Samsung UN55B7000 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV Reviews

Review by David A. Leon for Samsung UN55B7000 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV
Rating:
I was a committed DLP fan before undergoing a conversion experience on Friday April 17th. I had planned to replace my Samsung DLP with a Mitbushi DLP or LaserVue. In the final hours, I just couldn’t go through with it.

A major Los Angeles vendor set up a display with the UN55B7000 sandwiched between a LaserVue and a Kuro 151. The results were pretty plain to my eyes. The Luxia pretty well crushed both of them. The cult of Kuro will denounce me for heresy and blaspheme, but this is what I saw. About 1 hour of fiddling with the settings on LaserVue did not change the situation much. The Kuro was locked in at calibrated settings which the employees would not allow me to change. Evidently, it was fully tuned up. Once again, this left me with the impression that a fully calibrated Kuro is an over-rated beast indeed. No wonder Pioneer quit the market.

The bottom line: I bought this unit the next day. It took about 2 hours to tune up after I took it out of the box. [Use the natural color setting. Customize motion smoothing to 7 for jitter control and 7 for blur control, or shut it off entirely] Since then it has been pretty astounding. Unbelievable color. Unbelievable reds. Unbelievable contrast ratios. Unbelievable black levels. Very bright. Generates no perceivable heat. Does not get hot. The detail and sharpness and depth of image is truly astounding. I have never seen anything that can compare, and I have been shopping for several months now.

Cons

I am still questioning the merit of the 120Hz motion smoothing technology. It does weird things to slow motion instant replays. It does stranger things to 24fps movies. Seems to work best with live actions sports and HDTV programs shot on digital. You can always turn it off. Blu-rays seem more natural with the technology switched off. Ultimately, Blu-Ray looks magnificent either way.

Advice

A word of advice for the first reviewer and everybody else. You should never, never, never use the speakers on your HDTV. All HDTVs are equipped with pathetic 10 watt reference speakers that stink. All HDTV owners should invest in some sort of home theater surround sound system. It doesn’t have to be that expensive. Even a $300 Home Theater in a Box will make a world of difference.

Review by Jeff Gates for Samsung UN55B7000 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV
Rating:
Pros:

1- amazing size to performance ratio. This TV is incredibly thin. You will have to see it to believe it. At just over an inch thick (not to mention 55″ from corner to corner), this television boasts some of the best stats available, compared to any other brands/models out there.

2-LED back lighting. This feature is what initially caught my eye. When I first saw it I noticed immediately how incredibly deep the blacks were. This boost in depth of the color plate seems to permeate the entire color spectrum, allowing for deeper, more remarkable fullness when viewing all forms content.

3- base statistics. The contrast ratio (although I have read many conflicting, reports, including the manufactures own specification information, which makes it difficult to place an exact quantitative value), 120hz, 1080p, 4 millisecond response time, USB x2 connections, LAN access, ect… They are all there. This television has the capabilities to seamlessly bind your computer or local area network and your home theater into a truly coherent “media center” provided you have the gumption.

4- “Xbrite” like display. I call it this for lack of a better option. The screen itself of this LCD is not matted like many of its predecessors, it is glossy resembling a plasma TV or some of its smaller LCD PC monitor cousins, which allows it a brighter, fuller color clarity. This could be considered as “bothersome” by some because it allows for more apparent reflections of light, casting it back into the viewers eye, but the shear intensity of light emitted by this TV puts this claim to rest.

Cons:

1- Menus. After spending multiple hours removing my previous television, measuring and cutting holes in walls, fuddling with cables, and vacuuming dust bunnies and drywall dust, I found my self at the heart of my disappointment with this TV. Navigating the menu system. Don’t get me wrong, it is not difficult, but it is entirely cumbersome. To start off a simple task like switching sources is made time consuming and attracts attention because you have to hit a minimum of 3 buttons on the remote to switch to your closest input. This may seem like someone complaining that you have to turn the faucet on to fill a glass of water but just play with it for a bit and you will see what I am talking about. The menus themselves are all animated and take a moment to load, which adds to the frustration when trying to navigate through them, and when you get to the input you want you have to manually exit the menu by pressing the “enter” or “return” button on the remote. This problem could have been easily alleviated by having shortcut buttons to the individual inputs on the remote, like most other manufactures offer.

2-Sound. The sound quality is greatly deteriorated by the fact that the speakers on this model face the opposite direction of the screen. Reverberation off a wall is not an adequate substitution for direct focus. The sound quality is not bad in itself, such as being boxy, tinny or deteriorating with increased volume, it is just not as full as others that I have heard (but this is to be expected being the form factor that it is). It will be necessary to have a surround sound system with this TV, but you probably already have one if you are seriously looking at this model.

3 Limitation of inputs. For some insane reason, Samsung preemptively decided which inputs (HDMI) you could use for which devices and placed limitations on those inputs as they saw fit. This is entirely lame and a let down. Scrolling through the menu selections on various HDMI inputs you will notice that a good majority or your picture modifications are not adjustable according to what input you have currently selected. Despite changing the labels of the inputs and reorganizing HDMI inputs, you are not able to get the full gamut of picture corrections that you payed a lot of money for. This, for me, is the biggest let down of the television. There is nothing worse than seeing a whole slue of options that are supposedly available, but are “grayed out” for some unknown reason. I expect, at this price and ability, to be able to fully customize each input that the televesion has, regardless of what peripheral I am connecting to it.

This con might not prevent you from purchasing this TV, but you should be at least aware of it. I have a lot of different devices connected at any given time, ie. blue ray, dvd, vhs, xbox 360, ps3, wii, xbox, n64, psx, snes, nes, pc, camcorder, camera, and some flash based devices, like some of the newer ipods/iphones, and it really bothers me that I cannot change the settings to what ever fits my needs best.

4- Dynamic contrast. This feature seems to be a blessing and a bit of a curse. On one hand you get dark, rich colors, and on the other you get much darker whites when the majority of the screen is dark in hue. You only need to scroll through the menu system of the TV on a static, dark background to see this flaw in action. How dynamic contrast works is that it lowers the backlighting of the television when it senses most of what it is displaying is dark, which makes any contrast in hues, i.e. whites to blacks, much darker than they would normally be. This may not be a deal breaker for some, but depending on what you watch, there is a noticeable difference. I personally like to watch a lot of the space/nasa documentaries, and when they show Hubble images of deep space that are for the most part black, with just a few pin points of light, you notice that that you are loosing quality/brightness of image (as compared to other flat panels without this dynamic contrast perk).

5- Lack of inputs. This downfall is the price you pay for having such a small form factor I guess. 4 HDMI is ok, minus them all being individually limited, but there is only one component in, no composite/S video in at all and the stereo out is a 3.5mm jack so you need an adapter, which is not included. The TV does have optical audio out, so if you have a somewhat capable/newer surround sound system you will be ok, provided you spend the money and buy the expensive cabling to connect it (heaven forbid that your receiver is more than a few feet away or else you are going to feel it in your wallet). Another problem that all of these digital connections bring, that is rarely advertised, is that there is a lot more optimization involved to make them work normally. Say “good by” to just plugging things in and having them work. If you don’t have a lot of patients for reading user manuals or trial and error, it might be necessary to pay the extra cost for having some “Geek” come to your house and make everything work properly for you.

Another slight annoyance is that this TV does not offer any sort of video out. A slight inconvenience really, but I would like to keep my options open.

6- 120 hz it more like “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Some people like its effects on movies/games, I personally have turn it off to make the TV look normal to me. You really need to evaluate the feature for your self and make a decision. For me, it looks like it increases the frame rate at times and slows it down in others, which gives the overall viewing quality a “hurky-jerky” feel. Others that have seen the feature on my TV say it gives it more of a 3D quality or that it is more like looking out a window, as apposed to viewing a TV. Its effect is much more noticeable while viewing certain media such as , blue ray, DVD’s or video games. I can barely notice it while watching HD/SD content from Comcast (1080i/480p respectively).

7-“Media Center” short comings. What, no youtube? Even my phone has that. I would also like to see WMC connectivity, a flash enabled web browser, and come to think of it, bluetooth, so you can connect a qwarty keyboard to actually take advantage of it all. This would truly bump this TV into an upper eschelon, rivaled by no other device to date.

Summary

All in all, I think this TV is feature rich with a few let downs that could be corrected with a bit of ingenuity (hopefully made possible in the way of firmware upgrades, putting the LAN feature to good use). I would not personally recommend this TV to any of may friends because I would not want to hear them complain, but I would tell them to come over, play with it and decide for themselves if it is the right choice for them. Knowing what I know now it would be hard to say if I would upgrade again from what I had previously (LG 50px4dr) to this TV, but I can truthfully say that the picture quality on most devices (cable, xbox 360 and others (NOT PLAYSTATION 3, I get a weird snowy pixelated effect on the home screen that drives me crazy and was the reason I bought a new TV in the first place)) is vastly superior to most other televisions that I have seen. The bottom line is that you need to play with this television for a bit before you purchase.

Review by D. Lewin for Samsung UN55B7000 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV
Rating:
UPDATED BELOW 9/23/09…

I have had this TV for about 2 weeks now and could not be more pleased! My A/V setup was in place when it arrived and all I had to do was connect the HDMI to start watching television. I am running HD cable (HDMI), Wii (Component), Blu Ray (HDMI), and a camera (HDMI) all through the Denon AVR-1910. Only the HDMI out from the Denon to the TV is needed as it switches and upconverts all video.

So after I plugged it in, cable channels started appearing…except for 2 HD channels – just got a black screen. I spent 45 minutes adjusting resolution ins/outs on the cable box, receiver, and TV to no avail. Finally, I rebooted the cable box, and there they were. Yes, I should have tried that first. Anyway, everything has been running without issue.

I must say, this picture is flat out gorgeous. I spent a lot of time researching TV’s and checking them out in the stores; LG, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, LCD, LED, etc… but I always came back to this Samsung LED line of sets. I had read reviews talking about “searchlights” in the corners, and conversely, dark spots in the corners. The former issue I never really saw firsthand. The dark spots though, I did notice in the stores. It seemed more prevalent on the 8000 series, and in some cases I didn’t see them at all. When it came down to it though, I found the overall picture so stunning that the dark areas didn’t affect me (it was REALLY subtle). I was also suspicious that the sets in the stores that are constantly turned on may have something to do with it. I am pleased to say that I don’t see any artifacts on my new set. The picture brightness is very uniform throughout. Couldn’t be happier! If you’ve seen these TV’s firsthand you know the thinness of the set is beyond compare. Mine is on a stand, but on the wall it would look amazing (too bad speakers aren’t this thin).

As far as the picture goes, if you are pushing an HD signal to it…WOW! The picture is so vivid, bright, and detailed some scenes truly start to look 3-dimensional. Not sure what effect I’m really seeing but that’s what it looks like. We had friends over and the kids were watching Kung Fu Panda in HD. All the guys were standing there behind the kids mumbling about the amazing picture. Standard def pictures look fine as well, certainly better than my old DLP. But make no mistake, the payoff is in the HD content.

So I find myself tweaking the picture each day….2 notches lower on the color, 1 higher on the gamma, 1 more for backlight, etc… it’s pretty much at the point where all channels look fabulous and I don’t need to adjust anything else. I’d say, expect to do that on any TV you get. I tried a cnet configuration that they recommend for dark room viewing and I hated it! Immediately switched back to my personal settings. The great thing is that the accurate colors and different configurable settings on this TV provide the flexibility that makes it nearly impossible NOT to get a perfect picture! BUT everyone’s TV room, own eyes, and preferences are a little different. Because there are so many setting combinations, finding the perfect configuration for you will just take a little time – don’t expect to have it straight out of the box. As far as contrast goes, awesome! In a scene of Iron Man (Blu Ray), when Tony Stark crashed his own companies party, Jeff Bridges is wearing a tux with a white scarf. I could see the ever-so-slightest off-color herringbone pattern in the scarf next to the black jacket – and it wasn’t a close up. (Not kidding, it was kind of neat!)….so just based on that scene, I’d say the contrast and sharpness are top notch.

The 120hz motion effect is great as well. If you haven’t yet, go see a demonstration in the store – you really need to see it to understand the hype. It is definitely pretty cool, but I have added some blur and judder back into my settings because it kind of freaked my wife out a little bit. Incredibly smooth, but definitely not how you’d see a movie in the theater. Many scenes end up looking fake, or like you’re standing there watching a play on stage. Just know that it’s completely adjustable or can be shut off entirely. Again, your personal preference will dictate the settings.

I’m also happy to say that the Denon upconverts the Wii video nicely and it pops out on the Samsung in full-screen looking great. I imagine PS3 or XBOX games with HD output look as good as Blu Ray. I also got the wireless adapter and hooked up to my Windows Media Center to browse pics and movies. Works great – no issues there.

The only oddity that I have seen is the fluctuating back light during dark scenes. Other reviews point this out as well. If a scene goes really dark, like rolling the first credits after the movie, yes, the entire screen will dim. Switch back to a bright scene and the brightness pops back on. When it happens it’s noticeable, but it doesn’t happen often. I only see it in an extreme contrast change as described above. In my opinion this is a small price to pay when 99.9% of the experience is breathtaking.

Overall, this set delivers an incredible picture that is hard to beat. I read a lot of professional reviews and they always find a few negative things to focus on, like “the moiré on the fence in the 16th fight scene when the guy drops his gun was noticeable.” Huh? They also say 240hz is better than 120hz. Yes, if your name is UNIVAC and you are analyzing a test pattern. Real people can’t even sense some of these things! I stopped paying too much attention to these after a while. Stand in front of these sets, adjust the pictures, and you will figure out what looks good! For me, this was it – I absolutely recommend this television!

UPDATE: 9/23/09 – Fluctuating Backlight Fixed! Just want to say that this TV still impresses me every time I watch it. As to the fluctuating backlight issue… I found a post that explained how to go into the service menu and turn this off. It’s called CE Dimming and can be set to on or off in both Standard and Movie modes. I turned it off in the Standard mode and it worked without issue. You do need to go in and readjust your picture settings since it resets them, so write them down beforehand. Otherwise, it worked fine and now I have to say the picture is 100% solid. Here are the instructions: With the TV off, push Mute, 1, 8, 2, Power. Scroll to “Advanced”, press 0000 – don’t hit enter. Scroll (down arrow) to CE Dimming and hit Enter. Select Movie or Standard, and hit the left or right arrow to switch it off. Done, hit power. Turn on the TV like you normally would and Auto-dimming is now off!