Samsung HLN617W 61-Inch Widescreen Projection HDTV with DLP Technology
By: Samsung Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 19
More Information
 On: 2007-07-08
Note: I had previously posted this review to a 70 inch Samsung. My review really applied to all Samsung DLP TVs, but Amazon wasnt letting me rate the 61 inch TV at the time. This is a reposting of the original review, but the review is now associated with the correct product.
I bought a $4500 61 inch TV about 18 months ago. I didnt buy the warranty, because the price seemed ridiculous at the time. Now I realize that was a poor decision.
A little more than a year after I bought the TV, I noticed a solid black vertical line that cut off about 5 or 10% of the picture. I had a service person from the store of original purchase come see the TV. He brought a $1200 "engine" with him, because he predicted that he would need to replace this part. In fact, he never bothered turning on the TV...he knew from just my description that he would need to replace this engine, as the dark line problem is very common with Samsung DLPs.
He installed this $1200 part and I called Samsung to let them know how disappointed I was in the product. They said that they are not able to help because the TV is out of warranty. I explained that this must be a manufacturing defect if the problem is so common that the technician doesnt need to turn on the TV. They just kept repeating that they cant help a consumer that has equipment that is out of warranty.
I performed a google search on Samsung DLP problems and I was very disappointed to see so many messages from people with Samsung DLP problems. The "buzz" on most of the electronics forums is that plasma screens are much more reliable. If you insist on buying a DLP from Samsung, you should definitely purchase the warranty.
BTW, as you consider my opinion, check out my other reviews. Im usually a very satisfied customer and not someone likely to complain about a product.
On: 2007-03-30
Consumers should be aware of serious design flaws which exist in Samsung DLP televisions. Cooling fans and color wheels are highly susceptible to failing. (As a non-techniocal person I should have no idea what these parts are, but alas, I bought a Samsung DLP) Expect these to fail within 1-2 years. Expect to pay approx $400 to replace the color wheel and $200 to replace the colling fan. That is, if your service technician can find them in stock anywhere. These parts are commonly in a national backorder because of the very high failure rates.
You should also expect the lamp to fail sooner than advertized. Many people need to purchase a new lamp between 1-2 years, and some more often than that. The lamp costs approx $150-$250 depending on your model, but you should be able to replace it yourself without too much difficulty. This cost will be in addition to replacement costs for the color wheel and colling fan. Please remember that these maintenance costs are recurring, and you will have to fix them again in another 1-2 years.
While I was very satisfied with the quality and performance of my DLP, my color wheel failed very early. I called tech support to report a grinding noise, and was told to "turn it off", wait 15 minutes, and turn it back on like this would fix the problem. After doing this for a while, the color wheel finally failed, actually shattered! Now I am out of warranty, and Samsung wants nothing to do with me. I have even tried ordering the part myself from two different online vendors, and they are both backordered indefinitely! It has been 6 weeks and they have no estimate for when this part will be available. Samsung cannot even give me an estimate when the supply of replacement parts is expected to meet demand. I have had my TV for 18 months, and apparently there is a national epidemic of them breaking at the same time!
I have a 42" Samsung Plasma which is a beautiful set along with a 26" CRT. Both are wonderful products, but Samsung is selling DLP LEMONS and will not stand behind them. DLP is a great bargain up front, but a maintenance NIGHTMARE! You will pay in the long run, and by the long run I mean every 2 years. If you still want to purchase a DLP television, PLEASE BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY! IT WILL SAVE YOU A TON, BUT YOU WILL STILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE CIRCUIT CITY TECH TO FIND PARTS WHICH MAY TAKE MONTHS!
I expect Samsung to abandon their design flaw riddled DLP sector, and focus on their beautiful plasma line. Expect DLP prices to drop even further, but please...LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!
 On: 2006-05-02
The main reason I am posting this comment is because I am looking for a copy of the original manufacturers warrant for the HLN617W TV. I have had repeated problems with my TV and am trying to get reimbursed on a claim but I cannot find my original warranty card from Samsung. I have called Samsung and they claim to not be able to send out a copy (makes no sense to me.) If there are any owners out there that can send me a copy I would be greatful. John Burkert 4012 Dover Rd Durham NC 27707.
On: 2005-12-10
Im on my 2nd Engine, and it is beginning to show signs of a pending failure (it takes 3 or 4 minutes to warm up and turn on).
The Samsung Service dept stinks. Ive been passed to different service "managers" too many times to count. They assure me that I will be getting a call from someone of authority. Ive been waiting 2 months now. DONT BUY SAMSUNG! nuff said.
On: 2005-03-26
I recently bought the HLN617W 61" Samsung HDTV at Circuit City and the picture quality is good. At least most of the Samsung HDTVs have better picture quality than of Sony and Panasonic HDTVs.
I dont think Samsung has the best HDTV. But, their mobile phones are definity the best.
If there is a problem with the Samsung HLN617W 61" HDTV, I would think it will be the lamp problem. Also, if you turn on the Samsung HDTV for at least 1.5 or 2 hours, the lamp can easily burn out.
Another problem with this HDTV is that if turn on for a prolong
time, the HDTV will get overheated and the temp. light will go on
if the next time you turn on this HDTV.
Another problem would be the remote control of this HDTV. If you have other remote controls for your DVD player and your VCR player, it can really mess up the computer connection of your Samsung HDTV.
If you are thinking of buying a really good quality picture, I would recommend buying a Samsung HLN617W 61" HDTV. But if you want your HDTV to last long and it doesnt break easily, then I would
recommend other HDTV brands like Sony and Panasonic.
 On: 2005-01-10
My wife and I purchased our Samsung HLN617W HDTV one month ago and we are very pleased with it! We researched a lot of products and technology before buying our big screen TV and surround sound system. We divided the large screen products into four categories, Projection High Definition TV (HDTV), Projection HDTV with DLP, Flat Panel Plasma display and overhead projectors. The overhead projector is a viable option only if you have a dedicated room with controlled lighting. The Flat Panel Plasma displays are still way too expensive for the size screen that we wanted. The HDTV with DLP has a brighter picture and wider viewing angle than HDTV without DLP. Plus the HDTV with DLP units are lighter and more compact than HDTV models (our Samsung 61" HLN617W is only 18" deep and weighs less than 100 pounds).
After deciding on a HDTV with DLP we researched reviews on the Internet and looked at lots of makes and models in stores (Circuit City, Costco, Sams Club, etc.). One thing that I noticed looking at the TVs is that when the screen is dark, some models have a clear and distracting reflection in the background. You can see a mirror reflection of people and lights behind you. Other makes and models have a much more muted, diffused and subtle reflection that is less distracting. In a totally darkened room this might not be a big deal, but most people have some background light in their home theater family or living rooms. I HIGHLY recommend that you choose an HDTV-DLP model that has a subdued background reflection (like the Samsung HLN617W)!
I also recommend that you buy an extended warranty with any HDTV-DLP. The projection lamp for the Samsung HLN617W is rated for approximately 6000 hours or about 3 years and costs around $250.00.
Recommend you get a DVD player (or surround sound DVD system) with "progressive scan" video output for which you need special red-green-blue high quality video cables. You should also use digital audio cables whenever possible. If you have cable or satellite TV, you will want to subscribe to the new High Definition (HDTV) channels. I declined the more expensive option for the home theater setup-wiring-configuration because I am a technology buff, but I spent more than a few hours getting our home theater setup and integrated with a few of our other entertainment units. For those who are purchasing surround sound systems, the extra bucks for home theater setup, wiring & configuration might be worth it.
On a final note, do a Google search for "Samsung HLN617W reviews" and read some of the other fine reviews and prices before you spend big $$$ for your HDTV with DLP.
On: 2004-10-11
samsung dlp tvs have a great picture but if you buy one expect regular repairs - mine broke in less than a month and it has been 4 days and I still cant get through to the repair facility. This is common -- read the reviews. dont buy samsung!
 On: 2004-08-25
Heres a feedback which I left for HLP model TVs also. HLNs are older thatn HLP and the feedback below compares HLP/HLN/HLM. It does not has the nunmber of input/output (composite/component etc) since that can easily be found on the product description page.
This reviews pretty much applies to all the DLP level TVs from Samsung. I researched for around more than couple of months before finally buying this one.
Samsung initially started with HLM/HLN series DLP models which were using HD2 chip from Texas Instruments and the contrast ratio was 1000:1. This performed very well in reviews, quality and black level as compared to Sony LCD rear projection.
The next series is the latest on which is HLP xx63 series where xx is the size in diagonal (HLP 4663, HLP 5063). The improvements in this are 7 segment color wheel instead of 6-segment, which gives better color. This also uses 3rd generation chip HD3 which has contrast ratio of 1500:1. The bulb are also better in this one since there were some problems in the earlier version of the TV. This is a great TV, light weight as compared to some other and plasmas.
The next series which is out only in 2 models is HLP 5085 and HLP5685. These are also 7-segment color wheel but they have HD2+ chip. This is 4th generation chip and is better than HD3. Its contrast ratio is 2500:1 which should mean better black levels. These are the ones with pedestal which looks cool in the picture but is kinda bulky looking in the store. Im not sure why this model is not out in 46 inches, may be it doesnt make difference in smaller sizes.
Next, 5th generation chip is going to be xHD3 and should give around 4500:1 contrast ratio.
Overall, DLPs are better since they have better contrast than plasmas and weigh less. They also dont have a burn-in issue like plasmas. HLP series is the best one till now and Samsung is the oldest player in this.
Other manufacturers are also catching up, so this should drive the price down further. good for consumers.
Hope this helps and good luck shopping.
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Some more feedback on the picture and input modes after two weeks into the purchase:
The contrast ratio of HLN/HLP series are good provided you are watching the TV at the same height. If you watch from slightly above/below or left/right, then youll see it slightly less bright. Just like a laptop screen behaves, maye slightly better.
It has following picture modes:
- 4:3 standard definition (SD) cable programming. puts black bars on the side of the picture if you watch it in this mode.
- wide mode (16:9). if you watch SD tv on this mode, itll stretch the picture
- panorama mode. stretches only the outside portion of the picture making center of the picture in the correct proporting (aspect ratio) but the sides bit distorted
- zoom1/zoom2: they just soom in from the center with different stretching methods.
Component inputs (in SD and HD) aspect ratios only have normal and wide options. Normal being a little pinched, while wide is normal.
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Some more feedback after 5 weeks of purchase.
I started seeing some problems with the lamp. The manual says that when the bulb/lamp needs replacement, all the three lights on the front switch will start blinking. Atleast couple of times a day, the following was happening:
- when I switch on the TV, the lamp will try to bring the picture while the audio was there
- after couple of seconds tv will go to standby mode
- itll turn on again after couple of seconds and try to bring up the picture
- and go again the loop to standby mode
something this happens 3-4 times and the pictures comes and sometime it just gives up and the tv turns off.
Im glad that I bought the warranty after couple of weeks from Circuit city itself, otherwise lamps are not covered in one year Sammy warranty.
... to be continued ...
updated on 12/19:
The TV has been working great ever since, no complains what so ever. Ive also tried playing DVD and asf format movies on the laptop connected to the TV thru 25pin monitor cable and stereo audio cables, and it all works fine.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-06-28
The TV is great but you do need HD TV service, either from satellite, off the air, or cable, to really appreciate how good the quality is.The TV arrived a couple of days before the cable folks came by, so all I had was my progressive DVD, which was a bit disappointing. I also use it for my X Box and the quality of the games that are HD ready is amazing
On: 2004-06-22
Everyone talks about how beautiful the graphics are on these tvs. Get an xbox with component output and youre in Halo Heaven. Try playing MVP Baseball or Top Spin on these pieces of junk. Youll find that the video and audio delay is too much to handle. Try swinging at a 95 MPH fastball and youll find that the ball is in the catchers mit before you even start to swing. Turns out that these digital displays require more video processing time. So they decide to delay the audio to match. Unfortunately all video gamers must now suffer from this. Any game that requires quick reaction time like stopping a moving line at a certain point on a bar is impossible. Its really sad that something this serious is often overlooked. I took my xbox to a circuit city and tried it on all the digital displays. They all had the same poor result. I try it on a cheap $200 tube tv and its perfect. Not many people know about this, at least nobody Ive talked to. So keep this delay in mind.
On: 2004-06-10
This is the second HDTV that I own (the first is a "normal" flat screen 36" Panasonic). I did a fair amount of reserach comparing this DLP TV with the Plasma and LCD types. In side-by-side comparisons, I found the DLP to have sharp crisp images with deep saturated colors equal to the best Velvia slides. The TV is light enough for one person to move around (less than 100 lbs compared to 300 lbs for my 36" TV) and one can view the picture at angles of about 120 degrees. I connected my DLP TV to a surround sound system (5.1 - 5 Klipsch speakers plus a Velodyne sub-woofer) and it works well right out of the box. Unlike the statements of one other reviewer, I have found absolutely no advantage to using monster cable (in fact I have engineer friends who work for some of the leading audio speaker companies who assure me that regular speaker wire can more than handle the miniscule amount of electric current that is flowing through speaker wire) and you dont need the services of any professional to hook-up or use this TV. I have cable TV with an HDTV receiver. One minor quibble is that when you connect it using the component inputs, you lose the ability to zoom in - the only choices being the regular TV format or the letterbox. I have had my TV for about one year now and use it for several hours every day. I have not had any trouble with it, the original lamp is working just fine and I have not purchased an extended warranty (with no regrets). For the price difference between this one and plasma or LCD TVs (the Sony WEGA LCD is a projection TV and not a true LCD) of several thousand dollars, this decision was a no-brainer - I would strongly recommend the DLP as one of the best on the market.
On: 2004-04-05
When I bought my new house, I decided that my basement needed a MONSTER tv to make me feel all spiffy and like a big man :P. The choice for me was between the 70" Sony Grand Wega XBR and this 61" Samsung DLP.DLP and LCD both have their pros and cons.. Seeing the two TVs at Circuit City (where I got mine) nearly side-by-side gave me the opportunity to notice things that I might not have remembered otherwise had I bounced back and forth between stores to make my decision. Either TV is great.. These are both top of the line sets and you really cant go wrong.. However, here are a few things that I noticed.. And be aware, different people see different things so your mileage may vary.. LCD Pro: The LCD was very slightly crisper in general. For the most part, you couldnt tell the difference. However, there were certain cases where you could see a slightly sharper image on the LCD; namely the TV logos in the bottom right corner of the screen and the edges of cetain images. The picture was stunning and the black-depth was quite good, although not quite as deep as on the DLP. DLP Pro: I am a big video game player, animation fan and movie buff. Video games and anime tend to have very rich colors since, after all, it is artificially generate.. In video games you will seen greens and blues that you rare ever come across in your life. In the color area, the DLP shines.. While the Sony XBR color was such that you could not criticize it in any way really, the DLP just blew it out of the water. The color on the DLP is *perfect*.. There is no over-saturation or bleed-through.. Colors are crisp, distinct and beautiful. The blacks are JET black.. Top notch.. Another huge plus, although irrelevant for most, is that the Samsung actually has an XGA port in the back, allowing me to hook a computer up to it directly so as to surf the web from my sofa. DLP Con: As some people have noted, DLP really exposes flaws in your source.. If you have an iffy signal quality, the DLP will make you aware of that. For me this was a non-issue as I bought the Monster Powerbar and the Samsung DVI progressive-scan DVD player.. Since I have a great-quality digital cable feed here, the images look perfect. LCD Con: This was the killer. Some people do not notice it, but I did and it ruled out the Sony. LCD has a problem with motion blur when there is fast motion taking place on the screen. This is VERY VERY slight.. so slight that even with movies, you are unlikely to notice it. However, as I stood perusing the TVs, the demo-disc cycled to a college football game.. And there it was.. On a long 50-yard pass, as well as a breakaway run, there was clear motion blur around the ball and the athletes.. The LCD just cannot keep up with the image at that level of speed. As a huge sports nut (FOOTBALL!), this killed it for me.. So, again, you cant go wrong with these TVs. I was all set to spend the extra $2,300 to get the extra 9" of screen, since I do love Sony products.. But that motion blur killed it for me and I happily plunked down the money and took home my Samsung.. I have been COMPLETELY satisfied with it. NOTE: Do yourself a favor.. Buy this locally (sorry Amazon) and get the extended warranties.. I never buy those but on LCD and DLP TVs, it will pay for itself.. CCs was $499 for a 4 year extension that covers bulb replacement as many times as you call it in.. Bulb replacement can run $200-$300 and is recommended every 2000 or so hours.. So, the extended plan will pay for itself over the life of your TV.
On: 2004-04-04
When I bought my new house, I decided that my basement needed a MONSTER tv to make me feel all spiffy and like a big man :P. The choice for me was between the 70" Sony Grand Wega XBR and this 61" Samsung DLP.DLP and LCD both have their pros and cons.. Seeing the two TVs at Circuit City (where I got mine) nearly side-by-side gave me the opportunity to notice things that I might not have remembered otherwise had I bounced back and forth between stores to make my decision. Either TV is great.. These are both top of the line sets and you really cant go wrong.. However, here are a few things that I noticed.. And be aware, different people see different things so your mileage may vary.. LCD Pro: The LCD was very slightly crisper in general. For the most part, you couldnt tell the difference. However, there were certain cases where you could see a slightly sharper image on the LCD; namely the TV logos in the bottom right corner of the screen and the edges of cetain images. The picture was stunning and the black-depth was quite good, although not quite as deep as on the DLP. DLP Pro: I am a big video game player, animation fan and movie buff. Video games and anime tend to have very rich colors since, after all, it is artificially generate.. In video games you will seen greens and blues that you rare ever come across in your life. In the color area, the DLP shines.. While the Sony XBR color was such that you could not criticize it in any way really, the DLP just blew it out of the water. The color on the DLP is *perfect*.. There is no over-saturation or bleed-through.. Colors are crisp, distinct and beautiful. The blacks are JET black.. Top notch.. Another huge plus, although irrelevant for most, is that the Samsung actually has an XGA port in the back, allowing me to hook a computer up to it directly so as to surf the web from my sofa. DLP Con: As some people have noted, DLP really exposes flaws in your source.. If you have an iffy signal quality, the DLP will make you aware of that. For me this was a non-issue as I bought the Monster Powerbar and the Samsung DVI progressive-scan DVD player.. Since I have a great-quality digital cable feed here, the images look perfect. LCD Con: This was the killer. Some people do not notice it, but I did and it ruled out the Sony. LCD has a problem with motion blur when there is fast motion taking place on the screen. This is VERY VERY slight.. so slight that even with movies, you are unlikely to notice it. However, as I stood perusing the TVs, the demo-disc cycled to a college football game.. And there it was.. On a long 50-yard pass, as well as a breakaway run, there was clear motion blur around the ball and the athletes.. The LCD just cannot keep up with the image at that level of speed. As a huge sports nut (FOOTBALL!), this killed it for me.. So, again, you cant go wrong with these TVs. I was all set to spend the extra $2,300 to get the extra 9" of screen, since I do love Sony products.. But that motion blur killed it for me and I happily plunked down the money and took home my Samsung.. I have been COMPLETELY satisfied with it. NOTE: Do yourself a favor.. Buy this locally (sorry Amazon) and get the extended warranties.. I never buy those but on LCD and DLP TVs, it will pay for itself.. CCs was $499 for a 4 year extension that covers bulb replacement as many times as you call it in.. Bulb replacement can run $200-$300 and is recommended every 2000 or so hours.. So, the extended plan will pay for itself over the life of your TV.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-01
Firstly, I love the TV. I bought it because I wanted good contrast, bright colors, and no burn-in (I play a lot of X-Box games) and it delivers all those. But Im giving it only three stars because its just not very reliable.
- it is incredibly sensitive to signal quality. I have digital cable; there was heavy snow on many channels and I was getting dropouts - the channel suddenly missing - on the others. The cable company diagnosed a bad ground line, replaced it, and everything was fine. But during the entire time, my spare TV (CRT) looked perfectly fine - no snow, no dropout. So its this TV thats sensitive.
- It needs a lot of service. It blew the lamp (a $239 dollar part) after three months, the color wheel after six, and now, at 11 months, its just blown the lamp again. Im about to get a warranty replacement of the whole light engine.I am kicking myself for not buying a 3-year extended warranty from the dealer.And just as a FYI, I bought Samsungs HDTV DVD player and use the DVI conenction and the picture quality is awesome.
On: 2004-03-31
Ive had this set for 8 months now and I am still impressed with its performance. I did allot of research before deciding which set would be my first HDTV. After weighing all of the pluses and minuses (for me) the Samsung DLPs came out on top.
No burn-in means you can watch your standard definition (SD) programs in their normal 4:3 aspect ratio (no need too stretch the picture). You could leave a static image on the TV 24/7 and it will not affect the screen. Also DLPs are not affected by magnetic fields, which means you can put non-shielded speakers right next to them. I would highly recommend a DVD player with a DVI output (like the Bravo D1 or Samsungs 931 ) which will provied the best possible picture with these TVs (Ive run some tests). Be aware that with DLPs the better the source the better the picture. Now Im not talking about high dollar cables (a $25 DVI cable will perform the same as a $100 one), what I mean is High Definition programming looks spectacular as do DVDs through a DVI enabled DVD player, but SD programming can look anywhere from good to preety bad. Very happy with my decision.
On: 2004-03-30
in the past I worked at a major electronics store. The best TV we sold by far was this TV. It has the greatest color and the sharpest picture. Most customers would come in and marvel at this TV along with the employees. On the very rare occassion a customer would come in and tell us that the picture was horrable. After asking a few questions you would be able to find out that the problem wasnt with the TV but it was the way it was hooked up. Remember when you buy the best TV on the market you have to buy the best cables and you must have a high definition source. A power filter is also a great option which will make your picture even better. Monster cables and monster power filters work the best. Expect to tack on about another $1000-$2000 to get it working like you see in the store. If you dont have that extra money to spend dont buy this TV. Trust me from experience, when somone says "this TV is not good" it is simply because they are hooking it up wrong. Remember that hooking up a high definition TV is not like hooking up that old 20" RCA you have in your room. Make sure you leave it in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. In short, if the TV is hooked up correctly, it is the best TV on the market.
On: 2004-03-13
DLP does not have good color contrast and black level, the black color on dark scenes came out as greyish/patchy shadow on the one I bought. The dark scenes are awful on the DLP. Tried to watch 28 Days Later on the DLP and the picture quality is just horrible. Looks like watching dot matrix picture quality. All these happens even though I have Monster component cables and progressive scan DVD player. The sales guy told me to move back my 6 feet viewing area and get the top level Samsung DVD player and use DVI cable, which will set me back 500-600 dollars more. Returned my DLP and got Sony Grand Wega XBR LCD. Its 300 bucks more if you bargain right plus it has the HDTV tuner built in and its the same level of quality as plasma and the dark scenes on movies are excellent.
On: 2004-02-28
After long and arduous search for a big-screen TV, and having bad experience dealing with RCAs Scenium model (avoid at all cost!), we finally settled on the Samsung DLP. The technology is great. Pictures are crystal clear and much brighter. Best TV for Monday night football (with an antenna) and the great DVD movies you have. Network broadcasts of sports events are a whole new experience with this TV. Plus you cant beat the light weight. Highly recommended. The only drawback is that this TV makes those channles with poor signals that much more difficult to tolerate. To find out more about the DLP technology, you can visit:
www.dlp.com
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-26
This is the first review I have ever posted on a product I have purchased. I am so impressed with this TV that I had to post a positive review as a public service. I know the time I spent researching big screen TVs and hopefully I can help somebody shortcut that time. This is the most amazing picture I have seen on any screen including LCD, plasma or anything else. I enjoy DVDs and HDTV more than the theater experience. I highly recommend this set.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-21
Looked at both the Sony LCDs and Samsung DLP. Samsung picture sharper and brighter (for my taste). Oversaturation of greens was not an issue and not distracting. Noticed it more where scenes were darker. Samsung 931 DVI works very well. Onkyo 701 receiver along with Polk Audio and Velodyne speakers sound great. Other concerns mentioned in other reviews I have not found to be an issue such as "fan noise" and "rainbows". Overall a very theatre-like experience and well worth the money.
On: 2004-02-20
The DLP system produces a stunning picture for the price. Another important feature for those with kids is that unlike a plasma or LCD, you cant "burn in" an image by pausing a playstation game, etc. Set is amazingly light. Purchasers need to understand up front that eventually you will have to replace the bulb, generally at 3-4 years. Get a service warranty that includes coverage for a bulb failure.Also recommend purchase the Samsung (or other) DVD with a DVI interface. Movies are stunning with this feature.
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