I bought this TV a week ago because it seemed the best value for the money (1295.00 + tax delivered). Overall I like the picture but I have an issue I can't seem to find covered in other threads.
With some DVD and cable (comcast non HD) programming I get unlear shading in certain lighting conditions. It is usually noticable on backgrounds or faces. For example the scene in King Kong where Denham is showing his "nature" film to the investors. There is a close up of him and I see what I can only describe as "pixelation" on his face and the shadows in the wall in the background. It's as if the subtle shading can not be displayed.
I haven't seen this issue on Comcast HD programming.
Is this a source (samsung HD860 via hdmi) issue or an issue with DLP?
It's an issue with the "R" series that can be minimumized with adjustments in the service menu. I'd call 1-800-SAMSUNG and have a tech come out to make some adjustments.
The problem is with digitally compressed content. The problem doesn't exist on HD channels, but is sometimes apparent with backgrounds, shading, and single color light gradient variations. Instead of smooth detail you might see little blocks of different shades that change and move. The effect has been dubbed "macro-blocking". Adjusting the Index Delay in the SM can sometimes reduce this effect. Adjusting for optimum grey scale using a DVE or Avia calibration disk is helpful too.
This problem is is most likely caused by the CCA settings in the service menu not being calibrated apropietly. A version of this model has the settings stored in the DMD chip and you need to transfer them from the DMD>Digital PCB and another version has to be entered manually, depending which ligth engine you have in either case you need to call 1-800-Samsung
I found my CCA settings to be very close to sRGB (CCIR 709) standards. The only ones substantially off were Cyan and Magenta. My new light engine came with a CCA data sheet, which the tech imputed to the module. He could not make the macro-blocking go away with anything else he tried, though. There was some improvement when he lowered the Index Delay. It occurs mainly with standard definition sat programming and is not constant in every background scene. Do you know of specific CCA settings that will reduce the flashing blocky background to a natural look?