Customer Reviews

Samsung UN55C6300 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

In considering what TV to buy my parents, I had the apparent choice between buying an led LCD or a plasma. I opted to get the led, but you wouldn't really be wrong to go the other route. My parents just wanted any TV that was bigger than 50 inches while I, being somewhat of a techy, needed to find the best TV over 50 inches. Well, here you have what I would call the third best TV over 50 inches (the 8500 and 8000 models being better) at the time of this review. This is the first of Samsung's new line of lcds to come out this year, and it narrowly beats out last years 6 and 7 series TVs by offering a better contrast ratio (4,000,000-1 vs. 3,000,000-1) for virtually the same price point. Otherwise, it's pretty much identical after reviewing the specs. Newer is better though in this case also because of the firmware upgrades and other fine improvements in engineering and technology.

The TV was delivered about 5 days after I purchased it through Amazon, and it took about 15 minutes to set up. Out of the box the thing looks incredible. It's as thin as a blackberry! Some assembly was required with a phillips head and about 10 screws to attach the tv to the stand, but it was only 4 steps total and added to the suspense. After plugging in literally two cords (the hd component cables and the power cord) you are up and running. When the picture came on it was CRYSTAL clear. It puts every other TV I've seen to shame. You can go to Best Buy and do a side by side comparison and you won't find anything better. Forget about the plasma, this is the way to go. I could describe in more detail how great the picture is, but suffice to say it's flawless from movies to news to sports. Even if this is not your first HDTV, you will notice a big difference. I bought a 32" 240 mhz set in Decemeber and this tv is in another league. The LED side panel illumination works well, and there is very little adjustment of the settings necessary to achieve true to life picture quality.

"True to life" will be understood in a new way when you buy this TV. The longer it has been since your last TV purchase, the more breathtaking this advancement in technology will be. Regardless, this will be a TV that will have a useful life for years (longer than a plasma) and will always look amazing. That being said, I would get the warranty (2 years) for an extra 170 or so.

Note: I chose lcd over plasma because lcds are noiseless and don't have the risk of picture burn-in. The 58' plasma I was looking at is the same price. This TV is better than plasmas priced less at the time of the review. If price is the main concern, I might do an in store side by side comparison with cheaper plasmas to see if the difference to you is worth the money.

I went to a local electronics store to buy a 46" LCD to replace the Samsung 46" LCD I just broke and ended coming home with this. F ry s had it on sale for 1 5 0 0, so we decided to spend the extra 6 0 0 to buy this. I was torn about not buying the Samsung TV with the Internet functions (Netflix, Pandora, etc..) but we have the PS3, which makes up for it. We had to decide between the Samsung Models LN46C630, LN46C650, UN46C6300, UN46C6500, and this model UN55C6300. They were priced and 8 7 9, 1 0 3 9, 1 3 2 9, 1 4 9 9, and 1 4 9 9. We were only looking at Samsung because we have had only good experiences with Samsung until I accidently hit the LCD :(( (Crack!!) Long story short we walked out with the 55"

On to the Review:

Before purchasing this TV, please consider your room size. We are about 10ft away from the TV and this is about as close as you want to be. There is a big difference between a 46" and 55"

The setup was easy. The size of the box makes it difficult for one person to carry it but the TV is light enough for one person to lift it. The first step is to attach the back plate to the base with 5 screws, next it is suggested to use two people to put the TV on the base. I was able to do this step by myself. It has tabs that latch in and 5 screws to attach the TV to the base.

All 4 HDMI Ports are located on the side, so may need to use the cable management system that comes with the TV. There is also a component video connection. There is no COMPOSITE video connector, which is a slight con for me because I need to buy a new connector for our WII. So if must have a composite connector on your TV then this TV is not for you. I did not dock the TV any stars for this because I could have looked closer... Besides composite to old school and I do not mind buying the component cable

The TV powers up fairly quick and noticeably faster than our 550 model I killed..

The clarity of this TV is amazing, the colors really pop out and are well defined. It is almost like the people on the screen are in the room with you. I thought Blu Rays were unbelievable on our 46" LCD, it is trippy watching them on the 55" screen. Talk about seeing the pores on people's faces. Maybe it is a little too good of a picture :D (I know, no such thing) There is defintely some reflection from the TV but not enough to bother us.

The sound is on par with our previous Samsung, which not great for audiophile people but more than enough then we need for our family.

Because it is a LED LCD it is thin. It is a little over 1" thick. Not as thin as the 9000 series but I do not have that kind of money laying around :)

I highly recommend this TV for anyone with a room larger enough to accomidate it. I am not having any buyers remorse. If anyone has any questions please post a comment and I will try to answer them.

7/18/2010 Update - Just a quick 2 month update. The TV continues to amaze and the Blu-Ray are just insane on this TV. I see the electronics store has 6500 model for 200 more than we paid for this

We have had this tv for 2 months and it just doesn't seem like it could possibly be any better. The colors are so true and there is so much depth that it actually seems 3D at times. When you play a Blu Ray the colors pop even more and you really feel like you are part of the picture or scene. I have done a double take at times because it appears so life like! We love this tv and are so happy when we get a chance to relax and watch it (not often enough!). Wall hook up was a breeze and it has enough HDMI inputs to make it even easier. I wouldn't recommend the Samsung Blu Ray player though if you are running everything thru a receiver. Samsung's "Any net" gets confused about what you are trying to do. Or at least the Universal remote doesn't recognize that the tv is in control of the Blu Ray player. (Or maybe it's me who gets confused on what it is trying to do!) Anyway, I can't imagine any other tv delivering a better picture than this one. You will enjoy it immensely!
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I bought the UN55C6300 and am extremely pleased with the picture quality. However right out of the box I noticed that the lips were not in sync, and also that the display was skipping frames very often.

I have a DVD player, Blu-ray player, and a Satellite HD Receiver (Dish Network) All hooked up, and all sources have the same problems. I've tried the HDMI input, Coaxial, Component, and Composite inputs. All result in laggy video and out of sync audio.

If I use the HDMI cable and the tv speakers, the audio is in sync. However with any external audio receiver it becomes evident right away that the video lags the audio by a lot (at least 120ms). Even if I turn "Game mode" on, the video still lags, just not as bad.

Even if I upgrade to an audio receiver that has a delay function to try to sync the two, that would not help because the time between the audio and video delay seems to vary a lot. In other words, without changing anything, the audio and video will go closer to in sync and further from in sync throughout the day. This is a very frustrating problem. My BluRay Player has a built in delay function, but it maxes out at 120ms. When I have it at that setting, the lip sync problem is significantly improved, however the video STILL lags the audio very noticeably!

The choppy video appears significantly when the "Auto motion plus" feature is enabled. The strange thing is that even if turn this setting on to "Custom" and turn both the blur reduction and the judder reduction to zero, it will still skip frames regularly. With the Auto Motion Plus turned off it will still skip frames, just very infrequently.

The video I posted demonstrates the choppy video problem. You can see at the beginning of the video that the panning looks smooth. Then I turn on the "Auto Motion Plus" on the TV, and play the same exact segment again. This time you notice that the video looks much more clear during the panning, however it is extremely choppy. Every second it "Skips frames".

Another strange thing about the choppy video problem is that the frequency of frame skipping changes with what show/movie is playing. For example, LOST in HD would skip frames every two seconds, driving us nuts and forcing us to shut off the "Auto Motion Plus". However Spiderman 3 on the same channel also in HD showed hardly any frame skipping at all. Blu-rays allowed me to have the auto motion plus setting on pretty high, but it would still randomly skip frames throughout each film.

I know one of the responses I'm going to get will be just turn the auto motion off, but this setting does a spectacular job and was one of my main motivations for upgrading to a Samsung TV in the first place. Even with the frame skipping you can see that the picture is so much clearer during panning and overall, and it is such a shame to have to turn it off.

The best way to describe what I am seeing is that it is like I am watching TV on my computer, and my computer's processor can't keep up, and therefore the video skips a bunch of frames every so often. This makes watching anything a lot less "fluid" and distracts me from getting "sucked in" to what I'm watching.

I called Samsung and they said they've never heard of either of these problems. This gave me hope that I just have a bad TV. So they sent a technician out, and he replaced the processor and the power supply. No cigar, same exact problems after he leaves. So I exchanged the TV for another brand new one, take it home, and same exact problems. Looks like that's the way this TV is supposed to perform.

Another thing that really irks me is that they combined the component and composite inputs. This means I have to choose one or the other two hook up; I don't get both. That means if I want to use my VCR, I have to disconnect the component input from my DVD or Blu-ray player.

Between the audio and video always out of sync with my external speakers, and the fact that I can't use the "Auto Motion Plus" feature that looks so amazing but does not work properly, I am at a loss as to what to do. My wife is distracted by these issues, and shes not a picky person at all. Do I hang on to this and pray for a firmware update that will magically fix either or both of these problems, or do I take it back and try for another brand? I'm thinkin' its going back.

Like many others reading this review, I put a lot of research into which TV I was going to buy since I was paying so much. I upgraded from a 37" Sharp Aquos LCD. To sum it up, I am very satisfied with purchase and would buy again if I had enough money.

Let me help ease some concerns that I found while I was researching this product.

Flashlight/clouding:

For the majority of people, you will probably not even notice this. I had read so many complaints about this that it nearly kept me from buying this TV. I had to research exactly what this issue was because at first I did not know what flash lighting or clouding was. Once I found out what I was looking for I checked my Sharp LCD to see if it had the same issues and occasionally it did. But the fact was I had the TV for 5 years and neither I or anyone else that ever saw the Sharp noticed it. The Samsung 55C300 does have a little flash lighting in corners but honestly I had to really "try" to find it and when Im not looking for it I dont even notice. While it may be an issue for some people, I believe for 90% of people looking to upgrade their TV, this is not an issue, and the fact is you will find complaints about flash lighting/clouding on almost every LCD/LED TV. Only a few TVs I came across had no complaints with this issue and those TVs were way out of my price range.

Off-angle viewing:

I think everyone knows that plasmas have the best off angle viewing and that LEDs are not great in this area. But for me it wasnt an issue because I have my TV set up in a place where off angle viewing will never be a issue and I have it on a swivel stand in case I need to turn it. So this wasnt an issue for me as it might be for some.

Lag time:

Lag time was another issue I read alot of people complaining about and since I play alot of xbox 360 and ps3 games this was almost a deal breaker. However Im happy to say I just dont notice any lag time, when I press a button it reacts instantly on the screen. I notice no difference between lag time in this TV and my old Sharp LCD. Maybe there are some video game "nerds"(some of which I can tell by watching their screens in Call of Duty), that to them things dont move fast enough, but those people dont have anything better to do then to complain about lag time so dont let them turn you off.

Judder/frame skipping:

I watched the video from the other poster that showed his cable program skipping frames on this TV. I have played blu ray, video games, live TV, and DVRed TV and so far I dont notice this frame skipping on anything. With or without Motion Plus turned on or off or used with different settings, its just not an issue.

Glossy screen:

I read some people complaining about the screen being so glossy that they couldnt even watch the TV. I dont know if these people are just easily distracted but its not that big an issue. You can see a glare in the TV if you look for it but when its on the picture is so bright and amazing that I dont even notice a glare. I even shined strong lights directly into the TV and I could still see the picture fine.


Summary:

You may come across many bad comments all over the web regarding this Samsung TV or other higher end models, but do not be afraid. Notice everwhere you find reviews, you will have maybe 1-5 bad comments but the other 90-95% are all positive reviews. Im not denying that some people have issues with the TV but I think for the majority of people, the issues are not that big of a deal. From the complaints I was reading I was expecting a unwatchable TV set that would lag, skip frames, have flash lighting that made tv unwatchable, and screen that acted as a mirror in reflecting light because of its "glossy" screen. That is the kind of TV you would expect after reading many of the reviews out there, but Im here to tell you most of it is overblown and for under $2000 you can expect a fine piece of equipment. If your looking for the "perfect" TV, I have read great reviews on the SamsungUNB8500, but have fun getting that for a decent price.


PS: DONT SPEND MORE THAN $10 on HDMI cables

This TV was an upgrade from my Samsung LNS4051D 40-Inch LCD HDTV. What bothered me most about my previous set was: a square "pixel" like movement during fast scenes (particularly moving water), poor gradients (obvious blocks when viewing graphic gradients - think PS3 wallpaper). Both issues have been eliminated with this upgrade and while my husband could not pick up on either I would not describe myself as a videofile, simply picky.
Here are my opinions on:

------GLOSSY SCREEN------
I feared the high gloss screen would prove too reflective for me as I have a bay window on the side wall. Though I can easily see the reflections when looking for them it has not been a deal breaker for me for the same reason I prefer a gloss screen on my computer rather than a non-glare... the color representation, the depth, the clarity are all fantastic. The picture really is stunning.
------ACCESSING THE INTERNET-----
This model does not have independent internet access features. However, I access the internet and my computers media files thru networking with my PlayStation 3 250 GB so I felt paying more simply for an internet connection was senseless. That is available on Samsung UN55C6500 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black) and the like thru Samsung Apps.
------LACK OF 3D------
I also could not convince myself to purchase a Samsung UN55C8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D LED HDTV merely for 3D TV. I have viewed it in the stores and while it has a cool factor it would not be long before I was sick of wearing glasses in my living room and felt motion sickness. To me at least, 3D is nice for a movie night but it simply won't tempt me to part with my money for the chance to say I have a 3D tv.

-----WHY IT's NOT PERFECT------

The one thing I don't like is the obvious brightness at the corners of the screen. This truly is the only negative I can find. This is only seen when the room and picture is very dark or the scene is displaying black in the corners. So, depending on the movie, you may not see this frequently enough to be readily aware of it. (My husband claims he can not see it.) This keeps the screen from being "seriously" black in dark scenes and that's a shame because the fantastic contrast ratio yields deep, dark blacks. This is a known issue/side effect with edge light LED technology used on Samsung TVs. In order to eliminate this I would have to move up from "edge lit" to their "local dimming" screen and for that shell out quite a bit more for the Samsung UN55C6800 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black) or Samsung UN55C8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D LED HDTV, to name two. I realized this when I purchased the c6300 (which I got for $2K minus the $150 in certificates I had) and with the falling prices of technology I could not bring myself to spend even more for a TV, I also did not want to wait. If I felt it was a long term "investment" I would have spent the extra money, but I personally don't feel as though TV technology is long term in my house and certainly doesn't qualify as an investment due to the falling prices. :)

I recently purchased and took delivery of this TV from Amazon and delivery was quick and efficient. I had read just about all of the online reviews that I could find on this TV. Since, it is so new, there aren't many. The TV has a fantastic picture quality and it seems that some images and scenes look more "real" than standard LCD TV's. Somehow, it often seems to have more depth and detail (almost 3-D'ish at times) than standard LCD screens with their standard CCFL back lighting. I also felt that this Samsung's edge-lit LED panel had a superior picture to other brands of LED/LCD TV's. Aware of possible chinks in the armor, I had read about the "blooming" or "flashlight" effect emanating from the corners of the screen when the screen is black, or showing dark scenes. When I first set-up my TV and it was going through it's auto channel programming routine, the screen was all black and I did notice the slight blooming effect of faint cloudy light coming from the top two corners, for several inches. However, it was not excessive, and was just discernible, and I have not yet noticed it when watching program material. Because the panel is so thin and the LED's are located on the edges and still have to carry light to other parts of the screen, with special diffusers, it is extremely difficult to completely suppress light "leakage" under all conditions with this type of back light configuration. But, the reality is that, likely, these types of conditions constitute a very small percentage of one's total program viewing time and experience. I have also noticed the occasional artifacting with some high speed movement, but, no more so than any other LCD TV, I've seen, even some at 240Hz. I do like the frugal energy use that this 55" LED/LCD Samsung, has, along with it's super slim profile and sharp looks that are modern and updated, yet, understated. However, the biggest factor that got me to pull the purchasing trigger, was the tremendous picture quality. A beautiful bright screen, with sharp detail with high contrast and rich colors, that once set-up properly, looks super accurate and super real!

After reading some of the reviews talking about jittery output from a 1080p source, I was a little leery buying this TV but I am glad I did. It did take almost 2 weeks to deliver through Amazon though and the tracking provided via CEVA was a little misleading. That was the only part of the whole experience that could have used improvement. I also purchased the Peerless SF670 low profile mount through Amazon. The mount was already installed when the TV arrived so I mounted the brackets and the rear plate covering the stand hole on the back and the new TV was on the wall and hooked up in 10 minutes with one other person helping. Although this TV is light enough for one to pick up, it is bulky and it would have been dangerous putting it up alone.

The picture on this television is as advertised: great color, detail and refresh. There is a setting for Auto Motion Plus that comes activated in Standard mode from the factory. This is probably what caused other people so much trouble with the jittery performance. This mode for me also caused studdering and jittery playback for 1080p content. Setting this mode to Clear or turning it off alltogether clears up the problem. The Auto Motion Plus feature is ONLY a gimmick and although it looks kind of neat in a trippy way, I could not imagine watching ANYTHING that way for any period of time, even if it didn't studder. Some have talked about getting a firmware update to fix the jittering but I didn't even bother because I would rather watch movies the way they were intended to be be displayed, not in some surreal bizzare way.

I am pushing 1080p from 2 sources... an XBMC media server running on an Aspire Revo with HDMI output and an HDMI HD cable reciever, all switched through an HDMI matrix switch with over 30 feet of HDMI cables. The audio is tapped from a TOSLink fiber connector on the matrix switch and fed into an Onkyo DTS reciever. Through all of this wiring, the picture has always been full 1080p and there is no delay in audio vs. video, even with the audio tapped upstream from the video. In my setup, I only run two cables to each TV, one HDMI and a return optical in case the audio ever was out of sync with the video - like I said though, no problems there so not really needed if you are using a HDMI switch with digital out.

All in all, this TV was a very good value for my setup and I couldn't be happier with the purchase. I have only had it a week though so have no comment about reliability.

The reviews on this TV are mostly positive but there are a handful of people who really have issues with edge lit LED technology and now I am one of them. Even after calibrating the TV the flashlighting and clouding was unbearable (LED light leakage, especially in the corners). I also experienced some issues with frames skipping now and then (I had a C panel not a SQ panel). I returned this TV and picked up a UN55C6800 which also has edge lit LEDs but with precision dimming. I tell you, this really makes a difference because all the issues I had with the UN55C6300 were resolved in the UN55C6800 - definitely worth the $350 premium.

The TV is simply awesome. The contrast ratio is amazing. Shortly after installing this TV, I helped setup a similar Samsung non-LED model (LN46C630). The difference in contrast ratio was very noticeable to my now trained eye.

I used the Samsung WMN1000B kit to mount it on the wall and it was simple to follow the instructions to mount it. The quality of the parts in the kit was top-notch including everything that was needed except for the 1/2" drill bit that I had to purchase to drill through the wallboard and metal stud. It is so slim to the wall that a neighboring framed painting actually sticks out more from the wall than this TV!

I have noticed that a full dark gray picture (ie: black but not quite a complete black, as in the brief flash between a program and the 1st or last ad) exposes the only flaw I have seen. When this occurs, you see a splotchy picture from uneven backlighting. I believe that this is called flashlighting. This is hardly a negative because I could care less what the picture looks like at that point. If the TV detects pure black, it looks like the LED backlighting is actually turned off and appears black.

The other downside is the viewing angle. It works fine for us, but at some viewing angles the picture starts to wash out and the flashlighting is more noticeable from the corners of the screen. However, if this is noticed, stepping to a narrower angle appears to resolve this appearance. Again this is only noticeable if you are focusing on it, especially with a not-quite black image.