Samsung UE48H6400

[daveyjay]

After much deliberation (it was a toss up between the Sony KDL 50W829 and the Samsung - I even got as far as ordering the Sony only to cancel the order after reading the reviews of both tvs in the July issue of the mag), I purchased the UE48H6400 a few days ago. Well, all I can say is, I'm hugely disappointed and frustrated. The picture quality is very, very good - clear, bright and sharp, with all the detail one would expect from an HD picture on a 'five star' tv. The sound is, actually, really quite good - perfectly listenable. The reason for my disappointment is that the lip synching is so far out that, on certain channels, it is unwatchable. So, I have a number of questions:

1/ Do any of you have a similar problem with this specific tv? In other words, have I bought a duff set, or is this a common problem with this model?

2/ If the answer to the second part of question 1 is yes, why the hell don't the good people at WHF point this out as an 'against' in the review?

3/ Do any of you have lip sync problems on your televisions but put up with/ignore it?

4/ If the problem is widespread, then how do the manufacturers get away with selling a product that is, quite simply, not fit for purpose?

5/ Have any of you had any experience of speaking to the Samsung 'help' line? I spoke to a lady, yesterday, who told me 'if it's within 28 days of purchase, you can take the tv back and get a refund' - I was hoping for a 'we'll be sending out a software update that will solve the issue' or something similar.

Thanks, in advance of any helpful replies.

 

[bigboss]

Someone else has noticed lip sync issues with your TV:

http://www.avforums.com/threads/samsung-2014-range.1870155/

When I was at the TV shoot out, the Samsung UE65HU7500 & 8500 both had some lip sync issues with Netflix 4K, but because I have an AV receiver, it wouldn't have been a problem for me so didn't take much notice of it.

Interestingly, the 50-inch version is cheaper than 48-inch one, at least at John Lewis:

http://www.johnlewis.com/samsung-ue50h6400-led-hd-1080p-3d-smart-tv-50-with-freeview-hd-voice-control-and-2x-3d-glasses/p1339064

You could either:

1) Swap your TV for another Samsung to see if the problem persists, or

2) Get the Sony.

 

[bigboss]

As I said before, don't get too much hung up on star ratings:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/tvs-and-projectors/samsung-vs-sony-0#comment-2967114

 

[daveyjay]

Hello bigboss, thanks for the reply. Somehow, I didn't think I'd get many replies on this issue - either hardly anyone has experienced a similar problem, or most people don't notice or put up with the problem (which absolutely amazes me, to be honest).

I'm going to send the sound from the tv to my Marantz, using an optical digital lead, and see if the problem persists...

 

[bigboss]

Which Marantz is it? Most AV receivers have lip sync correction feature.

 

[daveyjay]

It's not a home cinema receiver as such, bigboss, it's the M-CR603. And, it makes no difference whatsoever - the lip sync problem is still very much in evidence. Oh well, guess I'm gonna have to pack it up and take it back. What a massive pain in the rear. And, at the risk of sounding like a stuck record, if this is a known problem with this particular tv, and not just a one off fault, how the hell can a manufacturer get away with selling the damn thing? Not to mention how can WHF give an unwatchable tv a five star rating? Huge disappointment.

 

[bigboss]

It's not a home cinema receiver as such, bigboss, it's the M-CR603. And, it makes no difference whatsoever - the lip sync problem is still very much in evidence. Oh well, guess I'm gonna have to pack it up and take it back. What a massive pain in the rear. And, at the risk of sounding like a stuck record, if this is a known problem with this particular tv, and not just a one off fault, how the hell can a manufacturer get away with selling the damn thing? Not to mention how can WHF give an unwatchable tv a five star rating? Huge disappointment.

Well, only AV receivers have a lip sync correction feature. Anything else will not correct it. I don't think What Hi Fi would've encountered this problem, else they would've mentioned it. Even Techradar review doesn't mention lip sync problem:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/televisions/samsung-ue48h6400-1247567/review

 

[daveyjay]

Yeh, I've looked at most of the reviews.

What's that Hans Christian Andersen story about the emperor and his new clothes...

Sorry to come across as sceptical, but I'm beginning to question the reviewers' motives - perhaps I'm just cheesed off...

 

[bigboss]

perhaps I'm just cheesed off...

Yup, looks like it.

 

[daveyjay]

Can't believe that no other forum members have had a similar problem. Anyone care to comment? Have I just been unlucky with my choice of tv? Is it the broadcasters' fault? Why, as it would appear, having searched online, is it an issue with Samsung tvs? Or are other makes similarly affected/afflicted? Should i go back to watching an old CRT tv?

 

[bigboss]

If you look online, you will find problems with TVs of every single manufacturer.

Have you swapped it yet? Or exchanged for the Sony?

 

[rocketrazor]

When my gt50 was replaced for another gt50 I noticed a difference in the lip sync when watching via the humax box, not direct from the tv. I changed the delay on the humax which sorted things out, although it took me a while to get the right setting. The problem also is that it's different for each channel. I run mine through a dedicate home cinema amp. Now I don't notice anything

 

[daveyjay]

Several comments have been made about running the sound through a home cinema receiver solving any lip sync problems - how does this work, please? - I mean, technically, how does this solve the problem? If the problem is down to the broadcast quality, which I'm beginning to understand it is (some channels being worse than others etc.), how does a home cinema amp correct things so that sound is in sync with image?

Still don't seem to be able to draw any of the WHF team in on this topic...

 

[Paul.]

As I understand it, hdmi auto lip sync is going to transmit the input lag speed of the display to the audio device, so the audio device has the appropriate amount of delay. I am curious, if you set your tv to game mode, does the lip sync go away? This will tell us if it's simply excessive processing by the tv causing lag, or something more complicated like the tv tuner loosing timing data.

 

[daveyjay]

Hello paul,

No, the tv is not set to game mode. Indeed, game mode is not available.

 

[bigboss]

There has to be a game mode. Check your TV manual.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/ue40h6400-201405023756.htm

 

[rocketrazor]

Just to note re my earlier comment. My lip sync issue only occurred after my tv was replaced for the same model, to amend it I changed the timing on my humax box. Nothing changed on my amp

 

[daveyjay]

bigboss, there is a game mode option, but it says not available, when I attempt to activate it.

 

[Paul.]

There has to be a game mode. Check your TV manual.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/ue40h6400-201405023756.htm

game mode is not necessarily available on all sources, it may be grayed out on the tuner.

 

[Paul.]

Jinx

 

[daveyjay]

Yeh, game mode is greyed out.

 

[daveyjay]

What difference, if any, regards picture quality, would I see between the UE48h6400 and the 6700. I know the 400 is 400hz and the 700 is 600hz, but will there be a visable difference? I don't suppose they'd bother using different processors if the results were the same, but is it worth an extra hundred notes for an extra 200hz?

 

[bigboss]

The general advice is to turn all artificial picture processing off in any case. So I don't think the extra 200Hz matters.

 

[daveyjay]

OK, I thought not, thanks bigboss.

 

[Paul.]

That may be sound advice for a Plasma, but not LCD based televisions. I dont think any LCDs will resolve the full 1080 lines with motion options switched off. In the case of the H6400,

Motion resolution600 to 1080 with [Motion Plus] engaged; 300 otherwise

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/ue40h6400-201405023756.htm