Monday, December 30, 2013

Samsung UN46F6300 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Slim Smart LED HDTV Review

samsung tvs review 

  • 1080p HDTV : Better picture quality
  • 120Hz Refresh Rate. Dual Core Processor. Content Sharing and Screen Mirroring
  • Smart TV: Interact with streaming content and the web
  • DTS Studio Sound. Smart TV with Apps, S-Recommendation and Full Web Browser
  • TV without stand (Width x Height x Depth): 41.9'' x 24.5'' x 2'', TV with stand (Width x Height x Depth): 41.9'' x 27.7'' x 12.1''
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CONSOLE GAMERS!!! this is the PERFECT TV!
 
This is my first review on Amazon and I normally dont do this, but I feel compelled to write one because most of the reviews on this fabulous TV are missing a key Demographic...GAMERS!!! Skip down to the 2nd paragraph for gaming if you dont want to real this background paragraph. To start off, I purchased the Samsung UN46F6300 46 inch LED TV solely for the purpose of Video gaming, but also for streaming Netflix and Cable TV. With the new XBOX One coming out I knew I had to upgrade from my Dynex 40 Inch LCD TV I purchased before I went away to school in 2009. I did a lot of research and was split on buying an LED TV that was either 120 HZ refresh rate or 240 HZ. After learning that the human eye can barely tell the difference between 120 HZ and 240 HZ I decided to go with 120 HZ because its cheaper and the technology is better developed than 240 HZ. Long story short, I researched brands endlessly looking for that "flawless" TV, and came to the conclusion that my first LED TV is going to be a Samsung. I was then split between the Samsung UN46F6300 (this model) and the Samsung UN46F6400 which is the 3D version with 480 Clear motion rate. After consulting on CNET, my most trusted electronic website, there is no difference between 240 CMR and 480 CMR because they both have an 120 HZ refresh panel. Thus, the decision was made, and Ive been mind blown ever since.

GAMERS, This is dedicated for you since no other review gives a good description for gaming and this is what I was looking for when researching for TVs. Let me start off to say that this TV does require some fine tuning with the picture to give you that perfect clear, crisp look Let me also point out that there is NO MOTION BLUR which fascinates me because it gives you that lifelike realistic picture. Everyone is different so I suggest you play with the vast amount of picture options to best suit your needs. I highly, highly! recommend turning the game mode on if you plan on playing online multiplayer because the input lag is right at 30 millaseconds (MS), which is top tier. Why does this matter? Say your playing Call of Duty Black Ops 2 and all the sudden you see a guy and you pull the trigger. you unload endless rounds of your Lsat into him but he shoots two rounds from his MP7 and kills you....HUH?? this is because of input lag. While your gaming console instantly registered the trigger pull (shots), it took the TV MS to recieve the game's actions, IE: you being shot at. so even though it seemed like he only shot 2 rounds he actually shot more, but since your tv is running difference processes it slows down its processing speed, thus causing input lag. so ideally you want a TV with low MS as possible for gaming. with game mode turned OFF, this TV is running at about 120 MS so, you only need to turn the game mode on when your playing online. TO ACCESS GAME MODE: press the MENU button, select setup, then select GENERAL. Game mode will be on the top and you can turn it ON/OFF. Then adjust your Picture settings accordingly! When I am playing a single player game on xbox 360, (skyrim, mass effect) I am truly amazed by the graphics this TV produces. This picture is on par with the graphics of games shown at E3. I expected it to be good, but not this good! Again it does require some fine tuning.

I have read some reviews on the smart features and have noticed a slightly unhappy trend with the functionality. My wireless router is the next room so I havent had a single problem connecting or bad picture quality when streaming on Netflix and Youtube.

In Summary, if your looking for a great all around LED TV specifically for gaming, this is your winner. you will not be disappointed. Please read the other great reviews for better detail on the picture, sound, smart tv functions. Thanks! 
 
 
CONTINUE READING - Samsung UN46F6300 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Slim Smart LED HDTV Review

Review Samsung UN40EH5300 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV, Black

review samsung tvs


The best LED-lit television at a budget price

Samsung's 2012 line of LCD televisions focuses primarily on switching their backlighting from CCFL to direct-array LED. Unlike CCFL lighting, LEDs don't diminish in brightness over time and have an incredibly long lifespan. Additionally, these sets are significantly lighter than their old CCFL counterparts which makes moving them around easier. However, this model is not edge-lit which means it's not really thinner despite the weight savings. The lights are directly behind the screen (i.e. direct-array), which many video purists prefer since it makes the lighting more even. This model does not support local dimming.

Pros:
1080p
Direct array LED lighting
Deep blacks
Built-in WiFi
Very lightweight
3 HDMI ports
2 USB ports (including 1 that has extra power for portable hard drives)
Great DLNA support and file playback support (including 720p MKV files!)
Keyboard and Mouse support via USB

Cons:
Semi-glossy screen
Lackluster sound
Lack of swivel base
No S-Video port
U.I. is consistently clunky
Some important settings are made obscure

Display
To start off, the display is fantastic. Colors are rich and the blacks are deep. The set only supports 60hz, but I have never really found myself needing more than that. The lighting is mostly even, but there is noticeably dimming in the corners of the set. The screen is semi-glossy, which I dislike greatly because I can see reflections of myself or the room in darker scenes. Glare from windows is also pretty obvious, so definitely factor that in about where to put this set before you buy it. The bezel which actually makes it look smaller than it is for some reason. The controls for the set are a 4-way joystick hidden under the bottom right side of the bezel.

Sound
The problem with thinner TVs is that sound suffers. My last LCD TV was a regular CCFL set and it had excellent sound. I am not an audiophile at all, but I can't find an audio setting I like for watching regular TV or movies. Either the dialogue is drowned out by music with heavy bass, or you can hear the dialogue (with added bass) and the music is barely audible. I fiddled around with a lot of settings and I just can't find one I like. After a few weeks I've gotten used to it, but for the first time ever I'm considering getting a stereo system to get "normal" sound back.

Connectivity
Samsung has reduced the number of HDMI ports on their cheaper, no-frills models to encourage people to upgrade to their more expensive lines. The "dumb" models only have 2 HDMI ports, this one has 3. Additionally, it seems as though no models support S-Video any more, and this set integrates composite and component into one set of ports. There are two USB ports, one of which is labeled as the "hard drive" port because it supplies extra power. WiFi is built in, and I'm able to stream content from YouTube without stuttering or buffering. The TV can download and apply updates very easily, too. After the last update, file playback includes 720p MKV files, although options during playback are limited. DLNA support is fantastic, but refreshing of file lists doesn't work very well. The menu has settings that allow for mouse and keyboard control via USB, which is useful if you use searches a lot in the smart TV apps. It would be great if you could sign into Samsung's app site and click which ones you want to download rather than doing it from the TV. The interface in general is kind of clunky.

Overall
It's a great buy. Lots of connectivity, access to smart apps (I enjoy the YouTube one, Netflix is also available and they are adding more). Definitely recommended.

Tips and Caveats
If you plan to use this as a monitor, make sure you label the source as "PC" of some kind. This removes a lot of post-processing. There is also a "Game Mode" under general that makes the display more responsive, but the downside to using this mode for me is that audio is stuck in "movie" mode which is very bass heavy.


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CONTINUE READING - Review Samsung UN40EH5300 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV, Black

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Samsung UN32EH5300 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz Smart LED HDTV Review

Best in class LED TV after you tweak settings

I purchased two of these Samsung 32EH5300 over the holidays, and I am greatly impressed with them. The "full-array" LED lighting makes the TV a bit deeper than the typical edge lit LED TV, but in return you get much more even lighting and an overall better viewing experience. I was also surprised to see how good the Samsung does with standard def (SD) signals - of course not as good as HD quality but much better than the horrible quality I've seen on some LCD / LED TVs in the past.

The three HDMI inputs is a must (sad to see so many other smaller TV now down to only two or even one HDMI input). And of course the vast number of Smart TV features is great - I've already set up Netflix, YouTube, and HBO Go, while I continue to explore more offerings.

One thing that I've found on all TVs including the Samsung is that the proper calibration / setup is essential to get the best picture. I thought I'd provide some basic setup for TV / movie with this set from multiple opinions on the web; for more details search on sites like AVSForum:

Set to Movie mode, then ...
Backlight - set to 20
Contrast - 96
Brightness - 45
Sharpness - 10
Color - 49
Tint - G46/R54
Color Space - Auto
White Balance - set gain to 17(R), 37(G), 12(B)
Gamma - set to -1
All enhancements (Dynamic Contrast, Black Tone, Flesh Tone, Motion Lighting, Noise Filter, LCD Motion Plus) set to Off or 0
Color Tone - Warm 1  


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CONTINUE READING - Samsung UN32EH5300 32-Inch 1080p 60 Hz Smart LED HDTV Review