Samsung UN55B8500 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 52.1 x 31.4 inches ; 61.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 98 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B002HDZNSC
• Item model number: UN55B8500
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,379 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Televisions & Video > Televisions > TVs

• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 24, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

September 15, 2009
Picture performance, advanced connectivity, and an eco-friendly and stunning design come together with the Samsung UN55B8500 55-inch LED HDTV to achieve a high level of picture quality as well as provide a unique and immersive entertainment experience. Using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as its primary light source--rather than traditional Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL)--this cutting edge HDTV also offers the benefits of an ultra-high contrast ratio and a slim depth that allows for a more artful design. And the 8500 Series also includes innovative LED Local Dimming technology, which selectively turns blocks of LEDs off to render perfectly true blacks while others are left on to produce more light in order to express pure whites.

The 55-inch Samsung UN55B8500 LED HDTV (see larger image).

The Crystal Neck swivel stand.

With Samsung's innovative use of white LEDs as a backlight source, the 8500 Series is capable of a stunning 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for extreme detail and image depth and an an ultra-quick 2ms panel response time for fast-paced content. Its Wide Color Enhancer Pro ensures that colors are consistently vibrant, while Samsung's Ultra Clear Panel works to improve image clarity and brightness regardless of a room's ambient lighting.

To battle motion blur and image judder that can plague LCD displays when displaying fast movement onscreen, this 8500 Series LED HDTV utilizes Samsung's Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation technology with an ulatra-fast 240Hz refresh rate--four times that of other TVs. It also boasts high dynamic contrast ratios, complements of the ground breaking LED light source.

The 8500 Series features Samsung's new Internet@TV online content service. Developed with Yahoo!, Internet@TV uses either a wired or wireless Ethernet connection to access content onscreen from Yahoo!, Flickr, YouTube and more with the push of a button. The widget-based interface and scrollbar run along the bottom of the screen for easy browsing of the latest programs and content.

Key Features

• Screen Size: 55 inches
• Full 1080p HD (Learn more)
• New -- Breakthrough local dimming LED technology for a sharper picture as well as true-to-life brightness ranging from the purest black to pristine white. (Learn more)
• Auto Motion Plus 240Hz: Advanced processing that reduces blur and enhances image detail when viewing fast motion video sequences. (Learn more)
• Energy Savings: Samsung's LED TVs use up to 40 percent less power than conventional LCD TVs. (Learn more)
• Ultra-slim Design: 1.6-inch depth
• Ultra-quick 2ms response time minimizes blurring of fast motion in sports programs.
• Mega dynamic contrast ratio (7,000,000:1)
• HD-Grade Pixel Resolution: High-resolution pixel density is combined with a built-in image scaler to handle inputs from a variety of digital and analog audio/video sources.
• Ultra Clear Panel: Advanced LCD technology lets you enjoy crisp image details, natural skin tones, excellent shadow detail, and vibrant colors.
• Game Mode enhances dark areas, sharpens the picture, speeds up the image processing response and enhances the sounds of your games. Picture and sound quality optimized for the special needs of gaming systems at the touch of a button.
• Wide Color Enhancer Pro optimizes a given color's hue, resulting in more natural rendering of colors.
• Picture-in-Picture (PIP) enables convenient, simultaneous viewing of TV programs and video or PC content sources.
• Audio: Two stereo speakers (15-watts each, for 30 watts of total power)
• SRS TruSurround HD creates an immersive, feature-rich surround sound experience from two speakers, complete with rich bass, high frequency detail and clear dialog.
• Content Library (2 GB Flash Memory): Built-in library contains photo art gallery, games, workout routines, recipes, and other interesting digital content. Additional items and updates are available from Samsung.com.
• Two USB 2.0 ports for playing a variety of video, photo, and audio files from portable devices, including external hard drives
• DLNA-compatible for better interopability with electronics, computers and mobile devices from many different manufacturers (Learn more)
• Anynet Plus (HDMI-CEC) allows peripheral AV devices such as a DVD player to be controlled by a Samsung TV remote control.
• Energy Star Compliant: Reduces energy consumption by up to 25 percent compared with standard TVs.
• Built-in digital tuner--no external box needed.
• V-Chip system allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by a parent to contain objectionable content.
• Crystal Neck swivel stand
• Warranty: 1 year parts and 1 year labor warranty (90 days parts and labor for commercial use), with in home service, backed by Samsung toll-free support.
• Medi@2.0 lets you enjoy more with Internet TV, allowing you to receive content via Yahoo!, Flickr, and more via on-screen TV widgets. (Learn more)

Connections

• HDMI (version 1.3): 4 back
• USB: 2 back
• Component video: 1 back
• Composite video: 1 back (shared with component)
• PC input: 1 back
• Ethernet: 1 back
• Optical digital audio output: 1 back

Dimensions

• TV without stand: 52.1 x 31.4 x 1.6 inches (WxHxD); 61.7 pounds
• TV with stand: 52.1 x 34 x 12.1 inches (WxHxD); 77.6 pounds
• What size TV should you get?

Learn More

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Full HD 1080P

Full HD, or 1080p, contains 1.5 times more scanning lines than conventional HD TVs. More scanning lines mean more pixels, more details and a better picture. The new Samsung LCD TV with resolution that is approximately 2 times greater than conventional HDTVs, creating the most perfect picture imaginable. Samsung’s 1080p panel uses a new high-speed liquid crystal to cut response time to 4ms. The fast response time, coupled with Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz motion blur reduction technology dramatically reduces motion blur and judder.

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Breakthrough LED Picture Quality with Local Dimming

Compared to a traditional CCFL, LEDs produce darker blacks that appear endlessly deep to the eye. And with the 8500 Series' LED local dimming backlighting technology, the lit parts of the on-screen image can brightened to the maximum while all light is shut off in the dark areas of the screen. The result is the ultimate in contrast ratio. Moreover, the reduction of brightness in the dark areas also cuts power consumption by as much as half. The 8500 Series also includes Samsung's Wide Color Enhancer Pro feature, which provides a broader color palette by analyzing each pixel and then stretches them to their 3-dimensional limit for the fullest, most lifelike colors possible. Samsung's Ultra Clear Panel further allows the preservation of every detail even in brightly-lit, imperfect viewing conditions. This is done by effectively allowing more light to pass through the screen and simultaneously reducing reflections from ambient light.

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Auto Motion Plus 240Hz

There's a big difference between seeing the game and seeing every split second of it. That's where Auto Motion Plus 240Hz technology comes in. All the action in every frame is analyzed and then adjusted so nothing goes by in a blur. This technology quadruples the frame rate from 60 to 240 frames per second (240Hz LCD panel) without repeating the same image to make more frames. Instead, it uses interpolation to intelligently calculate and place three new frames between two existing frames to create smoother transitions.

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Eco-Friendly

The benefits of using LEDs include not only improved picture quality, but also reduced power consumption levels to easily meet the stringent new Energy Star v3.0 guidelines. The LED modules are mercury-free, which makes for cleaner manufacturing and safer recycling when compared with backlight technologies currently available. In the LED HDTV line, energy consumption is reduced by 40 percent versus traditional LCD HDTVs of a similar size. The LED HDTVs also include a power indicator menu, and an optimized energy savings mode. In addition, these TVs require less material to manufacture and are thinner, reducing packing material and consumer waste. The smaller packaging allows for more units to be shipped and less fuel to be consumed at a time which potentially reduces Samsung's carbon footprint.

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Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)

You already know something about digital living. There’s the TV and digital video recorder in your family room. (And another set in your bedroom.) You have a PC and digital printer in your office, along with a network attached storage device. And you’ve copied all your music onto your portable music player and haven’t had to open a CD case for years. But getting them to talk to each other can be pretty tough. Why is it still so difficult to send digital content from one device to another? Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a collaboration of the world’s leading consumer electronics, PC and mobile companies that has created design guidelines for a new generation of products that can work together — no matter the brand. Think for a moment about all of the photos "locked away" on your home PC that you wish you could access while entertaining your friends and family. Now, thanks to DLNA enabled devices, a DLNA-enabled PC can be accessed from the comfort of your living room or family room via a DLNA-enabled HDTV, where you can enjoy your memories with friends and family, without having to deal with the hassle and non-intuitive "PCexperience". Or, say you recently downloaded your daughter’s birthday party video from your digital camcorder to your PC. Now you want to share it with your parents who are visiting. Without DLNA, you probably have to burn a DVD of the video or hook up the camcorder to the TV. With DLNA, you can just use your TV’s remote to call up the video on your TV. That's it.

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Medi@2.0

Medi@2.0 lets you enjoy more with Internet TV, allowing you to receive content via Yahoo!, Flickr, and more on screen. It also includes a content library so you can enjoy pre-loaded content, such as cooking recipes and fitness exercises. Plus, DLNA CERTIFIED connectivity lets you remotely access your PC's personal media so that you can download music, video, and photos and enjoy them anywhere in the home your TV is. Finally USB 2.0 multi-media center lets you connect a thumb drive or a digital camera quickly and easily.

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Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get. Minimum size = Viewing distance/3 Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5

Product Description

Picture performance, advanced connectivity, and an eco-friendly and stunning design come together to form Samsung LED TV 8500. For the image connoisseur, our highest 240Hz motion blur reduction technology, our highest 7,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio that displays incredibly deep blacks and pristine whites, and enriched color processing deliver outstanding video. Samsung Internet@TV has web TV widgets from Yahoo, Flicker, Ebay and others to entertain, inform and connect you to specially designed web content right on your LED TV. This Ultra Slim 1.6” depth set is the ideal complement for your room and your life.innovative digital technology. Powerful LED technology offers the most impressive contrast and color you have ever seen on a 55-inch screen; innovative 240Hz technology renders four times the frames per second compared to standard HDTVs, for motion that’s truly lifelike and smooth. A pre-loaded Content Library puts countless hours of information and entertainment at your fingertips. The Medi@2.0 feature brings online content – such as video, stocks, photo sharing and more – straight to your HDTV, with downloadable, customizable widgets that are easily controlled via the remote. The Ultra Slim Design is only 1.2 inches deep, and that’s including the tuner! Another visual highlight is the striking Touch of Color accented bezel. And with the photo frame wall mount, you can bring the elegant brilliance of this inches from the wall – in virtually any room. And with the same passion we have for delivering groundbreaking HD excitement and style, Samsung is dedicated to preserving the environment with LED TVs, through reduced power consumption (up to 40% savings versus 2008 Samsung conventional LCD TVs) and eco-friendly manufacturing techniques.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best LCD tv available today!, October 12, 2009

By	Bearcat (Ohio) - See all my reviews

To clarify I own this tv and am not just basing this review on time spent in a store browsing. This tv has been hard to come by and the only place I could find that had it in stock was my local Best Buy with a Magnolia section.

Design: Samsung is noted for their sleek design and this tv is no exception. Samsung says it has a charcoal touch of color but I really didn't notice any color in the bezel. It is black and goes to clear at the outer edge. It sits on a metal stand with a clear neck holding the tv. At the bottom middle of the tv below where it says Samsung is a blue light which can be turned off. I noticed the light flickers ever so slightly when a command is sent from the remote you are using. The tv is VERY slim. Only 1.6" at it's fattest point. This is amazing considering this tv is a fully backlit LED unit with local dimming. Truly amazing and a design that will have your friends jealous.

Picture Quality: This is the best looking LCD tv made today. I have viewed many other LCD tv's including the Sony XBR8 and the Samsung A950 from last year and this one is the best looking I have seen. From a picture quality perspective the XBR8 is closest but not quite up to par with the 8500. Realistically if you had either of these sets in your house they would look spectacular. The blacks on the 8500 are so dark it approaches the level of blacks in the best Plasma tv's. In a dark room I could not tell where the tv screen ended and the bezel began because the screen was so dark. The colors are superb and can be tweaked any number of ways to your liking. I prefer the "Natural" mode for everyday use and the "Movie" mode for watching blu-ray movies. The 240hz refresh is nice but the best thing is that you can independantly control Blue and Judder settings. Cranking up the 240hz tends to produce what some call the "soap opera" effect but this can easily be eliminated by tweaking. There is also a Game mode which I use when gaming on my PS3.

One interesting thing I found out was that the Movie mode using the Warm 2 setting is pretty much spot on from a calibration perspective right out of the box. I say that because I have a Spears & Munsil calibration blu-ray disc and when I ran the tv through the calibration process using Movie mode on Warm 2 I literally only had to tweak one setting by one or two points. I could see many people just flipping back and forth between Natural and Movie modes, depending on what they are watching, and not bothering to calibrate the tv as it looks great pretty much out of the box.

I also wanted to mention that standard def looks good on this tv. It doesn't look nearly as good as HD but it is totally acceptable in my opinion.

Sound: Having such a think profile I expected the sound to be horrible. Surprisingly it was quite acceptable. While I would recommend a surround sound system I never felt like the tv speakers were all that bad. My wife has never mentioned anything and I have never been watching a tv show and thought, "oh the sound stinks". I would say it's about average which is ok to me considering the tiny amount of space Samsung had to work with. While audio-philes may not like the tv speakers/sound I think a lot of people would be totally fine with it.

Viewing Angle: I sit about 9' to 10' away from the screen and have not noticed any real issues with the viewing angle. Of course no LED LCD will have a viewing angle as good as a plasma but unless you are sitting at an extreme angle you probably won't have to worry too much about this. I think this is more of a personal preference...sure the best picture is right in the center of the screen but I don't think sitting to the right or left a few feet makes the picture dramatically different. Maybe a video-phile would notice but my wife doesn't notice and has never said a thing.

Reflection: Be aware that this is NOT a matte screen, it is a reflective screen. If you have windows directly facing the tv then make sure you have curtains or blinds that can block out the light enough not to bother you. I don't think it's anymore reflective than other Samsung tv's but coming from a matte screen prior to this it was a big change for me.

Widgets: The tv comes with internet connectivity for Yahoo Widgets, You Tube, Twitter, USA Today Sports and several others. You can either buy a Samsung USB wireless stick to connect the tv wirelessly to your network or you can plug an ethernet cable directly into the back of your tv. I have an ethernet cable plugged directly into the back of it. First things first, the widgets do not load fast. I'm not sure why but even using a direct internet cable into the tv they still do not load fast. No idea why but they are slooow. Slow enough for me to be annoyed and not use them much. It's odd because when I went to the You Tube widget and looked up a video it played quickly and was smooth. Hopefully Samsung will have a software update to allow the widgets to load faster. Right now I would say they are just a novelty. If they can decrease the load times and add more apps such as Facebook, then I think this has potential. But people are not buying this tv because of the widgets, they are buying it for the picture.

Overall I think this is an excellent tv. Is it expensive, yes. Does it have the best picture of any LCD available, yes. If you have the money this is a great tv. I use a Harmony One remote and it works flawlessly with this tv. PS3 games and blu-ray movies look incredible. The only quibble I have with the tv is the screen reflectivity and that is more a result of my room setup than the tv itself. Whether I'm watching HD football, playing a PS3 game, watching a blu-ray movie or watching The Office I have been blown away by the picture this tv can deliver.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally an LCD competes with the best Plasmas, November 13, 2009

By	J. Finkel "Jack of Trades" (Hoboken, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The UN55b8500 is Samsung's current flagship model and is the successor to the LN55A950.

Picture Quality
A full LED backlit LCD offering a stunning 7 million:1 contrast seperates the B8500 from other LCDs by reaching deep into pitch black, formely only possible with plasmas. Some LCDs turn off pixels to achieve inky blacks - ok for still pictures, but too slow to work with most video - basically a gimmick to inflate contrast numbers. The B8500 however, masters the darkest blacks and brightest whites to produce a bold three dimensional effect or "pop." In a dark room, the b8500 outperforms every LCD on the market, shy of the coveted pioneer plasmas. In a moderate to bright environment however, the B8500 absolutely dominates.

The highly reflective screen can be annoying for those with unfortunately placed light sources or windows without blinds. A matte screen, as on the LG 55LH90, might be a better fit for some, but a matte screen diffuses the light causing the entire screen to lose those desirable inky blacks. I can't say one is better than the other, but for a TV that can produce such dark blacks, I think the glossy screen makes more sense.

Motion handling is the best of any LCD I've seen thanks to seperate blur and judder adjustments and very few motion artifacts. Blu ray discs will exhibit perfect cinema-like panning or, if you want, a more smooth and clear pan similar to a home video. My verizon fios hd occasionally shows judder when there should a smooth flow of movement. The b8500 can help minimalize this, but it is not powerful enough to eliminate it and if set poorly, it can be made worse.

After some quick, basic calibration colors are vivid and mostly accurate. Noise and artifacts are very minimal on 720p and nonexistant on 1080p. Haloing (i.e. white text on black background cause background to lighten near text) is only visible rarely unless viewing from greater than 30° off center and increases in severity as viewing angle increases. Viewing from greater than 30° off center vertically or horizontally also causes a slight loss, contrast and color depth. Viewing from greater than 50° off causes a significant loss in contrast and color, creating a flat image and showing major haloing effects. The ideal viewing range is within 15° of center, though if centered vertically, image is barely degraded at all up to 30° off center. Ideal viewing distance is roughly 8 to 14 feet for 720p and 5 to 10 feet for 1080p, though don't take those numbers too seriously, you can obviously enjoy this tv from just about any distance. At 4 feet or less though, the 46" model is a better choice.

Ease of Use
The preset picture modes are all quite good for those who aren't picky and just want to watch their tv and the b8500 does a decent job of assigning settings automatically based on the input. Of course, high-end buyers are more likely to calibrate sources to their liking or hire a pro. The tv will remember settings for dynamic, natural, standard and movie profiles for each source. That gives you a lot more flexibility than only having one or two, but it is complicated by a confusing lockout of various settings depending on how the source is identified. You can change the name of a source and find more or less settings available for adjustment, but how this works should be clearly documented. Also, there is a little lag when navigating menus, making constant adjustments of the many, many, many settings somewhat slow and annoying. The layout of the menus themselves and the amount of adjustments available is wonderful. The remote control works using RF so you don't have to point the remote at the tv. The remote is a little bulky, but offers all the buttons you'd want for operating the television easily. The scroll wheel is inaccurate for navigating menus and only really works as a directional pad.

Design
While, I prefer the touch of grey on some other samsungs, the small blue light on the bottom of the b8500 is stylish, attractive and best of all, can be turned off. The bezel is attractive, thin, and highly glossy, but can be distracting when it picks up too many reflections. The 1.6" thick screen is amazing, but how often do you look at the side of your tv? The 61 lb. weight without stand is quite light for a 55" tv, but again how often will you move it? It does seem to use fairly little power and creates much less heat than a plasma tv. The swivel stand works well, also quite attractive with a brushed gunmetal finish.

Sound
I did not play around much with the sound as I use a 5.1 setup. I assume most people purchasing this tv will use external speakers, but the internal ones sounded just fine for what they are.

Comparisons
Competing models include the LG 55LH90/55LHZ, Toshiba 670u, Pioneer 500m/600m, Samsung 52B750/55B650/58B860, Sony xbr8 and Panasonic V10. My personal experience with display models showed the plasma screens to perform poorly in bright environments. Given the open layout and 20' ceilings of my living room, plus my wife's preference for at least dim lighting, this ruled out plasmas. The 58B860 in paricular lacked the light output to produce bright enough whites in all but a pitch black environment. The 55LH90 seemed to be the closest competitor and much cheaper, with the xbr8 and 52B750 being close behind. The LH90 however, seemed to produce too many motion artifacts, couldn't deliver quite as much "pop," along with a slew of more minor negatives.

Misc.
Upgrading from a Syntax Olevia 37 hvs (matte screen LCD), this tv has truly blown me away. While the perfect (OLED?) TV is still out of reach, the b8500 leaves little room for improvement. Input lag, a major concern for video gamers, runs a tolerable 45ms according to my Rock Band 2 manual calibration with game mode turned on. With game mode off, the input lag increases to 140ms, which is easily noticeable. Game mode disables some processing but not the LED backlighting. The picture with game mode on even using a component connection (1080p) is incredible, though in need of some anti-aliasing on occasion. Turning off extra processing not disabled by game mode seems to have little effect on further decreasing lag. I'm still trying to figure out the best motion settings.

The B8500 also has a ethernet port for connecting to the internet and your home network (including DLNA or Anynet). A cd included with the tv helps you play media from your PC. Widgets will automatically update to display weather, sports, news, etc., but are a little slow and less convenient than popping open a laptop. Still, it's a good idea to plug in the tv to your router at least occasionally for firmware updates.

Conclusion
For those in the market for a 55" HDTV, the b8500 is the most versatile and polished product out there. While a couple extremely high end plasmas beat out the b8500 in a dark room, no other LCD performs as well and the plasmas quickly lose out as you increase ambient light. The attractive and practical design and feature rich menus complete this incredible package. While the 55LH90 is easy to recommend to those focused on price vs. performance or in love with matte screens, the UN55B8500 is clearly a step up and would make a remarkable addition to any loving home. Prices should come down as we head into the holiday season and onto the super bowl, however these seem to be selling as fast as they arrive for now.


UPDATE: After upgrading to firmware 1008, I experienced a sort of "crop circles" phenomenon caused by a malfunction in the smart LED backlighting. If you search online, you'll find several reports as it is a very widespread problem. I have posted a picture exhibiting the problem above. It can be fixed easily by turning your tv off and on again, but may reappear occasionally. I'm guessing it will be fixed by firmware update eventually, but no word from Samsung. Regardless, I'm still very pleased with my purchase. If the crop circles weren't so easy to fix, I'd probably be fairly upset with the problem. However, it was subtle enough only to notice against a still, uniform and light background.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one I've been waiting for, October 16, 2009

By	Leif Kuester - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to echo Bearcat's rating as he is very thorough and accurate, but I want to throw my 2 cents in. When coupled with Samsung's own super-slim wall mount, which is just a glorified cable hanging on two sturdy disks, the TV sits amazingly close to the wall. Another neat feature that I found hard to believe--When watching movies from an external hard drive, the TV can read a large variety of video CODECs. It can read MP4, AVI, WMV, and MPG files. I'm not sure about the Audio support, but I haven't had any luck finding a movie file that I have that won't play right off an external USB hard drive. The TV also has about 1GB of internal storage to keep files on.
All the Widgits are slow, but they are sill usable with the exception of the Video-based widgets, which I find way too slow to load to be of any use. I'd rather power up my computer if I'm going to be doing any internet-based activities.
Of course, I'd be remiss not to mention how amazed I am with the picture quality. I'm upgrading from a 55" CRT-based TV, and watching this TV, for me, is like watching TV for the first time. The major selling point on this TV over Samsung's similar 55" offerings is the local-dimming feature. Many HDTV's I've seen over the years simply adjust the entire backlight to achieve deeper blacks and brighter whites, but they simply can't do both at the same time. It is very distracting for me to watch the backlight on those TV's ratchet up and down while watching a scene with a varying brightness. This is where the local dimming feature comes in. This TV can do both brights and darks, at the same time! I have waited for many years to find an TV that isn't distracting to watch. My wait was over with the release of the Sony XBR8, but it wasn't as affordable as I'd like. Once I saw the crisp visual quality of the Samsung 8000 series, and read of the local dimming feature of the 8500, I was sold on this TV and I ordered it without even sampling the picture. I could not be happier.