sports.
Someone mentioned the picture size settings. The wide screen (16:9) stretches pictures or movies that were produced in 4:3 over the entire screen. The panorama makes the middle look normal and stretches the sides.
The Zoom 1 is best for some programming.
I am really pleased with this set and recommend shoppers that are looking for a set of this size. CRTs TVs
are still way ahead of the others (LCD, Plasma, projection) in picture quality, in my opinion.

I think I am going to get this TV on Friday. However, I don't plan on hooking it up to an antenna right away, so I won't be viewing it in HDTV for a while. How is the picture with normal cable? I have heard great things about the sony's, but nothing, good or bad, about samsungs

On a direct view set this small the SD picture should be pretty good. It won't match the HD picture of course. Usually the poor SD on cable will be associated with sets larger than 40".

What channel do you change to, to watch dvd's?

Thanks

You only 'change to a channel' if you are useing an RF over Coax connection - the WORST type for PQ. You need to change your INPUT SELECTION to view the Component or HDMI/DVI connection to your DVD player... which needs setup to 16:9 widescreen display & 480p progressive or 1080i output.