Samsung HLP5674W 56-Inch HD-Ready DLP Projection TV
By: Samsung Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 1
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 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: 2005-04-22
I am not a very knowledgeable electronic buff - but have been fantasizing about buying a HDTV for a couple of years now.
Since the choices are so many, it was a fun job trying to find out about them - at the same time very confusing. Finally, I did decide on Samsung DLP - the only question was which model I should be going for :-)
The HLP 56" is just about right for my family room -- has a very good viewing angle, has no real issue with room brightness. The quality of standard TV via Satellite depends on the different channels. (I use component cable for Satellite and DVI cable for DVD) Some channels appear better than others. HD programs are fantastic. The default color settings were a bit to greenish for my liking. The TV is lighter compared to my standard 29" TV. The PIP feature is cool. The TV was almost "plug-and-play" - didnt need too much tinkering to get the basic features working (for normal non-electronic buffs who wonder if a HDTV has to be always set-up and tuned by a professional).
I also bought a Samsung Progressive Scan HD 841 DVD player -- a good combo with this TV. (And the good thing is that this comes with the DVI cable in the package)
Some Cons I noticed:
# The remote lacks a backlight feature - since I like watching my DVDs by darkening the room - its frustrating to grope around the buttons.
# There seems to be some humming noice - like a fan rotating when the TV is on mute (or volume very low) - not too noticeable - but present all the same.
# The feature wherein you can change the source or the TV display size make you cycle though ALL the possible choices instead of poviding a "drop-down" ike UI to choose the one you are looking for directly - this becomes fustrating if you are the type who constantly change you TV display and source (between Satellite, Antenna, DVD etc.)
# Very little to no documentation on fine tuning the system available .. what exists is definelty enough to get a nice viewing experience - but if u want more fine grained control - dont bother reading the documentation to find out how.
But all-in-all its a great TV and I hope to enjoy it for a long time !!
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