Samsung UN55ES7100 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Silver)

Quite happy, awesome picture and great Smart TV features, July 7, 2012

By 

D. Wichmann (San Francisco, CA) –

  

When I purchased the 60″ version of this tv a couple weeks ago I was a little nervous since it didn’t have any reviews at the time. However the 6500 and 7500 had enough positive reviews to make me comfortable, and most negatives had to do with buggy 2012 software which I’m assuming they’ll address, and also which I have not experienced myself at this point. The 7100 seemed like a nice step up in performance and aesthetics over the 6500 w/out a big price difference.

I’m a bit surprised to see some of the negative reviews at this point. I’ve had mine for 2 weeks and thus far am quite impressed. I was replacing a 6-year old 720p 40″ Sony LCD and the first thing I noticed is that this 60″ 1080p makes lower quality programming very noticeable. No surprise here when increasing the screen size and resolution, clearly low quality programming will look worse. However when I popped in a blu ray (Start Trek 2009) I was completely blown away with the quality, clarity and sharpness. It was simply the best looking picture I had ever seen, and it was right there in my living room. The picture produced from my Xbox 360 was also amazing, it took game playing to a whole new level. It’s clear that this set has the potential to display an incredible picture with a high quality source, however it will make your lower quality programming look rather poor, and even my Comcast HD programming pales in comparison to a blu ray.

I found the SmartTV feature really nice. The interface is clean, responsive and intuitive. I was disappointed with missing apps for 2012’s including HBO Go and Amazon Instant, but I’m hoping it’s just a matter of time. The Netflix app works nice and HD shows on Netflix look quite good as well. I’m also able to stream most photos and videos from my network attached storage device via DLNA, including large file size mkv videos (e.g. 17GB), including 3D as well. Unfortunately however my iPhone videos did not play.

Sound is adequate for tv speakers and for regular shows I just use the built in sound, of course for better movie and gaming experience I turn on my surround sound system for a better experience. Aesthetically the set looks really sharp, a big difference over the 6500 with a substantially thinner bezel and a nice lighted Samsung symbol at the bottom.

I have noticed a bit of edge blur which is apparently common for edge lit led tvs, but it’s only apparent during some very dark scenes, and I haven’t really adjusted the picture settings much at this point so I believe this is something that can be minimized.

Overall I’m quite happy and I think this is an excellent set for the money.

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AMAZING television despite some negative reviews, October 12, 2012

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M. May “MRyno” (Dallas, TX) –

  

This TV looks fantastic (both the picture and the actual product)!! After some manipulation of the settings, you can really dial it in to look even better than it looks out of the box (i.e. auto motion plus – off, brightness adjustment, ambient light dimming – off, etc). The black levels are stealthy and near-plasma levels. The color is vibrant and rich. During motion, the picture is one of the best of LCD/LED televisions. Motion isn’t quite as good as Plasma, but it isn’t too far off. If you are coming to this from a Plasma, give your eyes some time (a week maybe) to adjust to the motion and it will become less noticeable. It’s not that your eyes adjust to a worse picture as much as your eyes adjusting to a different technology. Watching my plasma now, I almost feel like it blends/dithers motion which makes it appear smoother when really it is just less “clear” but your eyes tend to accept the blending/dithering that Plasma TVs naturally produce as being more realistic but your eyes will adjust to the nicer LED TVs’ motion fairly easily. But, as for this product, it really is a great TV with a great picture. The Smart TV features are ok but should really be viewed as a bonus feature unless that is driving your purchasing decision. My experience is that no apps or Smart TV-like features on any TVs are perfectly executed. They all have their quirks.

The picture quality is really fantastic. I am on DirecTV and also use my XBox 360 and a BluRay player. There are a couple channels that seem a little grainy and aren’t as good with motion, but I haven’t seen those kind of things on BluRay or while playing video games. Just a couple channels that occasionally have grainier content. Watching football, basketball, and other programming has been great and the only channel remotely important to me that had grainy content a couple times was the Golf channel. Everything else is super clear and has great motion. As an FYI, the Auto Motion Plus feature will give some shows or movies the “Soap Opera” effect which is why I turn it off completely or have it set to Custom and turn the settings way down. The best way to describe the “soap opera effect” that I know if is that the depth of the picture seems to be off. It looks like it was filmed with an HD home video camera. It is especially visible when the camera pans side to side and Auto Motion is on. I think things look better with that off, but, like with TV picture preferences in general, it is all personal preference. These settings just seem to be more natural for my viewing and are more similar to Plasma and CRT televisions.

To speak to the negative reviews that I read I’ll just say a few things. First, this is not the cheapest LED or LCD out there. It isn’t a “bargain” but it really will outperform lower-priced TVs as far as picture is concerned. After house sitting for some friends and watching their $1500 LCD, let’s just say I was annoyed watching their TV even after tuning it. So, if you are willing to pay for a nicer picture, this TV will deliver. That is all, of course, based on personal preference. As far as quality out of the box, this TV was packaged well and seems to be built very well. I haven’t had any issues with hardware or software. The TV is fairly fragile as its thickness prevents major reinforcements to rigidity. Once it is out of the box, be careful with the bottom (Samsung logo bump may hold all the weight if you set it down). Also be careful to keep it perpendicular to the ground. If you are holding one end and the other end is not being held, the weight of the TV and lack of rigidity causes the unsupported end to bend toward the ground if it’s not kept straight up and down. I was able to unbox the TV and mount it on my wall by myself which I do not recommend at all but that should speak to the light weight and build quality. Just remember that it is a very thin piece of glass, silicon and metal and is fragile until you have it mounted or on its stand. Be careful and have a friend help and you will be fine.

To sum up, compared to other LCD/LED TVs, this is a great option. The picture is bright, rich and clear and the TV looks awesome from a design standpoint. There are probably some plasma TVs that will provide a better picture at around the same price but they don’t have the same thin footprint, will consume more power, and (in my opinion) offer only marginal black level advantages. This TV is great with the lights off at night or for watching during the day in a bright room. Make sure to adjust the settings. Construction quality is good though, it is still a thin and relatively fragile piece of equipment (so be careful while unboxing!). After a side-by-side in my living room with a similarly priced Panasonic plasma, it was close as far as picture but the thin bezel and thin profile won me over. I’ve had it for 3 months and I absolutely love it.

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