Samsung HLP4663W DLP Television

BEWARE SAMSUNG DLP DESIGN FLAWS!!!

By thomas  Mar 29, 2007

Pros: NONE

Cons: BREAKS!!!!!!!

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!

Great HDTV for Great Price

By SDSean  Jun 17, 2006

Pros: Very Consistent Picture, Lots of Options per input, no burn in, lightweight

Cons: Not Completely Flat, Only OK with Analog/SDTV, Rainbow effect in some areas

I bought this TV b/c it was very well priced, as all kinds of inputs including VGA, Cable CARD, Component Video, and HDMI.
HDTV picture is absolutely outstanding. I have it hooked up to my Media Center PC with DVR and it works great. X-BOX and PC games look great also. Some people have said that DLP TVs can have lag which makes it difficult with games, but I have never found this to be true at all. DVDs also look amazing. My only real complaint is that SDTV on such a large screen can look pixelated and you can see artifacts a lot easier if you have satellite service like DirecTV or are using Tivo or some other type of DVR. However it has not been enough to really bother me and HDTV is the future anyway. Be very careful with the screen though!! Its ~$500 to replace, and scratches are not covered in warranties and you can only fix scratches by replacing the screen (which of course I was an idiot and had a speaker fall which left a couple of scratches!!)

But overall I'd say its the best HTDV for the money and performace nearly as well as Plasma but at about half the price.

By rebeca  Feb 5, 2006

hlp4663w dlp samsung tv

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Aug 22, 2005 | 1 out of 1 found this Samsung HLP4663W DLP review helpful

Pros: price-size-weight

Cons: service

bought the set the end of mar at c city.
purchased the 4 year service contract. about the middle of july the
picture started getting
what looks like electrical charges throughout the screen.
called c city for a service call.i was told
there was no one in my area to fix it,but they would call around. the date was july 28.the next day a company called and said they would come aug 4. as soon as the man saw the picture,i was told that the set had to go back to the shop.i called aug8 and was told no one had looked at it yet
and they would call in a couple of days.i called back aug 15 and was told they still don't know the problem.
aug i called c city and
said i was disappointed
in the service. the person i talked to in india said they would get back to me the next day. the next day they called and said the repair shop would call me the next week about returning the set. this is written mon night aug22 and still no word.
it shouldn't take 3 weeks to fix a tv.

Awsome TV!

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Jan 4, 2005 | 5 out of 5 found this Samsung HLP4663W DLP review helpful

Pros: The size, weight, features, and the video quality combined of this TV truly make it one of the best

Cons: The TV is vertically challanged in its picture Quality

This TV offers all the inputs you will need. Its HD picture quality is just amazing. My jaw dropped and I couldnt keep my eyes off the TV at HD quality. Regular Cable broadcast also looks good, but after watching the few HD channels my cable company (comcast) provides, its easy to see why I cant wait till all the channels are HD quality.

I also have one of the newer TIVO units. On my old tube television, there was no difference between cable broadcast and the best TIVO quality, but on this projection there is a noticable difference. However, its still enjoyable.

The only thing I can take points off for on this television would be the brightness of the picture quality, if you're looking down at it. In order to have the best image quality, make sure the TV sitting flat at eye level. When you're standing very close to it, looking down, you can see double images, and from a few feet away, standing up, the screen looks dim.

Horizontally, there is practically no difference in image quality or its brightness from any angle that I've looked at it from. Even as far as almost 180 degrees.

I had been shopping for a TV for nearly 6 months, when i finally decided on one, and pulled the trigger. I can honestly say that I'm happy with my purchase, and will not dwell on what ifs, unless this TV dies on me any time soon. I've had it for over a month, and am extremely happy with the unit.

Not The best

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 1, 2004 | 1 out of 2 found this Samsung HLP4663W DLP review helpful

Pros: Lightweight, lower cost than other DLP

Cons: Many

I purchased this TV at Circuit City and am very glad they have the 30 day return policy. I was displeased with many aspects of this set. First, analog is unremarkable. Digital is OK and HD is OK. The video lags the audio on almost all inputs (non-synchronized speech). This bugs the heck out of me. Must have something to do with the length of time required to process the video signal. I returned the Samsung and "downgraded" to the Sony 42" Grand Wega LCD rear projection. The difference was night and day. The Sony was $200 less and a far superior viewing experience.

Samsung 46 inch Television

By Camper  Oct 25, 2004 | 2 out of 2 found this Samsung HLP4663W DLP review helpful

Pros: Light weight, Short back, Easy to use

Cons: 1-2 minutes to warm up

This is a great televison, this can be used for computer use (if needed), ports for P.C. on back of Television. Step up from all Pixel Projection Television, no worry for burned pixels for leaving television on or playing games on it. This is a great televison, and would recommend this model to anyone looking for crisp picture. It does take a couple of minutes to warm up, but hey most electronics take up a to a few minutes. Awesome T.V.

Samsung HLP4663W - Good alternative to Plasma

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Sep 25, 2004 | 17 out of 17 found this Samsung HLP4663W DLP review helpful

Pros: Light weight; fits in small space; automatically switches between component in for HDTV and regular signals

Cons: Takes a few minutes to warm up for optimal picture

If you want plasma-quality picture without the risk of "burn in", this is a good choice. Field of view slight less than a plasma, but the price more than offsets this con. Good remote and menu system, plenty of inputs and great built-in sound (30W).
Works very well with Comcast-supplied (MOtorola) HD tuner. Must be elevated 18-24" on a stand to avoid dimming of picture when sitting directly in front of set at 10'.
Read about the differences between DLP and Plasma / LCD technologies. Pros are fairly convincing that this set will have a longer life with lower maintenance costs (primarly replacing the bulb every few years)