Samsung UN46H5203 46-Inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED TV

If by the time you’re reading this, the software has been updated and all of the apps work properly, you can skip this first part.

Like many other reviewers have already noted, the TV came without any apps installed. This model was shipped out earlier than it was supposed to. I received it as a compensation item from Dell when the original TV they sold me was out of stock. As a result it was sent out early (I suppose Amazon started shipped to early as well), and when it came, none of the apps worked. Samsung support wasn’t incredibly knowledgeable of the situation, but after a little research I found that they weren’t compatible yet. Anyway, approximately two weeks later, the TV has updated and now has Netflix, Amazon Instant, and YouTube among others. Still no sign of HBO-GO and Hulu Plus, but I trust Samsung to deliver them soon enough. So if that is stopping your from getting the TV, don’t let it. This is bound to be Samsung’s standard model for 2014, and you can bet all of the standard apps will be there. On to the review of the TV..

Picture:
The picture quality is excellent. I changed it to Dynamic and tweaked only a few items, and it looks great to me. Of course you’ll have to form your own opinion. This IS a 60Hz TV. Don’t go by the CMR rating, nothing really looks like its being displayed at 120Hz. But if you don’t mind that, the picture is quite good. TV shows and sports look very crisp and bright and it fares well in my room which is quite well lit.

Inputs:
This was kind of an issue for me, but something I should have known going in. The inputs are pretty limited, with only 2 HDMI and 1 composite/AV. That means you can’t have a composite and AV plugged in at the same time. I needed to buy an HDMI and AV adapter. Also there’s no AV audio, only digital optical. So my current 5.1 system is useless. The speakers are sufficient enough while I search for a new surround sound system, but its a minor frustration that I think Samsung should have considered. Again, I don’t think the lack of inputs is enough of a reason to dock a whole star (given that all the information is in the description), but its something you should be aware of.

SmartHub:
The SmartHub idea is great, and the structure is very good, but it is quite slow. The TV takes a few minutes to boot up in general. You can’t run any apps while its booting, so this can be a bit frustrating. Once you’re in the SmartHub, there is some general lag. Switching back and fourth between the suggested shows and the apps can take a while, but generally the features are there. The TV really does learn what you like based on what you use most often and will suggest apps and channels as such. Though there is some lag, I don’t use enough apps for this to be substantial, and despite being slow, the features are very good, and more than fit my needs.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with the TV. Setup was easy, its quite sturdy, and the picture is excellent. I docked a star for the lack of the responsiveness of the SmartHub, and lack of inputs. But if you’re on the fence, I think its a good buy. Especially now that the apps are starting to come through in software updates.

UPDATE: As of July 15, 2014 HBO GO and Hulu Plus are now available in the app store. I am still very happy with this TV, and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good budget smart tv.

Samsung makes great TV’s that surpass every other manufacturer in their class. I have two Samsung’s in my house and I can tell you the image is beautiful. This TV has an LED screen and in my opinion this the way to go (LED is similar to LCD its back-lit better so that they are no dark spots on the screen).

Now add in that this TV can directly connect to the internet and I’m sold. TV’s of this class have never been cheaper.

One thing that I have found with TV’s that its very important to actually look at the TV in person. Now when you look at the TV’s, go to a place like Walmart to see them, because many times specialty stores like Best Buy play with the lighting controls on the TV and in the store to skew the image to there advantage. Once you look at the TV simply look and decide which one looks better to you.

The next step to take into consideration is features. Here are a few that come with this TV:

This Samsung comes with Auto Volume which automatically adjusts the volume of the desired channel, lowering the sound output when the modulation signal is high or raising the sound output when the modulation signal is low. This reduces the difference in volume when changing channels. The Auto Volume feature can be set to Normal, Night or Off.

As far as outputs most of these TV’s will come with more than enough Inputs and Outputs. This TV comes with 4 HDMI Audio/Video In, 1 Ethernet LAN In/Out, 1 RCA Component Audio/Video In amd 1 Digital Coaxial Audio Out.

Next thing when shopping for a TV is in box technology. Here are some of the features of this TV:

With this Smart HDTV there is a full web browser with WiFi built-in apps made for TV. Some of the apps this TV features is Hulu Plus, YouTube, Netflix, Facebook, and Twitter. Browse the web while you watch movies and TV shows, and enjoy TV while you chat with friends and family online, all on one screen with this Samsung.

Thank you for reading my review, if you have any questions feel free to email me, I would be happy to help you with any questions you have.

I got this TV specifically to use as a secondary monitor for my macbook air so I’ll review it as that initially.

Resolution is good, I’m running it via thunderbolt->HDMI and extended monitor mode. 1920×1080. Text is very readable and there is no flicker that would cause eye strain. I’m surprised and pleased with it as a monitor. You do need to use the remote to go to tools->picture size and set to ‘screen fit’ to size it properly, but after that you’re good to go!

I did play with the other features of the TV. Initial setup is easy but time consuming. I joined it to my wifi network without difficulty, but the upgrades took almost half an hour. Once that was complete however it’s network connected and ready to go.

Hit the ‘smart hub’ button on the remote and you’ll be taken to a default list of apps. Netflix was the one I was interested in. I signed in with my account and it properly allowed me to select my profile. Once into the app you’ll find it’s a bit difficult to navigate. No clue as to how you should search, you can only scroll around and select things. Selecting a movie, you’ll find it might take long time to load. The quality on newer movies is typically great HD.

Try to do anything in the movie such as FF, turn on subtitles, etc… however and things can go bad quick. At one point the movie started a slow motion jerky frame by frame thing and I was unable to exit the subtitles menu or do anything at all with the remote. I had to unplug the TV to get it back.

It’s a nice idea to have wifi and built in apps on your TV. If they work. The good news is this is just software and can be improved. The TV itself has a very nice sharp picture, works great as a monitor and isn’t ultra spendy. My rating is based on this rather than the quality of the apps.