Samsung Series 8 UE46B8000 - 46in LCD TV Comments

And yet again it looks like I have fallen into the "still waiting for the perfect lcdtv" category. Am I being a perfectionist to expect a tv which ships with good picture, good sound AND good factory settings? At £1750 I really dont expect to have to tweak settings depending on what I am using the tv for. 5 years after purchasing my excellent Sharp LC26-GA4E and Im still waiting for a worthy replacement.

Buy Pioneer Kuro or Sony's X4500 models

Does the 200hz processing make any discernible difference over the 100hz used in the B7000 and B6000 (or any other 100hz sets). Is more detailed retained during fast motion? I'm asking this as many reviews of the Sony's 200hz Z4500 stated that there wasn't a major difference between it and Sony's 100hz sets.

At the risk of being laughed at by other TristedReviews members in the playground at breaktime, is it possible to store the various settings (for games, films, etc.) for selection as and when, or does the set 'remember' them once the relevant source is detected? Or do they have to be entered every time?

The threat of burn-in rules the Kuros (or any other plasmas) out for many buyers, and the Sony X series is still quite expensive. Samsung, for most of the time, tend to produce good sets at a relatively reasonable price. I suspect their latest edge-lit LED models will sell buy the ton compared to many other brands.

".....while using just a single screw. Impressive."

Gulp, 18Kg on ONE screw!!.. Better get that screw fixing right then.

Living in an old house, with dry lined walls, I would have to avoid said mounting, or my investment would be short lived ;)

Thanks for the reply John. I took a chance and ordered a 46B8000 a few weeks ago. I based this decision on my viewing of the B7000 (which I thought very good indeed), but wished to opt for a 200hz set as I watch a lot of football. The B7000 would probably have been fine, but I thought I may as well go the extra step. Hopefully I won't have to wait that long to find out!

I really would like to know just how well the set compares with others in terms of 'gaming' - which is something far too many reviews concentrate too little on it seems. I understand that all sets have a "gaming" mode - but we need to know the exact effect this has in terms when the using our beloved console. In terms of giving motion problems, judder, etc. Naturally we would like to lose as little quality as possible - and then there is the issue of input-lag which is a concern for the hard-core gamer. It's one of the reasons I have been leaning towards the Panasonic Plasma G10 .. but I hate to worry about burn-in or image-retention.. so a lovely LCD with as little input-lag as possible, and good design is what I am after..

Please give some further indication on the input-lag, gaming concerns.

@John Archer.
Thanks for tackling my points, if somewhat arrogantly. Please could you explain how Im cutting off my nose to spite my face? If my "beloved Sharp?" had packed in and I was without a tv then fair enough, but it still does its job well enough. Yes it may not be cutting edge anymore but Im not the sort to upgrade for the sake of it. As far as Im concerned there IS an issue with image quality if you have to tweak settings individually for high def content, xbox 360, blueray and sky receiver. A good portion of your review is taking up explaining all necessary adjustments which may be helpful but wont win any prizes in this tvs marketing campaign. I dont mind a little tweaking but one setting is all I need with my outdated Sharp so its intriguing why a model 5 years newer cant match that. Viewing angles arent the best and im sorry but a tv which needs "the right room conditions" is ridiculous. Audio is poor too with 6/10. Finally, I fail to see how Im punishing Samsung. This is a strange thing to say simply because Im disappointed with how the tv fairs in your review. If anything being disappointed shows I like Samsung. Until a tv is released which scores well with picture, audio and a generic setting I think Ill "cling on to my thoroughly outdated screen" thankyou very much.

what to do, i was looking forward to reading Johns review on the new samsungs, i thought i'd probably end up getting one, but i have to say the Sony W5500's review seemed more impressive, since i'm not the most techie person the idea of having to tweak settings does put me off, is there much between the two?

@John Archer.
Thank you for replying to my query. All I have to do now is hope that the design meets the approval of She Who Is To Be Feared.

hi John

please help us out which one would you pick out of these three. samy b8000, sony w5500 and the pany g10 plasma ? (or wait till the z5500 comes)

Thanks for a great review.

One question though:

I am to upgrade my old Toshiba 36" CRT TV with a flat panel display and am very uncertain about what would be the best tv for me.

I primary watches movies from DVDs, but I do also like to watch the UEFA European Football Championship and the FIFA world cup every 4 year when they take place. I will not accept a TV which performs bad in either of these categories.

I don't watch much sport execpt for the above mentioned, and for TV it is usually "Idol" type of shows once in a while and news.

I guess based on this input the Pioneer Kuro KRP-500A (or KRP-500M) would be my ideal choice, but I have one other habit that ruins this a bit: I also like playing games from PC!

From the downloadable manual for the Pioneer KRP-500A it says the highest resolution this TV supports is 1280x1024 (both for VGA and DVI), while I am a bit uncertain of the M model as the manual seems to suggest this supports Full HD also for PC (maybe someone can help with clarifying this?).

It also says in the manual that it is not recommended to game for more than two hours as there is a chance for burn-in then.

Even if I ditch PC playing in favour of PS3/XBOX360, this burn-in issue would still be an issue.

I think these issues pretty much rules out gaming for me on the Pioneer plasmas.

I am therefore thinking that maybe a high end LCD TV would be more perfect for my needs, and have specifically thought about this new 8000-series of Samsung, the sony top of the line Z series (46" inch), or maybe even the forthcoming Samsung 9000 series. I was also thinking about the Philips 9803H model, but have ruled this out because I would like the extra size so that the leap from my old TV feels even greater.

Now to my question:

* What recommendations whould you give to me based on my input above?

* Would the 8000 series be a perfect match?

* Is there any indication that the new 9000 series will be released before summer (june/july) or would I realistically probarbly have to wait until christmas time for this?

* Or should I rather use my PC connected to my trusty Dell 2408WFP for PC gaming and ditch all plans for big screen PC gaming and rather consentrate on film and thus go for the Pioneer?

I notice you mention Samsungs claim of a 40% power saving over normal LCDs. Did you check the power consumption of the set to see if their claims were true?

That aside good review and impressive set.

@james1000 - Having owned two Samsung TV's, including my current TV, I can confirm that a bit of tweaking is required to get the best picture results. However, if you enjoy visiting tech sites like TR, then you'll probably used to a bit of tweaking to get the best out of hardware and software :)

I don't know why Samsung sets don't come with better out-of-the-box settings, but I suspect one batch of settings will never please everyone. Also, as each new generation of TV's come out, I find there are more features, and therefore more settings, to control.

I think it's becoming worse with each new TV generation. My Mum & Dad's CRT Toshiba, bought about ten years ago, had about four picture options (contrast & brightness were two). Compare that to my Samsung which has one main picture menu, with about 10 options, with two further picture sub-menus, which offer finer controls. I just think a bit of tweaking is something you've got to get used to, especially with newer TV's, and especially on the higher end models.

Most - if not all TVs - come out of the factory with rubbish settings. This is normally because the manufacturers set them to "look good/stand out" in somewhere like Currys or Comet, as opposed to your front room where it is likely to be not so brightly lit, etc. Just using the simple THX Optimiser tests on Disney/LucasFilm DVDs, for example, makes such a difference.

Of course, by going through sites like TrustedReviews, readers here are less likely to buy on a whim in a shop, aren't then?... ;-)

I thought i read somewhere recently, though I could be wrong, that Samsung's as of yet unreleased 9000 LED series as well as having a seperate media box, will be LOCAL dimmed. Doesn't this therefore directly contradict samsung's suggestion that edge based LED is superior when the top of the tree 9000 will apparrently go the other way?

Nice review, thanks.

What's a good SoundBar One could use with this panel?
I wouldn't want a dedicated 5.1 system for watching regular TV or the occasional movie really.

Hi,

Thanks for the review (of a TV i've been waiting for). I wonder though if you reviewed the DLNA functionality of the screen? I'm hoping it is easy and plays loads of video codecs so I can rip DVD's onto a NAS or a windows home server.... But, it needs to be easy, elegant and childs play. Is it?

Thanks in advance
Paulo

Hello..

I think that this was a great review and I have decided to buy this tv rather than the 7000 series.. I have a couple of questions for you however. First, did you notice any clouding/flashligting on this tv. I know there have been many complaining about this on the 7000 series.. If you noticed this, will I be able to calibrate this out?..
Last, I see you are mentioning some calibrations tips in the review - but I am sure that you tweeked a litle more than this. Can you provide your calibration tips to me?. I would be gratefull since I am collor blind and therfor have big problems doing this my selfe.. Thanks again for the review..

Jens

John,

Please could you write a quick post on what settings to select to achieve the the best possible performance out of this set?

I will be purchasing the 40" model on May 12 and will be using it for primarily SD broadcasts, Occasional BRAY and Occasional PS3 games.

Thanks mate.

Hi, Great review I'm pretty well sold on this TV. How and where did you get one from, as they don't appear to be in stock in the UK yet ?

Also do you know why they don't appear to be selling the 55" version in the UK, it is on the US SAMSUNG web site ?

Hi John, Nice review thanks. I am contemplating between : Samsung 7000(100hz) vs 6000(100hz) vs Samsung 40B750(200hz). The 8000 is not yet out in India. The led ones are nice looking but the speed of 40B750 is 200hz bcos of which I am considering the same. Pls give your recommendation

It is a confirmed and actual FACT. Samsung will Release (Release date and price yet to be announced) the next LED model B9000.It will introduce for the first time LOCAL DIMMING in her models therefore eliminating any previous backlight flaws , clouding or whatever.
What scares me is her possible price. How much higher than the 8000 will be? My guess on this is that will be above or very close to 3000 euro.
Well I guess Time will tell. I am now canceling my plans of buying the B8000.

Finally got the B8000. As there are no sites outlining the best settings for this model, I applied the 7020 settings that are mentioned on a different site. Not impressed at all. Can John pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease go into more detail about the best settings for this set?

Sorry My Mistake.
The Local Dimming ability will be introduced on the B9000 model, not the B8000

Hi John, i'm sure you are a very busy man. I would greatly appreciate if you could post a comprehensive listings of the calibrated settings you used during your review for the ue46b8000. That would be fantastic. Many thanks

I am very thankful to the site for this review. I do have a question though, as I live in netherlands and I do not currently own a mansion, ue46b8000 is a bit too big for my livng room. Should I expect too much difference when buying the ue40b8000? I would hope that only difference will be the panel size and not the performance and image quality. I would like for some thoughtful insight from more experienced users/consumers. Thanks.

My parents have had the Pioneer Kuro 5080 (I think it’s that model, it was the top of the range one - not the 508 which was a lot cheaper - sorry off hand I’m not 100% which was the top model) for about 2-3 years, before that a Toshiba 55” rear projection, I still have my Sony 41” rear projection which was one of the first large screen rear projection tv’s and was tv of the year and scooped many awards a long time ago.

I advised my parents to purchase the Kuro 5080 after carefully checking out reviews etc at the time, it was classed as the best plasma tv made at the time, I was a little disappointed with the quality of non HD sources compared to the Toshiba 55” rear projection - to be honest I preferred the Toshiba, HD sources were of course brought the Kuro into it’s own, I did find large areas of the sets plasma screen shifting/moving sideways which happened now and again - not sure if this is normal for a plasma tv?

Anyway I’ve always kept an eye the new tv technology over the years and could not be tempted or saw the point of HD 720p tv’s - basically obsolete before HD has even been readily available.

A few months ago I saw Samsungs LED tv’s on demo in the shops and in my personal opinion and experience - I have not seen a tv like it! The quality of the picture is in a league of it’s own - a much higher level than any other tv format ever, I’ve been a professional photographer since the mid-nineties and only compare other tv’s similar to film (there was some exceptional sharp film made) but nothing compared to the clarity and vibrance of transparency film which is what the Samsung LED tv’s look like.

One shop demos still images on two Samsung LED’s in their window and it is like looking at high quality prints, not like any tv image I’ve ever seen before.

It’s taken a long time for myself to be tempted by a tv other than my beloved Sony 41” but the Samsung UE46B8000 is the tv to do it.

All tv’s need tweaking once set up at home to your own personal requirements, factory presets mean nothing to me, digital cameras have presets and are nothing until you tweak them yourself, I think buyers look too much into what the full spec of how much a product offers, yes there’s a key list we need to check but let’s face it, most features are never used a lot of the time.

Phantoma - I’ve been admiring Yamaha’s soundbars / built in surround sound from one trendy looking box - these look a fantastic and I bet sound it too, I have the old analogue yamaha surround amp 7 speaker set up in my room and just could not fit those speakers in my new living room, so these new Yamaha’s would definitely do the job!