Apparently it was the EXIT button on the Speler remote that takes it out of the solid background color mode. No other buttons had any response. So back to working again. I'll work on trying the rest of the Samsung codes later and I'll post back with the results.
For what it's worth the warranty card instruction card appears to indicate that the TV is indeed made by Silo, but the Silo codes I've found online don't work at all. So who knows, maybe Silo bought a bunch of Samsung leftover components and I've got a decent TV in front of me after all. The picture is great for a TV that cost me $100 anyway.