 Incredible picture quality but with very clunky extra features. |
| Review Date: November 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Terrance McCartney, Pittsburgh, PA USA |
PICTURE
In terms of video quality, this TV is awesome. I can't imagine how the picture could be much better.
There are some minor picture quality issues with off-angle viewing (as the CNET review states), but I think CNET exaggerates the severity -- it's only noticeable to me if I'm far off center.
I haven't yet noticed any blooming effects.
Setting the "judder reduction" to 10 introduces some distortion at times, but a setting of 6 smoothes out motion well without noticeable distortion. However, this varies a bit with different source material. When viewing video files via DLNA that have a lower frame rate, the judder reduction setting can sometimes make things worse. But this is easy to turn off/on by source.
The color level seemed slightly off initially, even with CNET's recommended settings. For example, sometimes a blue sky would look slightly purple (i.e., too much red). But this was easily adjusted in the picture settings.
AUDIO
I don't use the TV's audio, since I have an external speaker setup. However, the TV's audio seemed a bit bland when I tried it.
Unfortunately, digital audio output from the TV does not pass through multi-channel audio from HDMI inputs. You need to run extra digital audio cables from your DVD player and other components to your AV receiver if you'd like Dolby Digital or DTS sound.
ENERGY
I measured the electricity usage at 110-115 watts (energy saving mode at "auto", volume off, picture adjusted per CNET recommendation). Setting energy saving mode to auto doesn't seem to hurt the picture quality at all.
This is very energy efficient -- it uses less power than my old 32" CRT TV. I'm amazed at how little heat I can feel coming from the back of the set.
REMOTE
If you have a universal learning remote, it will not be able to learn from the RF remote that comes with this TV (i.e., since standard remotes are IR rather than RF). However, I called Samsung and they sent me a compatible IR remote, free of charge. With that remote, I was able to program my universal learning remote. Ask for remote BN59-00851A.
BUILD QUALITY
One small build quality issue that I encountered: the plastic at the base of my TV extended a bit too far, making it impossible to fit it into the stand. I had to carve away some of the plastic in the slots of the stand just to get it to fit, which made me a bit uneasy. But other than that, the build quality is fine.
MEDIA FEATURES
Viewing video files via DLNA works well, for the file types that are supported. Although I've encountered many files that the TV doesn't play for one reason or another, the ones that it does play work well. I regularly stream 1080p video files from my PC, and the picture looks perfect (with wired Ethernet).
The TV has a variety of Internet and media features. But unfortunately there are lots of quality issues such as:
1. When playing video files through USB, DLNA, or Internet features, most TV controls are disabled. While you can adjust basic picture settings, you can't choose 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios. In playing NTSC video (i.e., any video that came from standard def TV, home movies, etc) from USB or DLNA, the aspect ratio is *always wrong*: 16:9 video is always squeezed too thin and 4:3 video is always stretched too fat.
2. There is no fast forward, rewind, or chapter advance when playing video clips or movies. This is true of playing YouTube videos as well. Although there is a "skip" feature where you can jump in increments (e.g., 10 seconds), this is only available for some video files (most don't support this, in my experience).
3. As the CNET review stated, the Yahoo widgets are extremely slow to start. Note that this has nothing to do with your Internet speed, since I have a 25 Mbit Internet service with wired Ethernet to the TV and it's still painfully slow. I have an HD TiVo with a lot of the same features as the Yahoo widgets, and that is far more enjoyable to use. But the one area where the Yahoo widgets outperformed TiVo was YouTube -- the Yahoo YouTube widget can play HD video clips as HD but TiVo plays them as SD.
4. If a media file played through DLNA (and I assume USB) has multiple audio channels, there is no way to choose which audio to play along with the video.
5. Does not support DTS audio.
I assume that these problems exist with all Samsung TVs with the Media 2.0 feature. Perhaps these problems will be fixed in a future software update. If so, I'll post an update (*** still no fixes to these issues as of 5/9/10 ***). |
Awesome display
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| Review Date: January 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: BCS, Chattanooga, TN USA |
I have had this TV set up for 3 weeks now. Opinion:
Setup
Very simple, the packing box has removable plastic clips that allow you to slide the whole cover off. No annoying heavy staples. You can save the whole box with the reusable clips for moving the TV in the future. Took 2 people to safely lift the TV out of the styrofoam and lay it on the bed. About 15 screws later and the base is on. Pretty simple. The TV with base installed is about half the weight of my 32 inch Trinitron CRT.
Style
The black bevel with clear glass-like edging and brushed metal base is very attractive. When the TV is on there is a subtle blue glow on the bottom of the TV which is pleasant, but you can turn it off if you want. The base allows you to rotate the TV about 30 degrees each way which is a nice feature. The 1.6" thickness is a big wow factor.
Features
Extensive menu features for tweaking the picture. You can tweak the Auto Motion Plus (AMP) very precisely to your liking. You can change the colorspace settings extensively: you can modify each of the RGBCMY colors. For each input the TV remembers each of your calibrations. This is a nice feature. There is a "game mode" which minimizes input lag.
Picture quality
Totally depends on the source material. 1080i video from my comcast DVR looks amazing for certain programing. Vibrant colors, deep blacks. My favorite show to watch now is Glee because it really shows what the TV is capable of (my wife got me watching this...). I do not yet have a blue ray player, so I cannot comment on how this might look. I was impressed with the blue ray quality in the store.
One thing about movies on an LCD screen: all movies are filmed in 24 fps. First generation LCD screens that display at 60 fps always had difficulty with movies because they had to get 24 frames to fit onto a 60 Hz display. This results in judder, most noticeable during pans or smooth motion on the screen. This TV has the AMP capability to interpolate the extra frames to show smooth motion. But the problem is that if you crank the AMP settings all the way up you get a strange looking picture: movies start to look like amateur filmed video. You really have to see it to know what I'm talking about, but it is really annoying. There are 2 parts of the AMP setting: blur reduction and judder reduction. The JR is what gives the soap opera effect. So, for movies I leave the blur reduction all the way up, but put the JR at 0. There is still judder in the movie, but it is far less annoying than the soap opera effect. Oh - and regarding the AMP: it is a very useful feature you are watching a reality TV show or live action sports. I crank it all the way up and the picture looks awesome. For almost all other sources I use BR/JR of 10/0.
I am very pleased with how DVDs look upscaled. Pretty amazing that such a good picture can be made from a 480i source. Regular def video from the cable box looks pretty good. The TV has such high clarity that all the digital artifacts that come through the cable box are clearly visible. Playing the XBox on the 46B8500 is awesome. No noticeable input lag here. Very engaging experience.
Color
On this TV seem to be very accurate, although I am no spectrophotometer-wielding color expert. I like my white point a little bluer than most, so I started with the "Standard" setting and put the colorspace to "Native." I backed off on he green a smidge because the bowl game grass looked too green. Skin tones look very good, awesome on some sources. If you like warmer whites you can change your colorspace to warm1 or warm2. I briefly considered professional calibration, but I am satisfied with the colors as they are set now.
Regarding the blacks
They are so deep that when watching a letterboxed video or a 4:3 video with black sidebars, the bevel is the exact same level of black. Depending on how you have your settings, the LEDs on the black part of the screen are totally off. I cannot see how the blacks could possibly be any deeper.
The factory default settings for contrast are too high - 95/100 on standard. This results in occasionally noted blooming on the TV - really only noticed with one or two bright objects on a completely black background. Turning the contrast down to 80-85 minimized the blooming.
Viewing Angle
At first I thought cnet's description of the poor off angle viewing experience was overstated, but I somewhat concede the point. Once you get out of the sweet spot - about 5 people wide at 6 feet, the picture quality suffers. The picture gets washed out and blacks lighten up to the level of some of a traditional CCFL LCD or worse. Blooming becomes much more noticeable. While you still can technically view the image, the experience is not nearly as rich. This means you can't have like 12 guys over to watch the big game if you are gonna sit close to the TV.
There is a reflective screen. If you have windows behind you, you may notice them during dark scenes. I have no windows behind the couch, but do have a ton of light in the room. I see no reflections at all sitting in front of the TV during the day.
Sound
Abysmal. Immediately turned it off. If you are buying a TV this expensive, you will almost certainly have external speakers. The 18 year old $100 Sony floor speakers I have with an old receiver fit the bill. Don't buy this TV for the sound. The speakers face backwards and sound tinny and hollow, no bass. With a 1.6 inch thick TV you cant really expect too much.
Extra Features
Just as mentioned on previous posts, the yahoo widgets are really too slow to be useful. If you want to know the weather, watch youtube, or browse stocks, go to your computer. If you absolutely have to watch youtube on the big screen, it technically does the job - but very slowly.
Overall
I still feel like this is the best LCD that you can buy right now. With the right source, PQ is amazing. I researched for months and visited numerous stores to narrow down my choices. If your TV is going in a bright room, this TV is likely the one for you. If you are looking for a mancave TV for tons of darkroom movies, then a high end plasma might be better and cheaper.
B |
Review: Samsung UN46B8500 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV
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| Review Date: November 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Cardenas, Texas |
~*~Updated - 01/20/10~*~
- Samsung has decided to discontinue the 8 Series (Website has completely wiped them out). Couple of reasons for this is due to the fact that since not many people knew about the 8 series (more importantly this 8500 set), they were losing money off of something no one was buying. Another reason, is because they are now putting the majority of their 'eggs in 1 basket'. That 'Basket' being the new 3D Technology. Which leads me to believe that the next line of Samsungs are NOT going to have as much focus & emphasis on picture quality such as this 8500 HDTV, but more focus & emphasis on the 3D Technology. One supporting fact: Samsung has yet to deny the possibility that NONE of the 2010 models will have Local Dimming - which is one of the reasons why this 8500 set is (and still is) the best LED/LCD on the market today. Instead all of the new 2010 models will go back to Edge-Lit LED backlighting, which is a step backwards.
- My advice? We all know this new 3D Technology is not going to be the best the 1st time around and within a year or 2 years that 'new' 3D HDTV will then become outdated. This 8500 set is the Best LCD/LED HDTV out there and through the trail and errors of the new 3D technology, this 8500 will still be an HDTV to reckon with. If you see it at a good price, buy it before there's no more.
~*~
For the past decade, there has always been one thing that Plasmas could do that LCD just couldn't even touch = Contrast Ratio & Black Levels. Up until now LCDs always had a hard time producing deep-dark black levels and the consumers are left with pixilated 'inky' 'blochy' black marks across the screen during a dark or night scene. But not anymore...
The Samsung UN46B8500 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV is the BEST LED-based LCD HDTV out on the Market today, period. And what makes this HDTV stand out from the rest?
The use of LED Local Dimming Backlight Technology - Before, the Samsung LED HDTV used 'Edge-Lit' technology where the backlights were located on the Edge of the Screen which is why some HDTVs had a distracting light effect on the edges of the HDTV (aka Halo Effect). And also had trouble producing deep black levels because the backlights were naturally too far from the source (located on the edges of the screen).
With the use of LED local dimming backlight technology, the backlight is actually throughout the screen (not just at the Edges) and can turn off independently from one another during black scenes; making it the best LED-based LCD to produce the deepest black levels ever. Yes, even compared to the Plasma powerhouse Kuro by Pioneer. Never before has an LED-based LCD HDTV even come close to a Kuro plasma HDTV.
Pros
- Local Dimming Backlight Technology = Deeper black levels than any HDTV available
- 120hz/240hz + Adjustable dejudder Feature (Not seen in a majority of 120hz/240hz HDTVs)
- Reduced "Blooming Effect" compared with other local dimming LED-based LCDs
- Internet Widgets (Including Yahoo, Youtube, Weather, etc.)
- Extremely energy efficient compared to any other HDTV
- The style is very Neutral and extremely thin = 1.6-inch deep panel
- Intense Adjustable Picture Controls
Cons
- Price is a little discouraging (But when you think about it, this HDTV is about 5 - 6yrs Future Proof)
- Poor off-angle viewing (This has always plagued both Plasmas and LCDs)
I've waiting for a long time to get another HDTV and I can honestly say the wait is now over. It maybe a little pricey but for what you're getting this HDTV offers a lot and has features that not many LED-Based LCDs have right now. To put it in short (& [...] agrees with me): This is the BEST LED-based LCD HDTV out on the Market (right now)
No question, Invest and Buy it!
V_O_R |
THE REMOTE
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| Review Date: December 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Matarese, NY |
Some have suggested that the RF remote makes using a universal remote impossible, not true. This TV comes with two remotes, the main remote is RF, the mini remote is IR. My IR STB cable remote instantly recognized and operated the TV since it was already programmed for my older model Samsung TV. As long as your universal remote accepts company codes to work you will be fine (it is only the universal remotes that require you pointing one remote at the other to program, that will require you to get your hands on a 7 series remote).
As for the TV, like the other reviews, the picture quality is stunning. The off angle viewing is not bad by any means, sure there is a sweet spot, but I assure you that unless you are replacing a top of the line TV with the purchase of this TV, the off angle image of your new UN46B8500 will most likely be better than any sweet spot DLP or older model HDTV image that you may be replacing. The only thing that makes the off viewing drop in contrast noticeable is that the TVs picture is so incredible that you tend to notice going from awesome to good. But this does not happen one seat cushion to the next, I only see it when I stand significantly to the side (but the TV stand has a swivel, so if you have a Super Bowl Party and people are strewn across your room, you can easily find the best angle to place the TV).
The sound is on par with my old Samsung DLP, the only problem is that the speakers are back facing, so I feel like I am blasting sound at my neighbors (I live in an apartment).
The one drawback for me is the reflective nature of the TV, however, I am sure I will get used to it (as I did with my laptop), and reflections are only noticeable when the scene you are watching is really dark, and the room is light. However, as many will contend, there is no way to block reflections only defuse them, so matte style TVs actually wash out the reflection and in turn the picture quality (+1 point reflective screen).
Bottom line this TV will not disappoint. But get the best price for it you can, trust me.
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WOW
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| Review Date: December 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: alabama1234, Birmingham, AL |
My UN46B8500 arrived on schedule on 12/3/2009 via Pilot and was set-up immediately. Great people, by the way. It replaced a Samsung LN-T4061F.
I purchased the Samsung Wireless LAN Adapter (WIS09ABGN) at the same time.
Location: It is located in a sunroom with 14 windows so there is a lot of light during the day. Since it did not have a matte screen like the LN-T4061F I was worried that the UN46 would have real problems with ambient light and reflections. Yes, there are significant reflections when the TV is off. When it is on, the reflections are pretty much unnoticeable, at least to me.
Calibration: I calibrated it using the CNET recommendations and then modified the following ones based on my preferences:
Mode: Standard
Sharpness: 46
Color: 45
Color Tone: Normal
Automotion Pro240Hz: Custom
Judder Reduction: 2
I am basically pleased with these settings.
Picture: Excellent. Much better than the LN-T4061F which I thought was very good. Blacks are really black and I see no issues with action scenes. I will say that some network shows (CSI & Criminal Minds, as examples) appear a bit dark overall. Football games, golf and other shows, like local news, appear to be correctly lit, however. I'd love some suggestions as to why the variation and what I might do to correct it!
Sound: Yes, it is lousy but I don't use it except when I am watching something using the Wireless LAN.
Samsung Wireless LAN Adapter (WIS09ABGN): The instructions are lousy, really lousy. But, it works. I installed the updated version of Samsung PC Share Manager on my laptop and then plugged in the adaptor. Using "Source" the TV found the LAN adaptor and my network automatically. I had to manually connect to my WEP encrypted "g" wireless network which involved typing in the key. No problems. It worked perfectly.
Internet@: So far I rate it pretty much useless but I haven't tried Netflex or any other download. Widgets are s- l- o- w.
Samsung PC Share Manager: Really poor instructions. I worked a long time before I figured out you had to share "Folders" and not individual files. After that it worked like a charm. I could view pictures, home-shot videos and downloaded TV shows. I have not done any music and have not figured out whether it is possible to transmit something playing on my computer screen to the TV without "playing the file" using PC Share Manager. So far, every file I have tried to play has worked flawlessly as long as it is in an approved format (i.e., jpg) and is in a folder. Pause will work but, so far, skip ahead/back has not. Apparently you can transfer files to the TV's memory but I haven't figured that out and there are no instructions that I have found.
Remote: After about 4 days my remote stopped working. Trouble shooting instructions in the manual didn't help but I did find the answer at the Samsung website but it wasn't easy. I use the remote only to operate the widgets, the LAN Adaptor and to change Menu and Tools settings.
Signal source: I have Dish Network HDDVR with an external antenna attached for added flexibility. The Dish remote worked the TV with no changes from the setting used to operate the LN-T4061F which was nice.
All-in-all, I love it!
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