Samsung UE55F6500: 3D Picture Performance

In many ways the UE55F6500’s 3D pictures are excellent. Sharpness levels in particular are superb, giving a true full HD 3D image that looks every bit as detailed as the TV’s 2D images. The difference between the UE55F6500’s active 3D system and passive 3D technology in detail terms is strikingly apparent. In fact, as with 2D pictures we found we needed to nudge down the 3D image’s sharpness setting to stop pictures becoming so sharp they looked unnatural.

More good news concerns the brightness and colour richness of 3D images, as the screen clearly has more than enough brightness at its disposal to counteract the inevitable dimming effects of the active shutter glasses so that 3D pictures still feel engagingly punchy.

The extreme sharpness combines with the set’s decent contrast performance, meanwhile, to create an extremely good sense of depth and 3D space.

Motion with 3D playback looks uncomfortable at first, though, on account of some distracting judder with the Clear Motion setting either off or set to Clear. Fortunately moving up to the more powerful Standard Motion Plus setting with 3D stops the judder from being a distraction – though unfortunately it also causes some shimmering artefacts around moving objects and during camera pans. So there isn’t ultimately any way of making 3D motion look entirely natural.

The biggest issue we have with the UE55F6500’s 3D performance, though, is crosstalk. The telltale double ghosting issue crops up regularly around bright objects in the mid and far distance, and unfortunately it tends to be pretty obvious when it does.

Samsung UE55F6500: Sound Quality & Gaming

The UE55F6500 can produce a decent level of clarity and some reasonable treble detailing. It’s quite adept at keeping vocals clear too, even under the duress of an action scene. However, despite being able to go quite loud without distorting the set doesn’t ultimately have either the bass extension or mid-range openness to stand out from the flat TV crowd.

Many attributes of the Samsung UE55F6500 make it a potentially excellent gaming display. So it’s great to find these picture talents backed up by a gaming-friendly input lag measurement of just 33ms. Though please note that you need to activate the TV’s Game setting (unhelpfully buried in the General submenu of the System menu) in order to get this low input lag figure.

Should I buy a Samsung UE55F6500?

The UE55F6500 is undoubtedly a good all-round TV. But unlike many of Samsung’s TVs this year, it’s not a great one. There’s just enough weakness in key performance areas to stop it earning a Trusted Reviews Recommended badge.

If you can we’d suggest stepping up to Samsung’s F6800 series, while other very tempting 55-inch options in the same sort of price range include the Panasonic P55ST60 and Philips 55PFL6008.

Verdict

There’s much to like about the UE55F6500. There are many times when its picture quality is excellent, and its Smart TV features are unprecedentedly sophisticated and extensive. But it’s got enough flaws in enough places to come up short of an unreserved recommendation.

Next, read our round-up of the best TVs you can buy

Trusted Score