If you're reading this review, you're like me and waited a year to purchase this technology. Anyway...I've had the TV for about a month and I'll say that overall, it's a great TV. I was a little hesitant going with another Samsung TV since my last one was kind of bad, but so far this one has been great. The picture, for me, is the star on this TV. I played a Blu-Ray on my old TV and then this one, and the difference was astounding.
The Smart TV functions leave a lot to be desired though. The voice and motion control are cool, but they randomly turn on at times. If a character on the TV says something similar to the "Hi TV" command, your program mutes and takes you to the voice menu. Same thing for motion control. You might scratch your head and the TV thinks you want to go to a menu. I ended up turning these functions off.
The Smart Hub is decent.
-The TV section knows your preferences and suggests shows that are on.
-The apps section has things like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBOGo, Skype, Youtube etc. It also has games and things like yoga, etc. I mostly use it to stream video. Know that Spotify is a pay service on this TV.
- The Movies and TV section tries to urge you to rent services from MGo and Redbox
- Photos, Videos, Music lets you import things through one of the USB ports on the side
- Social tries to be a social media / Skype function. I never use it.
- Overall, my opinion of many of the SmartTV functions is that they're okay, but there are things that can do them better. For example, I guess an internet browser is nice to have on the TV, but navigating it is agonizingly slow compared to using a phone or laptop. The Netflix app is nice, and I don't have to have a desktop hooked up to my TV anymore, but the Netflix app can show quirky playback at times.
3D - The 3D is a nice bonus, and the TV can up-convert non 3D programs to something that looks 3D. The problem is that there isn't much 3D content out there, and Netflix does not rent 3D movies, so for me this function is rarely used.
The Controller - It's unique and small. It has voice commands which work well and the track pad is like that of a laptop. That being said, the track pad can be frustrating to use at times in menus because you think you are swiping down and the pad thinks you swiped left, taking you back to the original menu, making you have to do the whole thing over again. Since the controller is minimalist, it can be difficult to access functions that are simple buttons on larger remotes. Overall, I like the remote though.
The Physical Appearance - The borderless TV is nice to look at. It's thin and showcases the entire picture. It looks good in a living room.
Inputs - There are several HDMI inputs and one has pass through so it can communicate with your audio receiver. This allows you to run everything through your audio receiver and only have one HDMI connected to the TV. I'm pretty sure this connection supports 3D plus 7.2 surround sound.
What I'd like to see in the future - If you don't know what the "soap opera effect is", it's a function on TV's that is meant to smooth out fast playback on things like sports, but on slower moving things like TV shows and movies, makes these things look ultra or artificially real. To fix this, you have to go deep in the menu and turn the "Auto Motion Plus" function off, but if watching sports have to go in and turn it on again. I wish there was a simple button to do this on the remote or if the TV could somehow sense what type of program was on and adjust the picture accordingly.
Overall, I'm happy with my TV. I hope it lasts for a while.
| Brand Name | SAMSUNG |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 40.3 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 48.2 x 12.2 x 29.1 inches |
| Item model number | UN55F8000 |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. (included) |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color Name | Silver |
| Specification Met | Energy Star |
