Customer Reviews

Samsung HLT6187SAX 61-Inch Slim LED Engine 1080p DLP HDTV

5 star:		(189)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I highly recommend the HLTXX87 series for the following reasons:

1) LED engine eliminates the need for the 'lamp' bulb which you will find in other DLP, LCDs, SXRD/LCoS, etc projection TVs. Those with lamps will need to be replaced about every other year and cost about $300. And no 'spinning color wheel' which you can hear in some units.

2) LED engine are rated to last some twenty years...which is a lifetime...lowering total ownership cost and avoiding the difficulty of waiting for a service technician to replace a bulb days later...and left stranded without a TV.

3) Samsung LED HLT sets take only about 4 seconds for an image to appear when turned on. Others can take over 30 seconds...an eternity.

4) Deeper blacks. More vibrant colors compared to other projection TVs.

5) The cabinet style is more eternal and sleek with the small surrounding frame (less than one inch border). Style remains the same from product to product...so when Samsung releases the next generation of TVs...yours won't look dated.

6) The audio/sound isn't the greatest...however surely a home theatre system will be hooked up for a fine experience.

7) Samsung is smart in how they placed their connections (including 3 hdmi ports). Others will place them dead center in the back...which does not allow for easy access to the plugs during installation and later modifications. Samsung places it on the right side of the rear...which can be accessed easily yet are totally concealed from viewing. Even the power cord is to the back-right (and removable) so that when installing the larger tv in a cabinet...it is actually easier to place into the cabinet unit.

8) When changing/flipping channels on some TVs....it may take a few seconds before the next channel comes up. With the Samsung...right on demand.

9) No 'screen door effect' and/or 'image trailer blurs' of a LCD. No burn-ins and high use of electricity of a Plasma. No slow start-up times of a LCoS system. And the screen isn't glossy to where you can see reflections from windows and he surrounding environment. Wide viewing angle.

10) LED set has contrast ratio of 10,000 to 1. Very bright picture which you can customize to your particular tastes.

I really have enjoyed my HLT6187. Not only for the amazing picture image, but for the concept that LED is the way of the future. Just think of car tail lights and other lighting applications...LEDs is the evolutionary step forward.

This set is exceptional in HD picture quality and performance. Regular non-HD channels do not look that great, however, it is still an excellent television. As a previous owner of a Samsung 50" DLP I have firsthand experience with Samsung quality. This 61" set has exceeded my initial expectations; DVD's and streaming video through Windows Vista and the Xbox 360 are excellent, no complaints. I recommend sitting at least 7-10 feet from the screen as the picture quality degrades the closer you get, not to mention its tough on the eyes. As for the "white glove" delivery, this was non-existent through Eagle Freight.
The set must be a "most wanted" item as the price has increased at Amazon since my purchase two weeks ago; however, the price beats most big-box retailers.
Lastly, this is an excellent television and it has many unadvertised features such as upgradeable software or firmware via it's USB connection ,etc.

I bought this TV on 11/30. It has a severe case of the halo effect described in the "Consumer Alert" above. Although I wanted to like the TV and keep it, I have to give it the lowest rating because of the halo problem and the terrible service to fix the problem. The TV is fine, but the halo completely ruins it for me -- it shows up as a blue/purple circular haze in the lower middle screen in a good number of high contrast scenes (extreme example: Harry Potter 5, chapter 2 - when Nymphadora makes her entry holding a point source light into Harry's dark room).

My experience with 3 Samsung service companies in the DC area has been
horrible. The first two companies Samsung customer service scheduled for me never showed up and never returned calls. People from the 3rd one did show up but appeared completely clueless about the problem. By now I have this quite well researched -- I showed them various movie frames where the halo crops up, and I also showed them test images from avsforum (search for posts by MLXXXp on Samsung LED rear projector owners thread). But they wanted to take the TV away for tests and then decide what to do about it. When I showed them the consumer alert on this site they said they know nothing about that problem.

I also talked to a supervisor at Samsung customer service. She refused to assign another service company or have them perform the service at my home even when I suggested that I may have to return the TV. I pointed the alert to her as well, to which she said that Samsung can not be responsible for any alert that amazon puts on it's site.

Be prepared to potentially go through all this if you are buying it. Mine is going back.

UPDATE (1/25/08): I have returned this TV now. After two emails, a faxed letter, and a few phone calls over 20 days I was put in touch with "executive" customer service. The person I talked to seemed good to deal with and promised to take care of the problem. But my 60 days return deadline was nearing, and I still did not feel good about the local service. I was also concerned about the sudden TV failures (after working fine for a while) that other people have been reporting here. Ultimately I decided to go for an lcd (sony 52xbr4 $2800 + $320 5 yr sony warranty). While comparing with lcds, I realized that I had not considered the viewing angle of the 6187 which is much worse than most good lcds. In side by side comparison, the picture on good lcds seems brighter and sharper. The repair rates of Samsung RPTVs is 19% compared to 3% for Sony lcds. Other brand RPTV repair rates are even worse.

UPDATE (2/6/08): Samsung wrote to me that they cant help me any further if I choose not to send my TV to the assigned repair shop. They also left Samsung USA president's address if I wanted to escalate it further. It does not matter to me any more, but still a surprising response!

UPDATE (3/18/08): This may be relevant to those who are trying to contact Samsung through email. I am receiving first responses to some emails I sent to their customer service in January. It is taking them 45-60 days to respond to customer service emails!

With Amazon's GREAT price on this TV, had to pick one up. I find that the Sony A2000 & A2020 has a lot of motion blur, and while the Mitsubishi was good in my opinion, too many reviews put the Samsungs higher for color accuracy (Mitsu's 6-color light system isn't any good if the colors are all off) among a host of other things. And yes, this thing does 1080p over component video on an Xbox 360! Next step...have to test my HD-DVD player on my Xbox 360 to see if I'm getting true 1080p out of that too...all with component cables and not VGA too! On screen menus are good, colors are vivid and amazingly bright. The cabinet seems a little flimsy. You can easily shift the cabinet and "bend" the screen. It seems to settle pretty well when moving it, and that is probably the only thing I question about this TV. The picture and inputs are rock solid. I chose this over spending several hundred more on the 6189S because the upper model only has HDMI 1.3 spec that I would care about, and the more I have read the more it appears that HDMI 1.3 is probably 5 years away from ANYthing being produced in it, and perhaps 10 years from HD television using it. By then, we'll probably have leapfrogged over HDMI anyway and it will be a moot technology.

I have to concur with all the other reviewers. I got this TV in May and have loved it ever since. The delivery was on time as scheduled and Eagle was extremely friendly. I suppose like any company you have good people and bad people who do the delivery. These people were great. People come over and rave about the picture quality. The fact that you don't have to replace the bulb, makes the fact that this TV is more expensive than last year's model a no brainer to purchase. Also, all the settings you create for each input are saved after a power outage and are also set per output instead of for the entire TV. They really seem to have gotten it right with this TV. It also seems just as bright as the old model, so it doesn't seem the LED technology that is used has lessened the quality of this TV. Infact it only increased the value. It also has 3 HDMI inputs, which is really nice if you don't have a receiver that does HDMI switching. I already have a really good one that I purchased before HDMI switching was available and I don't want to get rid of it. Finally, I did have a problem with the first TV. There was a dead set of pixels in the lower left portion. You could barely notice it but for this kind of money I wanted a replacement. I figured it would be a nightmare as I have read some horor stories. To my surprise, as long as you notice a flaw in the first 30 days, they immediately ship the replacement TV and Eagle then picks up the defective one when they drop off the new one. They do not wait for the defective one to be received. So that meant I wasn't without a TV at all. They also don't charge your card for a second TV. It had to be the easiest exchange I ever did. I have to say that I am amazed at the quality of the TV and at the quality of customer service I got when the first set was defective. Kudos to Amazon and to Eagle.

I've owned this TV for about three months now and I am extremely happy with my purchase. I spent a lot of time researching different HD options, including LCD, Plasma, and DLP and this unit was the winner. There are plenty of websites to help you decide which HD option is right for you in terms of LCD, Plasma, and DLP so I'll just stick to DLP comparison.

One of the first things you should know about this model is that it *DOES NOT REQUIRE BULB REPLACEMENT* It has a special LED instead of a bulb- this is really important because a regular complaint against "normal" DLP TVs is that a bulb would need to be changed every couple of years. At a couple hundred bucks per bulb, there's some cost savings, not to mention the hassle.

Second, since another knock against DLP is the amount of space they take up, you should know that this is the "slim" version, which means it takes up less space front to back. It will fit easily into most cabinets or cubby holes. It's also pretty lightweight for it's size (about 100lbs) so getting it where you want it is not difficult. You'll need two people, but that's only because it is just too large for one person to get his/her arms around it.

Third, this unit has a pretty extensive input panel. I had no problem getting my Satellite receiver, DVD player, and several video game systems hooked into the TV without the need for switch boxes. It has a digital TOSLINK output for surround sound systems.

Last but not least, Amazon has a great price on this unit. Believe me, I shopped around, but couldn't find a better deal. Sure, some places offered a lower base price, but they also charged shipping. One important note regarding shipping: the shipper had to call to schedule an appointment before they would deliver. This was great security as far as making sure a 61" TV wasn't just tossed on my doorstep for the whole neighbourhood to see, potentially hours before anyone would be home. You'll just want to be sure that your phone number is up to date so that the shipper is able to reach you.

Add these perks to the fact that this unit has superb picture quality and you've got yourself a really great product at a really great price. if you're looking for the right HD TV, just click "Add to Cart", check out, and enjoy.

I have been contemplating purchasing a new, large screen TV for a couple years but was unsure of the best choice of technology, brand and retailer. It seems each technology has unique advantages and disadvantages however, it became very clear that DLP had a huge price advantage. The drawbacks were limited side viewing angle, depth of the box itself, Bulb Life and the 'Rainbow Effect' of the color wheel.

I found the side viewing angles to be more than adequate for my application, and Samsung's new LED light did away with the color wheel and replacement bulb costs. And the depth of this new model is very reasonable at roughly 14".

I spent quite a few hours in stores viewing different models but it is hard to tell much in stores because they usually run high definition video loops that are designed to compliment the TV and do not give you any idea what you will get when you hook it up at home. With that said, the new HLT6187s (all the 87s models) seemed to be excellent and the best bargain for the cost conscious consumer like me.

The next step was finding the best price from a reputable retailer. Being an avid E-commerce advocate I began researching best price opportunities with comparison shopping engines on the internet. I found Amazon consistently had the best deal and I knew I could trust them for customer service. And as I checked into the product warranty I also noticed Amazon's Best Price Guarantee. I have been watching the price fluctuate on this product so I just check it every day and I have already received a $45 credit because the price dropped for a couple days last week.

Another tip, Use a Visa Card to pay for the purchase and your warranty is automatically extended a full year through Visa. And Visa offers a 4 year extended warranty that you can purchase for much less than any I have seen. But it doesn't make sense to get the extra warranty until your other one is almost expired as they would run concurrently and you would only get an extra 2 years over the manuf. and Visa warranty.

Now for the actual TV... I love it! The picture is excellent, especially when viewing DVDs from the Samsung 1080p upconverting DVD player I picked up at the same time but even satellite looks great. I should say though that I have a Harman Kardon AVR745 which upconverts all video to 720p or 1080i.

I have a pretty small living room and was worried whether a 61" screen might be too much. Seating is about 8 feet from the TV and it is okay. I think any closer and I would want to step back to a 56".

I have been using the preset color and contrast balance as I want to get used to the TV before I start making these adjustments.

Delivery was excellent, earlier than expected and it arrived in perfect condition.

I highly recommend the TV and Amazon as the place to buy it. I shopped all the local stores and saved around $400 over Sears and Circuit City and they would not match Amazon's price. It's a big purchase so I needed the confidence in the seller and Amazon is tops.

Won't bore you with bullet points of the features except to say that the blacks truly are outstanding, TV fires up quickly, and menu is very intuitive. A monkey could program this TV. Seriously.

LED: The advantages of LED technology instead of the old bulb and color wheel is a no brainer. An outstanding picture with a long lasting, dependable light source helped make my decision.

DELIVERY: Eagle phoned and worked with me to find a suitable delivery time. I helped the delivery guy bring it in. It's light enough for one person, but a little unwieldy due to size. Per the Eagle delivery man, they can plug it in, but are not allowed to hook up your cable box, etc. But it takes 5 seconds with an HDMI cable. Hit the source button on the remote, it finds the cable box and you're watching television in High Def.

VALUE: This was an exceptional value at the price I paid. The price will likely continue to drop (as technology usually does) but oddly, the price has crept up slightly since I purchased it. Still, an absolutely amazing value at less than $1900 delivered. A few tips for people wanting the most bang for your buck. (1) Put it on an Amazon VISA and you'll get $50 in gift certificates back. (2) Register it with Samsung online and they'll extend the warranty by 3 mos. (3) Register it with VISA Warranty Manager and they'll double the manufacturers warranty.

Let me just warn you that this is NOT going to be a technical review. There are quite a few of them here so look elsewhere techies...

I shopped around for a looong time before choosing Samsung. If you do a search for DLP reviews, there is a major magazine reviewer that campared all the top DLPs and chose Samsung's color wheel version as the top DLP. A month ago I ran out and bought a 67 inch Samsung DLP and was very satisfied...until I saw that they were going to come out with an LED version. I returned the 67 incher and gladly took in their 61 inch younger brother. I haven't looked back since...

Since I had both versions, people on the fence should absolutely choose the LED version. The only real knock on the color wheel/lamp version was their lamps/color wheels went bad around 2 years time and they are usually on backorder if you can find them. That plus the parts cost around $200-450 a shot. Ouch!!

As far as performance, the TV is a sight to see. The colors are fantastic and will not disappoint. Angles are much better than the DLPs of old and the only rainbow you see will be the one leading you to this pot of gold. The TV also turns on much faster than the color wheel version.

My only gripe is not against the TV. It's with the "white glove shipping" that most retailers offer. Just a word of warning that this service is crap and non-existent. According to a few delivery services I spoke to, the delivery service is only responsible for unboxing the TV once it's shipped to your door. Once you remove it from the box, they are instructed to leave the home with the cardboard packaging. Luckily for me, the delivery guy was awesome enough to not only make a second delivery after they came earlier than they were supposed to, but he also helped me place it on my new Laurier stand (Check them out as their stands are beautiful and well built). Also, make sure you call Eagle as the delivery date comes near (I lost a day on the delivery because I figured they would call me).

Thank you Amazon for the great deal and everyone that doesn't have this...GET IT NOW!!!

This TV now gets 5 stars, read below to find out why and how:


First of all I would like to say that Amazon (so far) has been absolutely wonderful. I bought a Samsung 50" TV around the middle of September for around $1650 delivered. The TV arrived new in the box. Initially I was enthralled by the image. HD and SD from the cable company looked great. I hooked up my Sony HD camcorder to the component imputs and the video image from my consumer HD camcorder looked amazing. I hooked up the computer ran it at 1920x1080 and it looked amazing. But.... and it's a big "But..."

On closer examination I noticed that under certain conditions there is a, for lack of a better term, a "Blue Fog" that will emerge mostly towards the center of the screen when there is a bright white image towards the upper left (or right) area of the screen and an extremely dark area in the center. Using the computer it was especially easy to get a black backround and a white section in the corners. It was a subtle "blue fog" but it was definitely there. Initially I thought I must have gotten a defective set. Now, With many other online retailers I would have been screwed. But not with Amazon. They said no problem we will pick that set up and send you another one. Just to be clear here, 98 percent of the viewing experience you cannot and will not see the "blue fog" or blue shadow. But I digress. Not only did Amazon agree to send me a new TV but I was able to coordinate with the shipper for them to bring the new one and pick up the defective one at the same time. How cool is that! Didn't miss a day of HD TV!

On to the really sad part. The new TV was exhibiting the same symptoms as the original. Don't get me wrong, if I had had this TV for 5 years and the image had these issues I might be able to deal with it. But this was a NEW TV. I was hoping maybe this set just needed a little tweaking or a minor adjustment. I called Samsung and after they asked me a few questions they agreed to send a technician THE NEXT DAY to repair the set. Samsung service is really excellent. The technician arrived (nice, friendly and competent) and after showing him a scene (start up lettering from "Forensics Files") he immediately noticed what my concerns were. This video image was from the DVR Box of the cable company which I had saved. He indicated he needed a "Live" image and I thought Uh, oh we're going to be here a while. But there was a Black and White episode of the "X-Files" on, and the "blue fog" showed up right away since there should be no BLUE anything in a Black and White video image. He told me I needed a new "Light Engine" which is basically guts of the DLP system. It would be 14 business days to get the part. My 30 day return from when I first bought the TV would be long over and by this time the price on the TV had dropped by $150. I called up Amazon and since the TV had been deemed defective by the serviceman they agreed to pick it up and give me a full refund. They've told me I will get the refund when they receive the TV. The are going to arrange for the shipper to come and pick the TV up. Again great service.

I bought this 61 inch Samsung DLP and started all over. It is exhibiting the same basic problem. And of course when the picture is good it really is a GREAT picture.

But....

Yep -- same problem, not as pronounced as the 50" but it's there. Here's the good news/badnews. The good news is that Samsung is now aware of the problem (at least unofficially). Here's my non-technical understanding of it. The problem is that the "light tunnel" that the image travels through was supposed to be painted "flat black".

This was not done.

I can just picture the guy on the assembly line thinking, "No ones ever going to know if this was painted or not --It's on the INSIDE, Screw it!" LOL (actually, that's NOT funny)

Well, Instead of the light being absorbed when it hits the side of the "tunnel" it is being reflected off the nice shiny metal surface and ultimately on to the surface of the screen. This is the optical problem causing those reflected "blue blobs". The bad news it that it might take up to a month to get the painted light tunnels in the repair pipeline. AND there's no guarantee this will fix it. My guess is it will.

I'm asking Amazon to extend my 30 day return limit so I can avoid sending the TV back, getting a new one, and then waiting for that to be repaired. If this doesn't work for them, I think I'll just have it send back, order the new one and then I have until Jan 31, 2008 to get it repaired as per Amazons holiday return policy. It might cost me an extra 50 bucks since the price of the TV just went UP but it will probably be money well invested.

As an aside and to be fair with Samsung, when the technician hooked up his diagnostic equipment the TV looked awesome, passing all the tests. The problem is that the test equipment doesn't allow putting bright a bright white in the upper left or right hand corners with a dark center.

I'm now patiently waiting for Amazons response. Up to this point Amazon has been terrific. I think they might have a legitimate complaint with Samsung about the lack of that "flat black" paint missing on that inside of the light tunnel.

BTW, the )))))))))))))))) (((((((((((((((((( issue doesn't really bother me that much (aka the "prism effect") --- The "Blue Blob" does. Maybe the flat black paint solution will fix both.

FOLLOW UP: 11/07/07

Amazon continues their excellent service. They have agreed to extend the return period while I am working with and trying to get the manufacturer to repair the TV. Sounds very fair to me. I called the TV repair place (Rob's TV) today and they haven't heard back from Samsung--yet.


One more thing that deserves mentioning is that Eagle Shipping has been great. They have been to my place at least 3 times now and every time they have been very professional and courteous. They have even helped me box up the returns. Great service!

More (and hopefully last) follow up 11/16/2007:

Rob's TV Service (Riverhead, NY) came today and FIXED the TV. The two technicians that arrived at the house were professional and knowledgeable. They brought with them a relatively small item (approximately 2.5" X 3")that looked like a metal car gasket which was painted black on one side. They removed the exact same part (except it was silver on both sides) from the "light engine" and replaced it with the new part. They put it all back together fired the set up and the "blue blob" was gone!

Kudos to everyone involved including Amazon, Samsung, Eagle Shipping, and Rob's TV Service.

I would now give this TV a FIVE Star rating - up from the previous 2 stars but I haven't figured out how to change the star rating.