Samsung UN55B8000 55Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV

Kenneth E. Obrien on Sun, 7th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



clouding and flashlighting
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Very nice picture and nice and thin.Unfortunately,the clouding and flashlighting on this tv at night when a dark picture is shown is outrageously bad,so only 3 stars.I’ll have to make my mind up whether to live with it or call samsung support.I also wasn’t able to get this off of amazon due to the greedy powers that be in new york that decided to make amazon start charging new yorkers sales tax

J. Dear on Sun, 7th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



samsung 55″ TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
absolutely awesome picture and tv. very happy with purchase and service I have received from amazon. Thanx

Joshua F. Wright on Sun, 7th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Great Price for a Great TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Before I purchased this TV I researched and researched. And kept coming to the same conclusion. You are not going to buy an LED at this price anywhere. The price was a huge selling point, then came the picture. I read and read about the lighting problem and yes, I did see it once. And yes, if you look really close you can see faint brightness in the corners when it comes to an all black background. Then I did the update for the LED and it seems to have helped. I’ve watched several dark looking movies and haven’t seen it. After all of that I came to the conclusion that the picture on this is just awesome. I’m a big sports nut and watching any sport on this is just the best. Colors are spot on and the 240hz really struts it’s stuff during games. And as for the 240hz motion, like a lot of people have stated before. I turn it off when I am watching a blue ray movie. It actually ends up being to clear if that’s possible. And that’s a real good problem to have. So picture wise, you can’t go wrong.

Sound, ugh! I’m not an expert when it comes to all the techs of sound. But the sound on it is real bad. It’s not something that stopped me from purchasing it, and after awhile most people won’t think much about it. But when you hook it up to a sound system you will really notice the difference. And again, the sound part for me was not a big deal.

Overall, great TV. The best price you’ll find. The delivery people were fast and great to work with. So if your looking to update tv’s, this is the one you should go for. And once you hook up your HD cable, you’ll know why.

Anna L. Sullivan on Mon, 8th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Great Picture 90 Percent of the time!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great Tv overall. Picture is great during HDTV and Blu-Ray inputs and Next Gen Video Games look great too. The only thing that I don’t like is when the picture is on an all black picture their are shadows or a “blotchy white” look towards the outer sides of the screen.

R. Shein on Mon, 8th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Great TV but awful sound!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought the TV in December 2009. It’s fantastic in all aspects except the sound volume from the speakers are terrible. I have adjusted the volume to 100 (the loudest it can go) and we still can’t hear it very well! I would buy the TV again, but plan on purchasing a 3rd party surround sound system to be completely satisfied.

Kenneth Willgoose on Tue, 9th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



samsung tv 55 inch led
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
this tv is grat. i have it sitting at eye level in a room which is 11 by 11 and th picture is reallygreat- almost 3d which it isnt. i also bought the samsungbluray player which caused some issues trying to hook it to the wireless system in my house but samsung technical support were good and the pictures of movies is wonderful too

BKC on Wed, 10th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



poor quality product and service ….
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I go this TV from Amazon … firstly it had a issue with digital output. The door was missing for the digital output. I called Samsung service and they came and replaced the main board. This new main board looked different with extra connector.

The optical door issue was resolved, but the main board had it own issues. I started seeing flickers in the picture, more so with HD video. I opened a call again and they said the part is on back order. It took one week to get the part. But I could not take more risk with the expensive product and had to return it.

So bottom line, I got a defective product and I gave Samsung a chance to fix it, but it could not make up.

Amazon was excellent in picking up.


Jonny R on Thu, 11th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Amazing TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is one amazing TV. Everything seems to look better on it. Blu-rays seriously feel as though they are popping out of the screen. When Super Bowl 44 was on, you could see the shaving knicks on the coaches as they were interviewing them. This TV still exceeds my expectations after having it a couple of months.

Many of the comments mention the light coming out of the corners of the display and how once you see it, you can’t unsee it. I disagree, but hey what do I know?

J. Litton on Sat, 13th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



This TV is amazing! Great price and delivery too.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This TV retailed for $3799 and Amazon had it for $2399. I was skeptical how the price could be so low and wondered if the shipper would deliver a scratch and dent package. The opposite was true. Ordering was simple (as usual), the package shipped quickly and arrived perfectly in original packaging. It was shipped by Pilot. I love my new TV and am blown away by the stunning clarity of the picture. I highly recommend purchasing this TV from Amazon.com.

Guillaume Normand on Sun, 14th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Superb picture and set
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this set since October 2009 and I have not been disappointed in any way.

In September I had concerns about some of the reviews complaining about the “white” edges/corners on dark scenes.

Well these are rare and very faint. But once you perform a firmware update they no longer show up. My firmware update was from 001011 to 001017, and I performed it just this week after finally finding the time to connect the TV to the internet with a Netgear HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit -great kit by the way.Netgear WNHDEB111-100NAS Wireless N Access Point

The only thing on my wish list for this set would have been two banks of ports; one dedicated for Video Components devices, and the second one dedicated to AV devices. As it is there is only one bank that can service both types of devices. However once the connection is setup you are committed to that connection type. So if you have a switch box to share that bank between a Wii, a DVD, a laser disc player and a VCR and you want the highest image resolution possible you are going to have to connect using a Video Component connection thus leaving out your VCR and the Laser disc player because these two use an AV connection.- forget those switches advertised as converters they don’t work. True converters are very expensive too.

Also the remote uses AAA batteries. Considering that it is the only way to turn the TV on, that its size is quite large, and that it has a back lit feature that illuminates the keys in the dark, I would have preferred a larger size battery like AA that would last longer. But I am just nitpicking here.

I connected a Panasonic Blu-Ray player through the HDMI interface and the picture quality is just outstanding.Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)

I also complemented the set with a Sharp sound bar which provide great sound at a modest expense.Sharp HTSB200 2.1 Sound Bar Audio System

The TV is hung on the wall like a picture which is the better way to install it. The pedestal is okay, but it is rather heavy ( 10 lbs ) and requires a strap attachment to the wall. Do yourself a favor, get the hanger kit from Samsung.Samsung WMN1000B Fixed Low-Profile Wall Mount for Select Samsung 40-Inch to 55-Inch Displays It is easy and fast to install. I did it myself after delivery.

I love this set and would buy a second one to replace our older second CRT TV set in the bedroom if I could afford it .

I truly hope Samsung is working on larger LED sets. Initially I was shopping for a 65 to 70 inch set. But these sizes were not available with LED.

I do not want to ramble too much here. But I figure folks reading these reviews and considering making such a large purchase would want to get good practical feedback.

So last but not least, the concierge/delivery service working with Amazon was fast and efficient. The TV was delivered on time, in great condition – including the packaging – , and with great care. The deliverers were in and out in 10 minutes with the TV setup, configured, and running. I guess they could have stayed longer and answered my questions if I had wanted to. But I am not that kind of customer

Michael L. Bristoe on Sun, 14th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Corner Spotlights
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was able to tweak my settings using my Harmon Kardon 1350hd to just about eliminate the ghost gremlins from the corners. All and All this is a major issue and I will complain to Samsung. Took me about an hour of tweaking and getting back up peer review (neighbor) but I can live with it now.Samsung UN55B8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV

E. A. Clark on Sun, 14th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Very happy with this HDTV installed just in time for the Super Bowl!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I did a lot of research before buying this Samsung LED HDTV from Amazon. In fact I had already decided to buy from BestBuy but when I saw the price on Amazon I ordered in online and with two day delivery it was here in time for my installer to put it on my wall. My consultant/installer wanted me to buy an LCD (back-lit vs. edge-lit) but when he finished putting in my sound system and fired up the entire system he said he was stunned and amazed at the quality of picture and said that my choice of TVs was better than his recommendation!

Mine is hanging in a alcove space in the wall of entertainment center cabinets in our living room and my issue with my older DLP TV was the reflections coming from my wall of windows to the side and back of our seating area. With the tilting wall mount and the incredible brightness of this TV the glare is not an issue any longer. The TV automatically updated its firmware once connected to the internet and with my Harmony 900 remote my wife can now easily operate all my components: DirecTV DVR, Apple TV, Ipod, the free BluRay DVD I got with this TV, and the Wii without written instructions or a phone call to me when the grandkids want to watch a DVD.

The other thing that was great and had caused me a lot of anxiety in the past with Amazon was their delivery vendor here in the DFW area. I had quit buying from Amazon for a year because of this but when I saw that Amazon jettisoned its old shipping company and my TV was to be delivered by Pilot Freight Services that sealed the deal. Pilot called to schedule the delivery and again when in route, and they were very professional when it arrived and placed the box in my living room for the installer to unpack.

I highly recommend this TV and I noticed yesterday that BestBuy had already jacked the price back up after the Super Bowl, while it is still much lower on Amazon.

Steven E. Nathanson on Tue, 16th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



samsung led tv
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic television with black blacks and bright colors. Easy to use remote which is back-lit for viewing in the dark. Little distortion or loss of brightness when viewed from the side. The high definition is very realistic.

John B on Tue, 16th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Great picture, poor backlight control
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This TV produces wonderful images. If you watch sports and colorful movies like “Happy Feet” you will be very happy.

However, during semi-dark and dark scenes the backlight is visible. It appears as white clouds (for lack of a better description). Kind of like having small flashlights all around the edges that shine on the screen. The picture BEHIND the light is great but you can’t enjoy the movie because of the “white clouds”. On my TV, the white clouds covered 80-90% of the image – that’s a lot of washout on a 55″ image.

Samsung phone support sent someone to my house; the phone person said they are receiving numerous calls about the problem. The repair person arrived with the attitude of, “I hear about this problem every day and I’m tired of it.” He told me that Samsung used to try to repair the problem in the field but since has stopped. Results have been 50-50 whether the problem gets better.

He told me that if I didn’t like it to not watch movies with dark scenes. Say what???

He also told me that my choices are to “live with it” or to “return it”. That the problem was very well known and “just a fact of LED TVs”.

I have since seen complaints on the Sony website for their LED TVs. Well, at least Samsung admits to the problem!

Since Samsung phone and email didn’t produce any responses of use, and they have no interest in fixing the problem, I have returned it.

Buyer beware!

p.s. Amazon has been wonderful in supporting me and accepting the TV for refund (it just left my house yesterday so I don’t know what problems, if any, I will have in the refund area…)

Stephen Chen on Tue, 16th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



A dream come true
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This TV is simply amazing. 55 inch of heaven

I was able to set it up within 10 min. The PIP feature was the x-factor. I was able to plug in the HDMI and CATV cable into the TV from the cable set-top box. Afterwards, I plugged in my PS3. I switched to HDMI 2 source and turn on the PIP. Voila! I can watch TV and play video games at the same time. Not only can I play video games, I can switch the sound to the TV channel too. I haven’t played around with the 3 size options of the PIP or the placement yet. People might say the picture might be too small but my old TV was only 27 inchs.

FYI, my delivery service was poor. But that doesn’t take away from the TV. He was over 2 hrs late and he didn’t want to help setup the tv even though it was suppose to be white glove service.

Lazarus on Thu, 18th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



VERY good bang for my buck…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this to replace a 52″ Mits DLP. What a HUGE quality improvement! Read other people’s reviews for all the detailed info. As far as people saying the back lighting around the edges is a problem… I just backed off that setting a little and it’s not a problem at all to me. The remote control is back lit and has a motion sensor (or something) in it so that it lights up automatically when you pick up the remote… why don’t ALL remotes work like that! It swivels side to side, so if you are sitting off center, you can easily position it to directly face you. I added a Yamaha YAS-71BL Front Surround System (sound bar & sub woofer – $279.99 from Amazon) to enrich the sound quality and an OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player ($499.99 from Amazon) and am XTREMLY pleased. Overall, it is a VERY good bang for my buck.

Wayne R. Lewandowski on Thu, 18th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Amazing LED TV!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this set now for about 3 weeks, and it is a beautiful picture. The contrast, detail, brilliance is amazing! If you have older technology you will see an abrupt difference to how you watch TV and movies. I have the BD -P4600 blu ray player as well. It syncs up nicely and works like a charm.

If you choose this blu ray player I would not recommend the optional wireless for the TV. It comes with the blu ray so it really doesn’t appear to buy you much more.

I have seen some reviews that were not favorable and it did make me hesitate. The only issue I would say is with the larger screen and 1080P resolution you will get some screen jutter. I notice it randomly on TV shows and it does not appear to be tied to the set as much as FIOS. Because of the inconsistency, I tend to believe this is a FIOS issue (happens on sitcoms and low movement as well as high movement content). This can be distracting at times, but quite frankly this is an absolute winner!

Screen adjustments are easy to navigate and doesn’t take much to get the picture dialed in the way you want it. The backlighting needs to be turned down if you are watching letterbox movies. the lighting does broadcast from the corners and you will get a white cast from it. No one else in my home noticed it, but I see it when the backlighting is above 5 (out of 10). But, trust me with the backlighting at 3 it is still brilliant.

Give this TV a try, you won’t be sorry!

S. Zillner on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



One of the best overall HDTV’s out there!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this TV now for several months. It’s hung on the wall above my fireplace on a tilt and swivel bracket then connected to a Sony 7.1 HDTV receiver doing the switching and sound for my Dishnetwork HD DVR, Samsung BD player, and a PS3. It took nearly a month of playing around with the all the picture setting adjustments to get it right but well worth the time and effort spent. Now that it’s set there are times I’m watching the news or a show in HD that just looks so incredibly real and lifelike I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The colors are so clean clear crisp and sharp it looks near 3D. Blacks are black or rich and dark while whites in snow scenes are so life like it looks like a moving photo. The brightness and clarity you get with this TV blows away the plasma sets that some say can’t be beat in overall picture quality. We have a Panasonic Vera 42″ 1080p set in the family and when they see this Samsung UN55B8000 55″ LED they can’t believe how clear and lifelike the picture is. They say it looks like a moving photograph and their jaw drops.

J. R. de VEER on Sat, 20th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



amazing price and quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this unit @ Christmas for our new entertainment center. Couldn’t be more pleased except for the fact that Amazon has reduced the price by another $100 since my original purchase. It is definitely priced lower then anyone else. What a bargain. You can not go wrong with this LED. It is absolutely the best unit available. Get it! You won’t be sorry.

Rolrod on Mon, 22nd Mar 2010 12:00 am 



AMAZING!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The picture quality of this TV is absolutely amazing! I first saw this set in a Sears store and stood in front of it in amazement for several minutes admiring the clarity, detail, and contrast it displayed. It didn’t even come close in comparison to any other set on the floor. I went to several other stores to see the set and was always impressed. I decided to purchase it and after 5 months of ownership, I am extremely satisfied. I can tell you that the widgets and DLNA feature are slow and practically useless, but that’s not why I purchased this TV. Also, I have not been able to notice any uneven backlighting. This TV is simply amazing!!!

Jason P on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Samsung 55″ LED TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve pretty much been afraid to jump into the flat screen market with all of the talk of these TV’s lasting around 7 to 10 years. I replaced a Sony Wega XBR tube TV which has given me no problems. The Sony was a CRT which have been known to go on forever. It was a 40″ when watching standard def TV and 34″ when watching anything in HD.

Once I got a chance to see this TV at some of my local electronics stores I was floored at the clarity and depth this set had. We’d seen a friends Samsung flat screen which wasn’t an LED & were amazed at the 3-D effect you get by watching their unbelievably high dynamic contrast ratios (when compared to anything else on the market at this price point). I researched for a few months before deciding on the Samsung UN55B8000. I know there is an 8500 series with backlit LED’s & that can dim and brighten seperately (local dimming), but after looking at both I couldn’t justify spending an extra $1700 on top of what the 8000 cost.

After spending countless hours price searching locally & on the web I couldn’t even come close to the price I paid at Amazon! Once you throw in free shipping with in home delivery through Pilot delivery services and three year interest free financing with the Amazon store card… it was a no-brainer for me.

p.s. You will hear other reviews about the sound not being so great. It’s true. The speakers are in the back of the TV. I haven’t mounted mine on the wall yet but I can only imagine what the sound will be like then. A lot of other reviewers also will throw in that if you’re spending this much on a flat screen (which I guess are notoriously bad for sound… again this is my first flat screen) that you should spring for a great surround system or at least a sound bar. I personally don’t mind the sound… it just doesn’t come from the front of the TV like a lot of people are used to. Trust me… it’s nothing like my Sony. The sound that came out of it was like having an amazing stero system inside the TV (it’s also about 2 feet in depth and weighs 302 lbs!).

All in all I love my new Samsung 55″ LED TV and would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s balking at the decision.

F. Franco on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



UN55B8000 55 Inch 240HzTV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had my Samsung UN55B8000 240HZ TV for two weeks. It has the best picture I’ve seen on any TV. I hooked it up with the HDMI Mediabridge Ultra Series – 6ft. Cables sold on AMAZON for 9.99 and a Denon Reciever with a 5.1 Bose Speaker System and COMCAST HD cable box. It looks great and sounds wonderful. I turned off the TV speakers and use the Bose. I have not experienced any of the halo effect mentioned by others. I hooked up my TV through the Denon Receiver and the Blu Ray, COMCAST Cable HD Box, and CD Player are hooked into the Denon

I purchased a Harmony One Advanced Remote Control and have all of my components working off the Harmony One. The Harmony One is great and easy to program – 30 mins tops.

Ski Utah on Fri, 26th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Samsung 55″ 8000 great TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had no problems at all with the set up, color, corner white problems etc. I did look at many reviews about Samsung 6000, 7000 & 8000 that talked about so many different issues both negative and positive. If you are not a super tech person but someone that just wants a quality picture you will not be disappointed. Best picture I have seen, I am sure Sony or Pioneer has one just as nice. I just thought the picture quality was the best option for me. I do have it connected to Direct Tv. Purchased through Amazon with the free financing which in all honesty should be 24 months not 36 months. You know I would have bought it anyway with 24 month free financing, I still can not see how you get 36 month free financing. Other then that I am happy with the delivery company they used and the financing I received. You should talk to your marketing department about highlighting the 24 month free financing. If for some strange reason your customer receives 36 months free the customer would be happy vs wondering what they missed. It also hooked up very quickly to our internet using the wireless add on. Great TV, best price, great delivery and the best financing I could find!


T. Garner on Sat, 27th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Exceeded expectations
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So far the television has exceeded my expectations. I expected the picture to be good and it was better. 1080i signal from AT&T Uverse looks excellent especially the HD Movie Net channel. Don’t have a Blue Ray player yet to test true 1080p picture. I have seen the “flashlighting” that some folks mention when the edge of the image is supposed to be black and the room lighting is just right but the effect is minimal and I wouldn’t have noticed it unless I was told to look for it.

Delivery was on time and fast! I’m very happy so far. Originally I intended to buy either a 6000 series Samsung LED-LCD or a top-of-the-line Sony LCD since price was comparable. When I say the on-line price for this 8000 series television I couldn’t type fast enought. I save over $1400 from buying at a well-known electronics chain. Internet widgets and stuff are kind of neat but I don’t think that I will really use them that much.

James Schaetz on Mon, 29th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Satisfied Amazon shopper
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My TV arrived within a week and the delivery personnel were terrific,they unpacked it,asked me to examine it,set it up,showed me many of the TV’s features and asked me if I would like them to dispose of the carton and packing material. I couldn’t have hoped for any better service.

As well as being one awesome television,I also paid $400 dollars less than the best sale price anywhere.I was reluctant to purchase such a major item online but Amazon really delivered. A great product at a great price.

Frank P. Stolpman on Tue, 30th Mar 2010 12:00 am 



Absolutely amazing…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After reading every review on Amazon, with a little trepidation about the negative comments about the screen on the sides and in the corners, we bit the bullet and bought this tv about 4 weeks ago. It is the best tv we have ever owned, with a picture that is nothing short of amazing. No problems whatsoever, and just a fabulous picture. We have it hooked up to our surround sound system and a Samsung blu-ray player, and I am amazed every time we turn it on. In short, we love it.

John Schmid on Wed, 31st Mar 2010 12:00 am 



You have to have this TV!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Enough has been said about the picture of this TV…its all true. Buy the TV! Amazon shipping is first class. Drivers brought the TV into the house and hooked it up. No chance of a DOA unit! Shipping was also fast and traceable. I am using the TV with an antenna and a Sony home theater with a up-convert DVD. I put in the Disney movie Cars and you can see the metallic fleck in Lightning’s paint!!!

I purchased a ScreenProtector online because I have kids. It looks like it will work, but the anti-glare surface does lose a little resolution. I think the TV Armor protector would have been better (Read the reviews)! For the money, I like the idea of having something between this TV and the kids.

I also purchased the Samsung Linkstick for wireless Internet access through my connection. I wouldn’t recommend it. The Yahoo widgets are s-l-o-w to respond and each widget operates a little bit different. I still haven’t gotten some to work (like CBS). You get bored waiting for the content to arrive and give up. I think a better bet would be to use the new Boxee Box once available, or use your PC to stream content through your PC to the TV using Boxee software. There are other boxes that do the same thing. These things are *designed* to stream this content, the Yahoo widgets that the TV runs were not.


J. S. Cruz on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Simply Amazing!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Okay, so right from the start, this television is AMAZING. I purchased it from Amazon at an UNBELIEVABLY low cost. Anyways, I’ve had this television for a little over a week, and have given it extensive use. I live with my best friend, and my best friend notices no LED back-lighting or the spotlight effect (unless she ‘tries’ to find it); HOWEVER, I certainly do, and it’s annoying as hell. Well at least I did when I was trying to find the bad things/mistakes/cons about this television; however, when I try to enjoy myself and the movie, it looks great and I don’t really focus on that issue. I don’t know why, but it seems to be more prominent in certain dark scenes of movies, NOT ALL. Video games did not really have this effect (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune had a little, barely noticeably.)

Regardless, there is no sense of reiterate anything that previous reviewers stated. I am just re-emphasing that there is indeed a LED Back-light effect that is definitely noticeable, and that the quality of this television is simply amazing. I love the slim profile and the multitude of HDMI inputs. (However, the inputs are not really too necessary, as I have a receiver that does all that for me, only using one HDMI and one Component input on the television). I was really hesitant about getting this television because of the lighting issue, and I was actually considering returning it.

Anyways, I’ve probably watched about 18 blu-ray movies, played at least 25 hours of video games (from PS3 and Wii) all within the past week, and I still love this television. I would highly recommend purchasing one.

Side note: I did notice how one reviewer stated that with the 240hz anti-judder on, it definitely seems like the movie is fake (as if you see it if you were on the set watching the actors film, not necessarily how the director wants you to see the movie.) I found this to be very cool, and it works well with most movies. Sometimes I do turn it off though.

Mike Feldman on Fri, 2nd Apr 2010 12:00 am 



great picture
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been watching my Samsung 55″ model 8000, for a week now, and I’m just impressed with it’s great picture. It makes watching TV more enjoyable. Right out of the box, without any fine tuning, the picture is still great, it’s almost three dimensional. I don’t have cable or a dish, just an outside antenna and it is a thousand times better than my old projection TV. Wish I could afford to have more of these in my house.

J. Cossio on Sun, 4th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars

First, off. My set up is DirecTV HD enabled, PS3 for watching movies (Blu-Ray, Netflix streamed) and plating video games.

I must agree with quite a few people that you can tell the unevenness of the lighting, but this is only noticeable when the screen is absolutely dark such in the case of switching to a different input. I have yet to notice it when watching a football game or movie in HD.

Secondly, the 240 Hz feature can give your movies that “Masterpiece Theater on PBS” look and feel. It’s as if you are watching those old soaps on TV. Picture is so clear and fast movement is so well reproduced you can tell the movie is fake. It is difficult to suspend reality. My family wasn’t too thrilled about it so I turned off the 240 Hz. Movies are back to looking the way it was meant to be seen…fake, but with all the clarity of 1080p. However, sports benefit from the 240Hx feature.

Overall, I like this TV set, the price was absolutely right, and football looks great on it.

R. Rodriguez on Sun, 4th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great, except for the uneven backlighting…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
First off, I love the brilliant images, whether it be a football game or a video game this tv offers the best clarity i’ve seen in a long while. That been said i have to mention the few flaws this 55 inch-8000 series has. It only has one component input and while everything is moving towards hdmi i can understand why there is only one, but many people still own component devices.

Second, the “widgets” are not too useful given that it runs so slow. (this is a minor detail since I don’t plan on using it)

Third, Watching 16:9 movies or watching tv in the dark exposes the poor distribution of the backlighting. every corner and bottom center has a white washy glow witch is very very distracting. I’ve calibrated and adjusted with various dvd tools but nothing helps. I’ve had the tv for about 2.5 weeks and I’m contemplating exchanging once. If it turns out that its not an isolated incident then I will be forced to return. I will probably consider buying the dying technology of plasmas.

Mark Farrar on Mon, 5th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Mark
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Awesome TV!! BlueRay is beautiful. Our Wii looks great with component video cord. Regular satellite tv is ok, but HD programming is in our future (this is a must). Our service from Amazon was great. Arrived before Christmas despite my late ordering and no surprises. Amazon has become my favorite place to shop.

Gregg Ingram on Wed, 7th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Best TV, Best Deal!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After much consternation, not to mention outright confusion, I decided to take the plunge and buy a Samsung UN-55B8000. After setting it up, I was angry at myself for taking so long when the set is so far beyond my expectations, not even including what I purchased it for. I got it at Electronics Expo, using their coupon WS920X3807, it was the best price online, including Amazon.

The first thing I noticed, out of the box no less, was the incredible black levels that even with just a high def cable movie that it displayed. It was rich and deep, but never covered or distanced background objects the way other sets I saw did. After a few hours of tweaking with my Blu-ray now attached, I was even more amazed at the color rendition;they were brilliantly saturated without creating a sense of cartoon-like vividness. In past models, I remember seeing grass that looked like astroturf, but not here. With each successive disc, I was continually impressed, though in all fairness, I did notice the effect the LEDs have on the caste of the panel. That effect soon lessened with more precise contrast settings, and my viewing continued unabated, no less impressed then before. I certainly recommend everyone looking at this TV to look at the “big picture” (pun intended).

Venkatesh Padmanabhan on Wed, 7th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



240Hz anti-judder causes movies to appear like daytime soap
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Don’t get me wrong. It’s an excellent TV. Great picture quality and brightness. Sound is not all that great but if you’re getting a TV of this size, Samsung probably figures you have a surround sound system anyhow.

The Internet features are a bit disappointing. Samsung supports Yahoo Widgets and if you can find a widget to talk to your preferred content provider (Flickr, NetFlix etc), then you can stream any content from them BUT the widgets themselves are very sluggish. Navigating through them to get to your downloaded movie can be a tiresome process. The remote appears unresponsive and it buffers your input and does them all at once leading to a lot of angst. If Live! functionality is your reason for a new TV, then I suggest you look elsewhere (Panasonic’s BD Live! players have excellent Internet functionality through Vieracast).

Mounting the TV was quite easy. I bought a standard wall-mount from Costco and that package had the necessary screws to mount this on the wall.

Now to the 240Hz anti-judder : This feature inserts additional frames in between the frames in the movie. If you are watching live sports OR other non-movie HD programs, you’ll be thrilled with the picture quality BUT if you are watching movies on Blu-Ray or streaming movies from the Internet, then you start to notice a soap-opera like feel to the movie. It’s very clear and sharp and all but you will not like the “non-film” quality to the picture. Fortunatley, Samsung provides a way to turn off 240Hz anti-judder and that thankfully helps. I spent a fair amount of time on Google searching for this problem before I found the right words “soap-opera” to identify the issue.

Nevertheless, great TV and a good addition to our Entertainment Room.

Paul Han on Fri, 9th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this TV last week replacing an older Samsung DLP and it’s been great thus far. I’ve been debating between this “edge-lit” TV vs the “back-lit” 8500 Series. Comparing the picture side by side I preferred the 8500 picture but it wasn’t worth the price premium.

First thing I did when I brought the TV home was to connect it to the PS3 and fire up Planet Earth on Blu-Ray 1080p/24, picture was phenomenal. Then over the weekend I watched the NFL Wildcard Playoff games on my DirecTV HD receiver. The picture on all 3 channels: NBC (1080i), CBS (1080i), and FOX (720p) was amazing, I was blown away by the picture. This TV has deep blacks and great vivid colors. As for the 240hz option that’s all personal opinion, I prefer this off as I feel the motion feels a bit artificial when I turn it on. I haven’t really played around with the widgets and some of the other options but that’ll come with time.

This is an awesome TV, the only con I would say is the sound is a bit weak but what do you expect on a TV that’s so thin? I’m looking into a home theater system to hook up to this baby, I’m sure I’ll be enjoying this TV for a long while.

mp906 on Fri, 9th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Very good, but a few key problems
Rating:4 out of 5 stars

I will start by saying I am giving this 4-stars because the 1.1″ thinness of this TV puts it in a seperate class from anything out there as far as looks, and that was a big factor for me. If this TV was 3″ thick it would get 3-stars…

Pros:

-The detail, color, and black levels are absolutely amazing on this TV.

-Most adjustable TV as far as PQ settings ever

-Thin!

-Energy efficient, low heat

-Great in bright rooms

Cons:

-Backlighting is real!!! In a dark room you will see it during any scene with primarily black as the background. I was very close to returning it, but this TV is not my theater room TV. It is a family room TV, so it is mostly used in the daytime with lights. I could NOT use this as a primary theater TV. People not “looking for it” noticed it…looks like clouds all over a dark screen.

-Internet Widgets: too slow to be useful. Why bother Samsung???

-Off-angle viewing gets washed out at extreme angles. Not as bad as the CNET review. But not as good as a Plasma. Not a big deal for me.

Overall, a great TV for, but the backlighting is a dealbreaker if you watch movies in the dark.

Joel E. Sartoris on Sat, 10th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Wanted to love it. Ended up hating it.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Let me begin this review by stating that Amazon.com has been VERY good about helping me with my problem. Their return policy and customer service are among the best in the industry.

NOW: Samsung is a different story.

I bought this television based on the specs, the online reviews and Samsung’s own website. The screen size and the price point seemed great for us. When it arrived, it was even more beautiful in person. Sadly, the picture quality was awful. I know that electronic devices can be perfect out of the box or DOA out of the box, so I was a bit disappointed when I installed the TV and found out that it wasn’t working properly. The backlight was horribly uneven (more than just the typical “edge lit LED screens are uneven” stuff…this was very noticeable on all inputs). Any all-black screen was marred by clouds of white light. Worse, there were digital artifacts around all edges and contrasty spots. It looked like a B&W checkerboard surrounded everything, and it was also visible on all HDMI inputs (Dish DVR and XBox) AND on our Samsung BluRay player. The sound occasionally dropped out, and there were weird all-magenta screen flashes randomly happening. You get the point. This was a defective TV.

Unaware of Amazon’s customer-friendly return policy, I called Samsung to take advantage of their in-home warranty service. I’m not going to spend pages and pages ranting about how awful the experience was. I’ll just say it was awful. They came out three times (VERY late, two out of three of them) and could not fix the problems. I thought it would be a no-brainer to have Samsung step up and replace the TV with a working model. NOPE! They’ve given me the run-around for almost two months. They finally said that the service tech had not specifically written “deemed unrepairable”, so they could not replace it unless he did. Hours of back-and-forth calls later, they finally deemed it unrepairable, and said they’d replace the TV…except that they apparently do not have any of that model available in any of their warehouses. They told me I should just wait for them to contact me. They do not know when that will happen.

I checked Amazon’s site, and they said they’d take back the TV right now and replace it with a brand new one. I’ve owned other Samsung products in the past, so I’m not overly worried about getting another lemon. I’m just very, very disappointed in Samsung’s terrible customer service. It’s rare to find a company who is adamant about NOT caring a bit about customer (dis)satisfaction. Google “samsung customer service sucks” for many more stories just like mine…

And again, I have to say that Amazon is a stellar company. Thanks to them for rescuing me from further dealings with Samsung’s corporate flunkies!

D. Looke on Sun, 11th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Awesome picture!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just got my TV today, watched two movies on HBO HD thru my comcast cable and WOW!. I have no sign of the flash light dark corners or any uneven contrast in dark senes. I highly recommend this set. Maybe I got lucky, or maybe the newest ones are fixed. I saw the issues at BBuy too, but mine is absoulutely awesome. FYI I did change some setting I got off a web site. Calibrating makes a differance with color, and jitter. My TV looks way better than it did at bestbuy. Don’t make your final decision based on BestBuy’s display. If you could see mine, you go out and buy one.

V. Assuncao on Mon, 12th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



The best TV ever!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the best TV I ever seen! Definitely, Samsung is making history with this TV. The picture quality and the slim design deserve one A+. I have not used the internet connections yet, but overall this is a TV that should be added to anyone list. A minor negative comment is the lack of more analogical ports connections and the tight space to connect the cables, when using the Samsung wall mounting (WMN1000B), but this is nothing compared to the picture quality delivered by this TV (UNB558000). I am letting all my friends jealous with the Art Gallery frames, which enhance even more the TV. Sometimes, I ask my self: “This is a TV or a portrait?” It is actually both!

Thanks Samsung and keep-up with the good work

J. Hale on Tue, 13th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great picture, but too many problems for the price
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
First off, the picture on this TV is fantastic. Images on blu-ray are quite sharp. Why am I giving it 3 stars?

1) Cable feed (standard def) looks absolutely, shockingly terrible. I don’t care what argument is thrown at me for this, a $3000 state of the art TV should not look 10x worse than our outgoing, 10 year old tube TV. Yet it does. It’s so bad that text is almost unreadable and sports are unwatchable.

2) Sound. Yes, I know, all these new TVs have bad sound. This has exceptionally bad sound. It’s like they realize the sound will suck and just gave up.

3) Uneven back lighting. To be honest, the first few hours I didn’t even notice it. Then I plugged in a blu-ray. Opening scene looked great, then the screen turned black for some sort of legal notice and I saw all sorts of light splotches on the screen. Absolutely no reason for this. Then, as the black bars appeared on the screen fro the movie, I noticed how all four corners had a gray aura about them. Looking closer, I noticed that the picture in all of the corners is noticeably lighter than the rest of the screen. It’s quite distracting now that i see it, and I don’t understand why this is a problem in samsung’s top TVs.

All in all, great picture with some detracting flaws. I purchased a ~$600 plasma for my bedroom two months ago and it has infinitely better sound and standard def cable looks much superior. I’d give this LED back lighting some time to improve.

GenXmom on Tue, 13th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Just short of perfect
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The clarity of this glossy-screened LED-backlit TV is stunning. HD movies off blu-ray look fabulous, and HD broadcasts through satellite (DirecTV) look absolutely fantastic. Watching a silly sitcom, I felt like I was in the studio audience. Yes, I could reach out and almost touch Sheldon, Leonard, Raj. It was like looking at the actors through a window.

I could go on about how great this TV is, but here are a few nitpicks for the discerning audio-videophile:

(1) AutoMotion sucks. We had this smoothing feature turned on by default out of the box, and it caused frame stuttering! The frame stuttering was so bad while I was watching a few sample shows that I started to get a headache. We at first couldn’t figure out why the picture was stuttering so noticeably, but once we turned off AutoMotion, the stuttering ceased.

(2) LED backlighting is edge, not from behind. When you look at a black screen, you can SEE the edge backlighting. During normal watching this setup doesn’t bother much, but for dark dark movies like Aliens, Star Wars, etc., you have to turn it way down or you can actually see the edge backlighting.

(3) Gloss is a pro and con. The screen reflects light like mad. You have to turn off or shutter any light behind you before viewing, or you will see those tiny slivers of sunshine from behind the blinds. This was not the case with our previous HDTV; its screen was simply not glossy, it was quite matte-like and absorbed a lot more light.

H. Nguyen on Wed, 14th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



NO REGRET EVEN YOU MIGHT HAVE 2-3 TV SETS WITH THE PAID PRICE.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
CEVA DELIVERY IS EXCELENT; THEY CALLED, CAME WITH 2 MEN; AND MAKE SURE IT WAS ALL OK.

THIS TV DELIVERED WITHIN 1 WK SINCE ODERED BEFORE ALL OTHER SAME DAY STUFFS ORDERED THAT HAD NOT DELIVERED (VIA USPS AND UPS).

TRYING AMAZONE PRICE CHECK OUT BECAUSE THE PRICE IS CHEAPEST ON THE WEB ON THE DAY ORDERING; IT LISTING PRICE MAY HIGHER THAT ACTUAL SELL PRICE. FREE SHIP/NO TAX; RECYCLE FEE TO SJ CA

THE TV IS THE BEST QUALITY OF SAME SIZE CLASS. NO REGRET EVEN YOU CAN HAVE 2-3 TVs SET WITH THE PAID PRICE.

CHEERS

Get ur praise on! on Thu, 15th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Love It!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Samsung 55″ LED 240 hz TV is spectacular. Awesome set! All I can is, “I love it!”

I utilize this unit for football games and movies. I have no complaints.

Yes, there is a touch of light emitting from the corners of the set during dark scenes but it does not take from the picture or the overall performance of the unit. I am very pleased with the purchase. Thank you SAMSUNG…great product.

Dave Mexico on Sat, 17th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Amazing & Flawless
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this HDTV for 2 months… by the time you read down to my review, you have already read the technical side of everything related to this TV. I rate it “Amazing & Flawless”.

***** Delivery: I had never ordered anything so big from Amazon before. But I am a believer now. One thing to remember – Amazon does not deliver this – their agent does, so get that service’s phone number and call them to schedule and verify the date and time. And make room in your house for this Big Box!

***** Lighting: I was worried about three issues during the selection of this TV: Glare, viewing angle, and viewing distance. I looked at this TV in the store and there was little glare, and I found comfortable viewing even at 45 degrees. At home, it is even better. Compared to other Plasma the LCD TVs, this has them beat. Whether I watch this from 8 feet away on the couch, or from 16 feet in the kitchen, it’s great. Some seats on my L-shaped couch get a 45 deg. angle, but they are still excellent views. Glare from the kitchen area and hallway, as well as the windows on the side of the family room – not a problem at all. The LED is bright and cuts right through that.

***** Picture: I have not modified any of the default settings. I know there are plenty to play with but I am still in OMG picture shock. I recorded the 1080i version of King Kong on my HD cable system, and I use that as a demo to my friends. The fight scene with the T-Rex is amazing on this set. Watching old movies – like you see on TCM – they look “interesting”, almost 3D like. There’s probably a setting to adjust them. And some standard def. programs have a bit of a “jerk” to them sometimes. But I don’t think that is the TV’s issue – I think it’s the cable system (Samsung HD 3270). Watched Band of Brothers all weekend in 1080i mode – outstanding!

***** Inputs: plenty of HDMI inputs. I have used my laptop with the PC video cable. Talk about a big desktop.

***** BluRay input: I got the LG BD90 (also through Amazon). This has the true 1080p. Watched Terminator Salvation – amazing.

**** Sound – OK, the sound is not 5-star. But if you read Consumer Reports, and these reviews, you already know that. But your best movies will be watched with your surround sound stereo, so for me, it’s not a big deal. I got this TV for the picture.


BMD on Sun, 18th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



PQ is Amazing, No backlighting issues
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This TV is by far the best on the market for PQ/cost ratio. Just paid $2500 for this 55″ and couldn’t be happier. Images are extremely life like. Don’t listen to the negative hype about clouding/flashlights/screen uniformity. These issues are non-existant on my new 8000. Blu-ray dark scenes are perfect with no corner lighting issues. TV is connected with 17.2 gbps Acoustic Research cables. If you have problems with image speed, its because your hdmi cable is too slow. I upgraded from 10.2 to 17.2 on my Samsung 6000 led and the images are extremely smooth across all inputs. Folks who complain about screen uniformity have not correctly calibrated their TV for dark room viewing.

Conrad Masalkoski on Mon, 19th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great LED HDTV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent picture, sound is so so but I have a home theater sound system to compensate.

I still give the set 5 stars.

T. Holopainen on Wed, 21st Apr 2010 12:00 am 



My Kids thank Amazon for ruining their Christmas
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased the UN55B8000 with guaranteed delivery date. The date was right, but the TV delivered was a series 6000 one. Amazon will replace the TV set after Christmas. So, when you order “guaranteed delivery date” ask also for guaranteed product.

Charles Watts on Fri, 23rd Apr 2010 12:00 am 



PURRRFECT !
Rating:5 out of 5 stars

I was replacing a 50″ LG Plasma that suddenly would not turn on. After shopping (demo) in my metro area I elected to purchase the Samsung UN55B8000 LED/LCD. After going through the set-up menu to adjust the picture quality I was VERY impressed. It was like going from CRT to Plasma all over again.

Moreover I saved $900.00 over the best price I could find in the Oklahoma City metro.

I have not used the built in audio components (read they are weak), but if you don’t have quality surround you should’t be shopping on this end of the quality spectrum anyway.

I own good stuff, this fits in perfectly.

J. C. Lee on Fri, 23rd Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great TV!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Picture and features are great!! Granted, I’m coming from a CRT tv, so maybe anything would look good. But honestly, the colors are great and the HD channels come in super clear. Screen size is perfect too. I haven’t noticed any of the weird lights on the edges/corners of the screen that some previous reviews mentioned. SD (standard def.) channels are ok…though definitely not as good as the HD ones. But I think you run into that problem on any LED tv. Got a great deal on Amazon too!

Christopher Branning on Fri, 23rd Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Sorry, I love love love this TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this Samsung from Amazon about 3 weeks ago now and I love the TV.

Although I am not going into tech specs I am a certified tech geek and thoroughly checked this TV out prior to purchasing.

BREATHTAKING Blu Ray playback. Will just simply stop the show for those viewing.

Ease of use of features is much improved over previous Samsung sets. I have owned 2 other very high-end Samsungs in the last few years.

Little mentioned: The remote. The remote functions using it’s own frequency and works just like a good Bluetooth connection. Translation – I can point the remote any direction and it changes the channel, volume, etc. I can walk out into my driveway and change the channel. CNET makes a point to mention the wheel turning is annoying. Wheel-turning is annoying but you can simply press the buttons instead. Best remote I have ever had.

The outward appearance is just top-notch. It is a beutiful TV from the front, the side and behind.

The only other TV I have seen that functions any better is the 8500 model which costs $1000.00 more. That unit offers TRUE LED backlighting, not just edge-lighting like this model. Who cares! Go with this unit.

Bottom line, stop your searching. If you have the means, purchase this TV as fast as you can. You are missing out without it!!

Thanks.

D. Yuen on Sun, 25th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great Television, Poor Amazon.com Customer Service
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This is a great television! But buyer beware when using the Amazon.com Store Card 0% for 3 years deferred payment. The initial minimum payments would reasonably lead one to believe the balance would be paid in 2 years, not 3 as advertised. I have been going back and forth with customer service about how this could be. After a couple of months of getting nowhere, I have submitted the following complaint to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission:

I purchased a $2,500 television from Amazon.com on a 3-year deferred 0% interest promotion. I expected payments for 3-years of around $70 per month, but my billing statement indicated a minimum payment that would pay off the amount in 2 years. All I wanted was an explanation or justification (such as a sliding scale payment). Instead, all I got was unresponsive ‘copy and paste’ answers from the customer service center. Eventually, on October 31, S. Hern promised a reply in 20 days. I wrote again when I received no response in 20 days, and received a reply from T. Byrd promising a reply in 30 days. This ridiculous. I really don’t care how much I have to pay, all I want is an explanation of why I am not receiving a reasonable expectation of 36-months of even payments. They will say it was in the fine print, but I have read the fine print and see no reference to anything other than paying off the balance in 3 years and undefined minimum payments. Thank you for your assistance.

This experience has been horrible. In general, Amazon.com is great and has low prices, but once you take away the slick web interface and have to deal with the human component of customer service, then you see where the low prices come from.

Spotty Dog on Mon, 26th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great picture but backlight problems
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I just got this TV two days ago. As soon as I started watching I saw that the darks in the corners and along the sides were not nearly as dark as the darks in the center of the picture. It’s as if there’s a gremlin in each corner shining a flashlight towards the center. I called Samsung Customer Service and they told me this problem is caused when the styrofoam packaging is too tight during shipping, and that it should go away in 2-3 weeks. If not I should call back and they will send a tech out to look at it. The service rep also mentioned that this is covered under warranty if it doesn’t go away.

So, honestly I don’t know what to think of this TV. When it’s showing pictures that are not dark, (ie a sports game or daylight scenes), it’s picture is fantastic. Clear, rich and beautiful. But if you dim your lights at night and watch a movie that has many dark scenes in it, the backlight problem is very noticeable. If the customer service rep is right, and the problem goes away by itself in a week or two I’ll be delighted. If the problem doesn’t go away I’m gonna be one bummed camper. I’ll try to update back as to how things turn out.

AJ on Wed, 28th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Great TV, how to get rid of white light from corners
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Finally had this TV delivered a few weeks ago. After quite a while deciding between this, the 8500 and the LG 55LH90 i got a really good deal on the 8000 (from BB oddly enough) so i went with that one. For the first week i didnt notice one bit of white light seeping in from the corners like many people complain of. Then i did a firmware upgrade and all of a sudden started to see it. Switching back to the old firmware removed it again. For any of you having this problem use Firmware version 2009/09/07_001012

Also i have read about people who complain the picture looks “too real.” This may sound dumb if you havent seen the TV but i know exactly what they are talking about. I love this effect for Blu Rays but dont care for it when watching normal television. To remove this effect so the picture looks normal go into the settings go to picture –> Picture Options –> Auto Motion Plus 240Hz and put it on custom. Leave blur reduction on 10 always, but for a “normal tv” looking picture move Judder reduction to 0. to get that 3d effect move judder back to 10.

IMO its worth saving your money and getting this one and not the 8500, especially if you can get it for 1000-1500 cheaper.

R. Cantrell on Thu, 29th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



Fantastic picture, BUTT!!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Best picture I ever have seen in a flat panel compared even to my Pioneer elite, but my biggest concern was these halos that would show up around people or objects moving and this is not a fast movement problem. I have heard that this is a 240hz problem for the motion blur. I did notice that if I turned off the motion blur the halos went away. This kind of defeats having motion blur settings and feature. These halos are very annoying also the picture viewing area seems narrower than most LCD sets. Returned the set and went for the PN58B860 plasma, which has a great picture too! I have also been reading some other problems showing up on this TV. Great picture but these little problems make for a bad combo.

Nick Papadopoulos on Thu, 29th Apr 2010 12:00 am 



No complaints so far – the image is STUNNING
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just picked one up from Sears this afternoon. Paid $2,600 with the 10% Sears card discount. Replaced a 62″ Toshiba DLP. Compared it to the 8500 and didn’t see the value in spending another $1K. Also compared it to the Sony XBR9 and the Samsung did it for me.

Brought it home and had it running in 15 minutes. No problems at all. I must say the colors are just sick. I’m watching the Boise State-Nevada game on ESPN through Cox Digital Cable (Cox STB connected through an HDMI cable) and the ‘blue’ of the Boise State uniforms and helmets is just unbelievable. Details of the field and the sidelines are intense. I can see the paint chips from the ‘stick’ marks on the players’ helmets. I agree with other posts regarding the 3D appearance. The image just pops out. SImply amazing.

I’ve tried. I’ve really tried to find the problems with the spotlights in the corners. No luck. Perhaps the problems relate to older models. Perhaps it’s a firmware fix. There’s no doubt Samsung is having QC problems along with customer service issues. If I were experiencing the spotlights or random source selection or defective features that others have experienced, I would be just as upset as they must be. But this unit is beautiful and I am fortunate…so far.

As for those complaining about the speakers, I disagree. No, they do not compare to 5.1 or 7.1 systems, but they are more than adequate for ‘the basics’. I do plan to purchase a home theater.

I picked up the extra warranty from Sears based on the comments from other posters. I plan on watching A LOT of TV over the next 30 days as the box is still in the garage. If I experience the QC problems it’s going back.

Overall, I recommend it. Best of luck to those with problems.

Joe Brewer on Sat, 1st May 2010 12:00 am 



WOW – Better than my high expectations.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am a bit of a gadget guy and a techy. As such, I was not expecting to be surprised with this purchase. I knew the features, I knew the details, I saw this in stores. I was surprised at 2 things.

The picture looks much better in my house then it did in the store! It has better depth and the color/tones are fantastic. Both are much better then I experienced in the stores. The color/tones was the main reason I was leaning towards Sony but the bightness of this set was needed for my enviroment. So I was surprised that I got the brightness I needed and the fantastic color that I wanted.

Additionally, I was please to find that Samsung opened up all of the A/V settings so you can seriously adjust the picture to suit the envirmoment and the types of viewing you will do. {I have a lot to learn on this aspect. My previous Sony you had to go into a special mode for those settings. I never bothered}.

A shout out to the white gloves service. They were simple, effective, and quick. They brought it in, unpackaged it, connected it, tested (with me observing) and were gone after cleaning up after themselves.

I installed this on the wall myself using the Samsung Ultra-slim mounting kit. This kit was as easy as hanging a 50lb picture. The kit also includes a special movable “leg” that allows you to tilt the TV out from the wall to make connections. It worked great.

Bring on the remainder of Football season!

M. Butler on Sat, 1st May 2010 12:00 am 



Slim Mount is not so great if you plug your TV in behind the TV
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Everything about the TV so far is great! I am not convinced I needed the 240Hz, though. My only complaint is that when using the slim mount that was designed for this TV, there is not enough clearance behind the TV to plug it in without installing a recessed recepticle. Very poor planning on Samsung’s part! A real ‘bonehead’ move for a mount that retails at $250!!!

Darlene Ranaudo on Sun, 2nd May 2010 12:00 am 



Excellent picture, sound
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The picture and sound on this sleek Samsung is excellent. We actually feel like we are on the set watching the actual filming of the movies. Best pic and price from Amazon. White glove delivery and set up was great.

J. Decker on Sun, 2nd May 2010 12:00 am 



Great TV, not so great extras
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I spent a good amount of time researching TVs before deciding on the Samsung Series 8. This TV has a great picture partly because of the LED lighting.

There are some times where the 240Hz smoothing can look strange but you can always turn it off or try changing to another setting.

If your interested in the widget layer like I was, you may want to hold off. I took away 1 star because the widgets are a pretty big selling point and even after setup they are so slow as to not be usable. I think we are 2-3 years too early for our TVs to be able to multi-task.

Leroy Nunn on Mon, 3rd May 2010 12:00 am 



Samsung 55 Inch LED HDTV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This TV meets all my expectations. I combined it with a Yamaha NS-SP1800BL 5.1 Suround speakers and the Yamaha RX-V765BL 665 Watt 7-Channel Home Theater Receiver (all purchased at Amazon). The TV is shocking in it’s brightness, contrast and clarity of picture. Add that to the power savings over an LCD TV and it’s a win, win. Combine the above with a Blu Ray player and everything comes alive.

Mark Perry on Mon, 3rd May 2010 12:00 am 



Best Samsung LED under $3000
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great LED TV, was looking for months at the Samsung, LG, and Sharp LED TVs and the Samsung had the best picture by far. I went with the 8000 model because the blacks are deeper and the picture popped more than the 6000 or 7000 models. I figured I keep my TV’s for close to 10 years on average so might as well pay a few hundred to get something better. All of the negatives you read about searchlights and uneven backlight I am not noticing on my set at all. It was built in October of 2009 and I have applied the latest firmware (1013) from the Samsung website. The picture is nothing short of amazing. I was debating on the 8500 model but felt like it wasn’t worth close to a grand more for the minor difference in contrast ratio. Great TV set, makes my Sony 50 inch XBR look horrible! If you are looking at this there is nothing that should stop your from buying, apply the latest firmware from Samsung and this set rocks! Shop around though, we picked this one up online for $2400 with free shipping and no tax from an authorized Samsung retailer and for that price feel like it is a steal. Would definitely buy again!

Albert Prado on Mon, 3rd May 2010 12:00 am 



SWEEET
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
SWEEET!! TV is just awesome, super thin and light, picture quality is great. Honestly the best TV I’ve ever owned. Whatever price you pay for this is worth it.

James Davenport on Wed, 5th May 2010 12:00 am 



Best but i couldn;t live with it.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this TV after hours of searching and reading. Let me say first off that the brightness in the corners that there are so many comments about didn’t bother me at all. They are there when the screen goes black but they are easily ignored and did get less when I updated system software from Samsung.

Pros: Best picture ever. the resolution , clarity, etc is absolutely phenominal, the controls are numerous, the TV is incredible. Especially on non-HD shows. you feel like you are watching HD even when you are only watching 480i TV. Don’t put much value on the content features such as internet, yahoo widgets etc. there are too many other ways to do these types of things and do them better that I put no value on these at all. I could not get streaming tv or movies of any kind. I didn’t list those last 2 things as cons because in my mind no other TV can do them either so do them other ways instead.

Cons: the resolution and clarity is so profound that some shows look unreal. It is almost a 3D effect. It is not 3D but there is something about it. I could not get used to it and decided i didn’t like it. Funny, that sounds like too good is not good, but if your used to how a show looks then when it looks really different it is wierd.

The only other con I had trouble with is the color. It seemed too inconsistant. The movie wouldn’t have enough color so i turn it up a littel then the commercials would have way too much color. Even from station to station I would have to adjust the color. These kinds of things are easy to get used to and easy to find settings that help but never the less it is a con in my mind.

But overall Samsung is definetly on the right track with this TV. Best I have ever owned – ever.

Rocco Costello on Thu, 6th May 2010 12:00 am 



55″ LED Samsung TV review
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
For the most part I am quite satisfied with my new TV. The first one delivered did not work out of the box but Amazon was quick to ship me a second one with no questions or delays. 5 Stars for Amazon.

The TV picture is quite amazing in most ways; in a few situations when the screen is mostly dark it seems to have a problem with small areas that require being light brighter than the very dark surroundings. The glow of a candle lit dinner for example will not be as bright as it would on a normal TV. But other than that issue the picture is very good and all that I expected.

The widgets work well but so far I have not used them to any great extent, it is much faster to switch to the weather channel for quick up date on the weather than to activate the weather widget for example. The technology side of me finds the ability to be internet connected appealing but the reality is not too much usefulness so far.

The built in library is also a fun detail not sure how much use it will get but again a good start to an interesting feature that could add value.

I also purchased a Samsung Theatre and it is also connected to the internet I find the Netflix real time/streaming movies and the streaming music of Pandora to be a very useful feature and I also find that normal DVDs do look so much better on the blue ray player as it converts the image to almost blue ray quality. I purchased the wireless dongle and it works fine but I also would expect a TV with a list price of almost $4000 not to have to have a wireless adaptor purchased separately!

Over all I am quite satisfied with both the TV and Home Theatre, I have only had them a month or so, and time will tell if reliability will prove my purchase a good long time buy.

K. WONG on Fri, 7th May 2010 12:00 am 



DEAD after 2 days!!!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I just received the TV two days ago, there is no problem until this afternoon when I was watching a regular cable channel, the TV suddenly showing a lot of lines on the screen and eventually the screen turns to dark, I have tried to power cycle it but still got the same result. Very disappointed and can’t believe that such an expensive TV can die in 2 days new out of the box. Just called Amazon and requested a DOA exchange, someone will contact me tomorrow as today is Sunday afternoon and they are closed. Very very bad experience with such a high-end TV failed just in 2 days.

Paul D. Marsh on Sat, 8th May 2010 12:00 am 



Samsung 8000 LED LCD TV Amazing…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This TV is replacing a Sony 50″ rear screen projection LCD HDTV that still has a great picture. However, the Sony uses a $200 projector bulb to display the tiny LCD enlarged through lenses up to the 50″ screen, and that generates a LOT of heat (and only lasts a couple of years). Additionally, the Sony TV only displays up to a 720p image, which is fine, but pales in comparison to this new Samsung model. The LED-side backlit LCD Samsung TV remains cool indefinitely as it’s viewed, which is a major issue if you don’t use your TV to heat your living room.

The first time I saw this new Samsung in a local Best Buy showroom I was immediately transfixed. The image was stunning, razor sharp, bright, and when I touched the top rear of the case, absolutely room temperature. Because the screen case is only about 1 1/4″ thick the unit seems flimsy sitting vertically on its crystal plastic cylinder atop a base, but that’s a minor issue to me. Many people will remove the base and hang it on the wall. I have a TV nook, so this unit sits on its base out of the way of anyone possibly bumping into it.

This TV has the best image of any TV I’ve EVER viewed. I’m not a TV snob, just a daily viewer, but I’ve owned a lot of high quality TVs over the years, and this one stands out. Once I plugged my Dish PVR and Sony PS3 Slim in and looked at the picture in my living room environment, I was convinced I’d made a good decision (and I moved the Sony to another room).

It’s only been a couple of months since my spouse began pushing me to upgrade to 1080, but I thought my DVDs looked great on the Sony TV and didn’t feel the urgency. Now, viewing those same DVDs on my PS3 Slim/Samsung 8000, they look grainy, and definitely remind me of my transitions from Beta to LD to DVD way back when. When I popped in a new Blu-ray movie I was convinced. I’m not sure I’ll ever enjoy my old DVDs the same way again.

The TV worked perfectly out of the box. I plugged it into a gigabit switch to my broadband connection and upgraded its firmware in a few minutes. A couple of days later my Blu-ray Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark disk arrived and I was hard pressed to change ANY settings. In fact, most of the test screens were puzzling to me, since they looked fine. The Spears & Munsil disk shows you a sample of a good image and a bad image for each test screen, and almost all of the test screens on the Samsung looked exactly like the benchmark images. There was one test image that appeared off (screen was so bright the test boxes were nearly invisible), but even with the brightness turned completely down the image didn’t change, so I left it at the setup default. Bottom line, the TV was calibrated nearly perfectly already out of the box. The over saturated, super bright settings you view in the showroom are what Samsung calls Dynamic. I selected a different setting for my Dish satellite and Blu-ray viewing modes that’s fine for home viewing. Of course, Samsung allows you to customize to your heart’s content if the simple options don’t work for you. This unit also boasts a 240Hz fast image smoothing functionality, which basically takes your standard 60Hz (or 24Hz for DVDs) signal and interpolates (creates) additional images to display something on your screen more frequently so you don’t notice the jumps as fast images move across the screen. I can’t say that I’ve noticed this in daily use. But perhaps sports fans will appreciate it, or it’ll become more obvious in action movies.

You can have a separate setup for each input, so I configured my Dish satellite images to bright natural tones, and my Blu-ray settings to a movie configuration (where many images are darker than commercial television). I bypass the TV for audio, using the TV as a monitor only, which is just as well. While there are four HDMI inputs, the optical out ONLY PASSES THROUGH A STEREO SIGNAL to your AV receiver/amplifier. That means NO DTS/5.1/7.1 audio if you pass all your components through your TV. So, I plug my satellite and Blu-ray video inputs directly into my TV’s HDMI ports, and their optical audio connections directly into my AV receiver driving my 5.1 system. I configure my Harmony remote to turn on my TV, set the video port, and set my AV receiver to my satellite audio in when watching Dish, and my Sony PS3 Slim when I’m watching a movie.

I’ve been researching new HDTVs for a couple of months now, and this unit is currently the most popular (including the less expensive 7000 and 6000 series units, and the just released 8500 rear-LED backlight unit) and best rated. A couple of comments I’ve heard and read about with this TV concerned its side-LED backlight scheme, and how that prevents the TV from darkening just a portion of the screen (vice LEDs all across the back of the screen, individually controlled). I can attest that this unit has phenomenal blacks (not dark grays, as my Sony TV has). I’m sure the 8500′s rear-LED scheme will provide more discriminating dark areas on the screen, but for the moment that’s not worth the extra thousand dollars to me. The blacks and dark areas on the 8000 look great. I did notice that the corners of the screen appear slightly darker where the backlights can’t run into the corner, but only on the showroom models that were on all day long. I haven’t yet observed dark corners on a white screen on my home unit. I’ve also heard that some people have experienced hardware failures after a week of home viewing, typically where the screen goes all white, which requires a repair. Best Buy told me if that happens and they can’t repair it in two weeks, they’ll replace the unit (they also offer a 4-year warranty for another $400). I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I didn’t get a defective unit, but so far so good. The TV looks so great, I was willing to take the chance. Anyway, if it works for a month, it’ll probably work forever, such is the history of electronics. Just a heads up, Samsung Customer Service is getting a LOT of complaints on the Internet for unresponsiveness to repairs. But again, the TV is so good, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed. As an aside, Samsung extended their warranty to 15 months parts/labor when I registered it online, so perhaps they have noticed the hardware issues/complaints.

While this TV is listed currently at $3,899 retail, its everyday price almost anywhere is ~$3,009. Sales and promotions can save you more. When Fry’s Electronics offered it at $2,699 last week, we immediately went to our local Best Buy (which price matches and offers free delivery, trash take-away, and old TV take-away, if you want) and purchased it, with a table and a PS3 Slim.

So far, I’m completely satisfied. This is a great HDTV and I look forward to watching it each evening. Oh, and I’m definitely going to start buying more Blu-ray DVDs.

E. Francoeur on Sun, 9th May 2010 12:00 am 



Picture Quality is fantastic
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the 55″ 8000 series samsung for a new familyroom / den I built in the basement. I generally agonize over electronic purchases, doing hours of research. This one was no exception. After reading hundreds of reviews, consumer publications and store visits, i narrowed the search as follows:

LCD v. Plasma:

I chose LCD technology due to the eye-poping picture, reduced energy consumption, and no picture burn-in. Early LCDs had jitter problems, but those days are gone. Please note that this TV *is* an LCD TV! They call it “LED” because most LCD TVs are back-lit using floresencent bulbs around the edges, but this one is back-lit using a grid of little LED lights across the back. This grid allows the backligting to be turned off in areas of the screen where a black picture is shown. This supposedly makes the black darker than florescent lit LCDs, but i only noticed it when viewing from an angle.

Brand:

I narrowed the brand selection to Sony or Samsung. based upon reviews, including consumer mags, and store visits. I must say the Sony offering has fastastic picture crispness, color, etc, too. On the final purchase day, i took my wife with me ($3K is a joint decision). We compared a Sony BR9 52″ with the Sansung 8000 55″. after more than an hour of back and forth viewing we went with the Samsung. The decision was based on a slightly brigher picture (probably due to the LED vs Floresent back lighting), the extreme thinness (This TV is built to wall-mount, the Sony with a standard mount will protrude 5″ into the room, this one with the ‘picture hanger’ mount from Samsung will protrude 2″), and the extra 3″ of screen size.

Outcome:

I am so impressed with the Samsung after 2 weeks of use. Even standard non-HD cable looks good. It looks better in my house than the store feed. The embeded content (scenery, art, games, recipies, relaxing image&sounds) is cool for a demo, but not expected to be used too much. I haven’t hooked it to the internet yet as i need either a 50′ lan cable or the $79 wireless adapter. I will order the cable today. No bluray yet, but i watched HD-on-demand last night and it was sooo impresive. No buyer remorse here. Go get yours.

A. KAZMI on Mon, 10th May 2010 12:00 am 



led samsung
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So far so good. We are satisfied with this one and an old Sony Bravia 60 HZ. We bought Sony Bravia 46 inch 120 HZ but had to return to Costco due to inferior picture quality. We also returned 1080P 120 HZ Magnavox to Sam’s club for similar reason. I think buyer has to be aware of details of model # as Bravia is sold s, k, w or x series model with varying picture quality. Our old Sony Bravia Is 60 HZ Kdl series. New Samsung seems better with games but on paper has far better specs

James R. Barley on Tue, 11th May 2010 12:00 am 



LED Samsung is AMAZING!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was a little concerned when I was reading reviews about the light rays coming in on the corners of this TV, but I ordered it anyway. I definitely was NOT disappointed! The color, and picture quality are absolutely amazing! I thought the image on my LCD was nice, but somehow this was even better! The black was way blacker than the LCD that it replaced and the 240Hz refresh rate makes the picture as smooth as life! Now, I will admit, on a dark picture in a dark room, you can see some light patches illuminating from a couple of the corners, but honestly, for me, it’s an acceptable flaw. Your normal user will never notice it, but if you’re a picky, perfect picture nut, you may want to wait until Samsung fixes this issue. However, if you want an amazing picture now, and are willing to accept a little light in the corner of a dark image, then you definitely want this TV!!

Tony E on Wed, 12th May 2010 12:00 am 



Amazing detail and crispness, watchout for dark scenes
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Goods:

The color, contrast, and details are nothing short of amazing.

Makes my other HD TV look like SD.

Light weight (compared to plasma), so easier to hang (no need for those heavy duty metal tanks on the wall that large plasmas require)

Hidden speakers

Stupid blue light can be turned off

Bads:

With scenes that are dark of have lots of black, you can see a backlight effect as if a flash light was behind a black curtain.

I am willing to put up with it given the picture quality 99% of the time (non black scenes), but hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Note that I have not done video adjustment with the video-pro dvd yet as I am still wowed by the picture clarity (have had it for 1 week)

Tony E on Wed, 12th May 2010 12:00 am 



Amazing detail and crispness, watchout for dark scenes
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Goods:

The color, contrast, and details are nothing short of amazing.

Makes my other HD TV look like SD.

Light weight (compared to plasma), so easier to hang (no need for those heavy duty metal tanks on the wall that large plasmas require)

Hidden speakers

Stupid blue light can be turned off

Bads:

With scenes that are dark of have lots of black, you can see a backlight effect as if a flash light was behind a black curtain.

I am willing to put up with it given the picture quality 99% of the time (non black scenes), but hence 4 stars instead of 5.

Note that I have not done video adjustment with the video-pro dvd yet as I am still wowed by the picture clarity (have had it for 1 week)

Len Scaffidi on Fri, 14th May 2010 12:00 am 



Top Picture Quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m sure the price will come down as more LED/240hz TVs enter the market. But right now, this is state of the art and you have to pay a premium to get it. I read several reviews that said 240hz wasn’t worth the hype, but my wife (who has a much better eye for details)could see the difference instantly and insisted (thanks!) we go for the extra bucks.

After two visits to Best Buy and a lot of research online, I knew this was the set for me. Unfortunately, when I returned to my local BB, they couldn’t sell the 55″ model to me because they weren’t a “Magnolia” outlet. (They sell up to 46″). The nearest Magnolia Best Buy is almost two hours away and they won’t deliver. Nor will the BB website deliver it! So we went to Amazon and were pleasantly surprised that the price was better, and included free shipping and a better optional warranty. I’m sure BB is losing a LOT of business with their idiotic “Magnolia” strategy — but that’s their problem. Thanks to them turning me away, I was able to find the TV I wanted for less.

cflutist on Sat, 15th May 2010 12:00 am 



Very happy with TV and delivery
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Have never ordered something this expensive before from Amazon, but the $500 discount, free delivery, and no sales tax pushed me over the edge to buy.

Placed the order on Monday Oct 12, and it was delivered today Oct 15. Absolutely no problems with CEVA Whiteglove service.

Have owned Samsung LCD TVs before and were happy with them. This TV will replace a 52″ A650 (which will be moved to the bedroom, to replace a 46″ 720P). Funny thing is that our first Samsung 46″ LCD TV cost $1K more than what I just paid for this one.

So far, am pretty happy with the picture. I keep looking for the uneven “flashlights” in the corner but haven’t seen them yet. A better test tonight when we roll the credits from a DVD. TV came with 9/5/09 v1012 firmware which we plan to update to 9/25/09 v1013 tonight.

Update 10/18/09: updated the firmware with no problem. Hubby and I could not see the “flashlights” from the corners even while credits were rolling on a black screen. Just bought a Blu-Ray player, and now the picture is even more fantastic. I am one happy camper.

George Chen on Sat, 15th May 2010 12:00 am 



Wow!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So I did a lot of research on LED tv’s. Samsung by far is the best LED tv out there right now. Don’t be fooled and get another brand as Toshiba, LG, Sony, none of them can match the quality of the Samsung UN55B8000 model. Once you tune the tv, all I could say was wow! Watching HD channels and blu ray is unbelievable. The thickness and weight is something you have to see to believe. 1.2″ and 51lbs for a 55″ screen?? Unreal!

The only thing that you have to be wary of is that you do need to get used to the colors and motion. Basically everything that is HD looks like it is 3D. The characters pop almost like you are watching 3D. There are instances where everything is so crisp and clear that it looks to be in slow motion. This can be adjusted with the right setting. Funny though that if you look carefully, because the picture is so clear and crisp, you can actually tell everything is fake, as if you were on the set of the movie you are watching and you can tell all the plastic fake props on set!

Robert M. on Sun, 16th May 2010 12:00 am 



Store Card vs Amazon Credit Card
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I thought I bought this TV (which is fantastic and I love it) with 12 months no payments, no interest.

It turns out that the so-called Store Card is not the Amazon credit card–and there was no such deal

using the Credit card. I ended up with $2,899.99 on my Amazon Credit Card–all due the following month.

I called Chase–the manager was arrogant as I tried to explain the problem. She giggled and said that

she’d never heard of this offer. I called Amazon–many pages of “clickable” choices.

I finally found the “Help” link. This guy was nice but explained the difference between the Amazon Credit

Card and the Amazon Store Card and suggested I ship the TV back and redo the order. Nice in theory but

I’d already unpacked and installed the “thing” so it doesn’t pan out in reality. I kept the

TV (it really is nice) and did not pack it up and ship it back, too much hassle.

Next I got an email from Amazon explaining–in so many words–how I f’d up. Nice. I wrote them back and

explained that I’d go ahead, pay off the TV then cancel mu Amazon “Confusion” Card and revert back to my Citi

card that gives me air miles. I felt better… until I received and answer back explaining that my response to THAT

email didn’t go “anywhere” because it’s unanswerable please go to (link such and such). I did, but once again I found

a busy page where it was difficult to come across the link to contact Amazon. Maybe if I still worked–I’m retired–I’d

have enough time (screwing off at work) to hack around and find these links and sort out all these cards, and offers,

etc. But as I explained in the email–that essentially went nowhere–that once I receive the Chase statement that I paid

the TV off–I will take great pride and joy in canceling that Amazon/Chase Credit Card and lick my wounds–they can

kiss my A– if I ever use it again.

Signed: “Enjoying my TV,” and the fact that I

am rich enough to pay off the debt and not have

to deal with jerks like the manager I dealt

with at Chase. She really reminded me of a

town hall meeting where the idiot from Congress

takes a question then calls someone on her Cell.

Duh?

Carlos E. Naranjo Giraldo on Sun, 16th May 2010 12:00 am 



Excellent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent TV, very good image, the lights in the corners worried me, but the truth is that no matter, the picture is very good, nice design, slim, the only thing is the sound, but this is improved with a very good home theater , Samsung has created the best image at the time, One-Call, is serious, thorough, when I ask them, always responded. I am very happy with this TV and still buy in one-call always

K. Weiss on Mon, 17th May 2010 12:00 am 



This TV set: BAD. Samsung customer service: Surprisingly good.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this TV in May’09, and I was impressed with the form factor, how thin it was, etc. But there were all kinds of issues with the image, and if you read the other reviews right here on Amazon you’ll see that there’s a common issue with the lighthing coming from the corners. I’m not that picky… but this is bad, it’s there all the time, really annoying. The 240 hz feature is another real pain, makes it almost impossible to watch. The camera pannings will make you dizzy. But at least this one bug can be disabled from the settings menu.

So I called Samsung, customer service was pretty good – they sent a guy within a week. He came in, look at the unit, ran some tests, and recognized the ligthing issue, said he had seen it in a lot of these. So within 2 weeks they sent a replacement screen. Same guy came with a brand new screen, we put it up… and… there it was again. Same issue.

After 5 months and a lot of phone calls Samsung is going to send me a full refund, and they’ll pick up the unit. I’ll buy a Panasonic Plasma this time. My recommendation based on what I’ve seen is obvious… do NOT buy this TV.

A. Naim on Tue, 18th May 2010 12:00 am 



Good picture, but bad Motion
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Well I purchased the Samsung 55 inch 8000 series LED LCD. After months of research and comparing it to Sony, this LCD has one of the best image quality in the market. Watching Blu ray on this LCD is just awesome. In terms of picture quality it beats the Sony Z series and all the Sony series, however the Sony XBR is almost the same as this.

The sound is really not that bad if you look at how slim this LCD is, so you can connect it to a sound bar or Bose cinemate. Another thing is that this does not have digital audio out, and only has a 3.5m stereo audio out. You need to buy a cable tree to RCA to connect to a home theatre or sound bar.

It comes with a lot of other drawbacks as well and sometimes I wonder if I should have gone with a Sony. The 240hz is just a gimmick. I am very sure the 120hz does the job so no need to consider this. As for the 2ms pixel response time on the 8000 is also one thing that a human eye cannot tell the difference. The 7000 series 4ms response time is the same. These are tactics to sell the units.

I am very sensitive to Motion blur, and the reason I bought the 8000 was so that I don’t regret buying the 7000. But I was wrong. It clearly makes sense to buy the 7000 series as it will do the same job with the 120hz. But I have to say in Motion especially while watching analogue channels and sports channels, Sony XBR and Z series do the job perfectly. Nothing can beat a Sony in motion delivery. My next LCD will be a Sony because of Motion issues with Samsungs.

Also another thing to note is the reflection on this LCD. It is a lot especially for my apartment as I have floor to ceiling windows. But since I have curtains it is not that bad. But still Sony are better in this category as well.

And lastly i would say that the 8500 series is almost out now, so anyone buying the 8000 should wait and go for the local dimming LED technology in the 8500 series. But if you cant wait, then buy the 7000 series and not the 8000 series as difference is minimal. But if you can afford then go for the XBR Sony.

P. Mok on Tue, 18th May 2010 12:00 am 



Beautiful TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Had the TV for about 3 weeks. Picture is fantastic in HD. DVD is excellent and Blu-Ray is amazing. Hooked it up with a Samsung Blu-Ray player, the pair works in tandem. Set up is a piece of cake.

Areas of improvement: May be it is too new, I cannot seem to find how to label the inputs. HDMI1, 2 or 3 can be confusing. Also, there are some touch control for volume, channel etc. but they are not lighted. They are impossible to see. May be that why I got two remote controllers.

Kalibr on Wed, 19th May 2010 12:00 am 



WOW!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have owned Sony televisions exclusively for the past 30 years. I was in the market for a new TV to replace my older Sony 50″ Grand WEGA LCD projection set. I always keep up with new technologies in consumer electronics and knew that LED backlighting was the way to go. One day, I visited Best Buy to see the new Sony models. I was particularly interested in the Sony Bravia XBR8 LED TV. It has an awesome display, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with $5K for a TV. The high price was a big disappointment. I knew Samsung made LED models so I decided to check them out too. I was immediately floored. They looked far better than Sony’s more expensive LED model and for $2K less. But, was I really willing to purchase something other than a Sony TV? I would have to be convinced. I did a lot of research on these Samsung sets. I demoed them in several stores and read as many reviews as possible. IMO, the Samsung LED TVs are by far the best technology currently available. Their display must be seen to be believed. Most impressive of all, is the fact that Samsung accomplished this in a set that is only 1.2″ thick.

Well, I was finally convinced and decided to purchase the Samsung UN55B8000. I have owned it for almost a month now and I am in awe every time I watch it. This set is beautiful even when it’s turned off. But, you won’t want to turn it off because the clarity, detail, brightness, contrast and color are absolutely exceptional. For the first time I have owned a TV, I did not have to make any adjustments to the factory settings – it looked perfect right out of the box. In fact, I had purchased a calibration DVD and was surprised to find that I didn’t have to make any adjustment to any controls.

Of course, the most amazing thing about this set and what intially lured me to it is its picture quality. It’s difficult to explain the level of detail it produces. I have HD cable programming (1080i), which looks fantastic. Games on the Xbox 360 pops out at you. But the images produced from a Blu-ray source is absolutely breath-taking. I was also pleasantly surprised at how bright the display looks in my sunlit family room. I thought I would have to adjust the brightness to view the set in daylight and again when watching at night as I did with our old Sony TV. Although the screen on the UN55B8000 has a gloss finish, it does a great job of reducing glare and reflections.

I do want to respond to the negative comments that others have posted here regarding uneven backlighting or vignetting effect caused by the edge-lit LEDs when the TV displays dark images. The only time I notice this was when the set displays a totally black background such as in movie credits. At best, it appears as a very faint illumination from the corner. But even then, I really had to look for it. I don’t think this is an issue at all; at least not one that should deter anyone from purchasing this incredible TV. I have to assume that those that have experienced this anomaly are probably looking at an uncalibrated set that has its brightness level turned way too high.

I took advantage of the slim design of this set and purchased the ultra slim wall mount. The TV hangs like a picture frame and looks like a masterpiece, which it is. The slim case houses adequate speakers, producing fairly good sound quality for normal TV viewing. Of course, you would want to watch movies through a surround sound system.

As for the other features of this set; the internet widgets are pretty cool, but slow. I especially like the YouTube widget. The DLNA network feature is also a nice addition, but the interface is also slow and not very intuitive. I’m hoping that a future firmware upgrade would improve the functionality. The content library feature is my favorite. It allows you to display a slideshow of artwork or other pics with soft background music – great for parties. You can download additional content for free from Samsung.

I am extremely pleased with this television and would recommend it to anyone.

epinionated on Thu, 20th May 2010 12:00 am 



terrible customer service for a product that never worked
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The TV set itself is incredible…if it worked. Picture is clear, contrast and resolution are amazing. Then there’s the warranty

As soon as we took the set out of the box, it turned on and powered itself off. The set acted possessed, maxed the volume out, switched inputs at random, very odd stuff. I put in the trouble ticket with Samsung Warranty, and they said a service person would visit in 2 business days. At the end of the second day, I received a call followed by the same questions I answered with the Samsung reps. This was a seperate service company, First Choice Business Products, who ordered a new processor based on our phone conversation. I was told on Monday the part would be in Friday or the following Monday. Two and a half weeks and many frustrating phone calls later, they scheduled a time to come out and fix it.

When Mike arrived, he dismembered my TV in my living room, really manhandled it, and forty minutes later it was back together. However the power button would not turn the set back on. Three minutes he tried the same things to no avail, finally he got it on. After a software reset, the set looked to be working. He left on a Friday.

Two weeks later, the set began acting up again, powering itself down with the slightest touch, switching itself to Demo mode, and the same irradic activity. A second call was put in, same old story. Then I got a call from Executive Customer Service at Samsung, to verify my problems with this unit. Light at the end of the tunnel? Not quite, the gist of that call was to confirm that my problems happened within 3 weeks of the initial fix, and Samsung would not be billed for the second trip! Now I’m left with the same incompetent techs, who are no longer being paid to fix my TV, and have no interest in communicating to me how and when my $2500 brand new unit will actually work correctly. Two business days later, same questions, same phone diagnosis, and another part ordered.

In the past I have always gone with Sony components and Electronics, and I have never had a problem. This will be the last time I purchase Samsung equipment for my own sanity. Do yourself a favor, go with a trusted name who will stand by their product.

N. White on Fri, 21st May 2010 12:00 am 



Mindblowingly Dissapointing!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
BUYER BEWARE!!!!!! BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!

After speaking with Samsung for the umteenth time about all the problems I have experienced with their newest technologically advanced television, I was informed they would only consider replacing it after three attempts to repair it have failed!!!!, That would be 3 days of lost wages, for which I could just go buy a new set and save the money, what a SCAM!!!! I should have learned my lesson with this company, they are SCUMBAGS!!!!!!!

I almost can’t believe the picture on this set. Yes, it’s true, especially on letterbox you can see funky lighting in “black” area, but, sooooooo what? Who cares, the picture is absoluteluy MIND BLOWING! I was watching Narnia with the kiddos, and the actors seem to be in my living room. It’s kind of weird, almost toooo real. Dave Matthews and Tim the freak Reynolds live at Radio City Music hall was as equally impressive. I have a full blown homne theater with all the gizmos in another area of my house, and always thought that was the best set-up. I bought this set to replace a 7 year old plasma, which I was hesitant to replace as it has never given me any trouble. Boy, was this an upgrade, I find myself re-watching movies on the Samsung just to get the experience of feeling like you are in the movie. I can’t even begin to imagine what they will come out with next. Completely awesome set, no negatives yet. WOWWWWWWWW

11/6/2009 UPDATE PLEASE READ THIS!!!

This set, which I instantly fell in love with has given me nothing but problems. First it started turning off and on for no apparent reason, Samsung sent out a service call, the first 2 companies they chose blew me off and never showed, then finally a decent service company came out and replaced the main power board. Worked fine for a few weeks, now it randomly changes input settings, guess what, theyre sending another company out to repair that issue. What a nightmare, like I have nothing better to do but take days off from work to get this freakin tv repaired. Samsung has definitely lost me as a customer, I should have known better than to be an early adopter of new technology. My 8 year old PANASONIC plasma never gave me a single problem, Im so glad I gave it away, what a freakin dolt I am. I wonder how many tries Samsung will make before they do the right thing and replace this piece of crap.

etp on Sat, 22nd May 2010 12:00 am 



Best LED/LCD to date
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this unit hooked up for one week and it is perfect out of the box with no adjustments of any kind. I wish it had a SVideo for my receiver menu but the RCA jack works fine. It seems you can steam video from your computer over the LAN to this unit but I have not tried that feature to date. Mine was made in June 2009. As the price is droping on these a little each week you could possibly pick one up in the mid 2500s over the internet. Since I was burned the last time I orderd a large TV online I just went to Sears and they gave me 15% off $2999=$2550.


Mike2Ta on Mon, 24th May 2010 12:00 am 



Defectively Designed Television: So sad!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The picture quality of the tv amazing, but there are black patches on each corner of the tv. This is not specific to my set. Everyone who has gotten a Samsung LED-series television has been noticing the same problem. I have tried contacting Samsung with the following email, but they told me just to return the television if I was unhappy. Here is a copy of the recent email I sent them:

This is my second formal attempt to contact your company regarding a 55″ Samsung LED UN55B8000XF. I informed you in my first contact attempt that I had purchased less than two weeks ago this television from Fry’s Electronics in Concord, CA. Upon hooking up the television, I noticed four black corners which hindered my viewing pleasure and took away from the effectiveness of the high definition television. I asked what your company’s formal stance was on this model and it’s problem with dark corners and I asked whether the 8500 series set to be released would have the same problem. To date, I have received no response from you. I take this to mean that the dark corners are not supposed to be there and that they are in fact, a defect. It is unacceptable that Samsung will not reply to my request for information given the thousands I have paid for this television. This is my second documented request and if I do not receive an acceptable response and solution to my problem, I will have no choice but to pursue my complaint in a legal forum, seeking to reimburse the costs I had to pay out of pocket with regard to the purchase, delivery, set-up, and so forth, of this defective television. I look forward to your response within the next three business days. Thank you.

I will update this review if I receive an acceptable response or if I am magically illuminated with a solution.

Corey M. Pelton on Mon, 24th May 2010 12:00 am 



Great PQ on full screen scenes, and bright color values.. terrible in dark scenes or letterbox
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Purchased this set 2 weeks ago, after haggling down BestBuy a few hundred more off their sale price. TV was wall mounted and it looked incredible. Samsung has outdone themselves on the craftsmanship of this set. It is a stunning work of art.

I fired it up, threw in Coraline on Blu-ray (playing thru a ps3) and was amazed by the picture. The factory calibration looks great. Colors pop, blacks look decent, I was very happy. Then it happened. Once a darker scene hit, I could see little blotches of light, coming from the corners of the set. It was patchy light, all over the screen. My heart sunk Like a previous poster wrote, once you see it, you can not unsee it :/

So, I’m returning it this weekend. The upside? I found a KRP-600M for $500 cheaper than the LED, even at it’s sale price! Just funny how things work out sometimes.

J. White on Mon, 24th May 2010 12:00 am 



Outstanding Picture Quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Had this set for a couple of weeks now. It offers outstanding picture quality and unlike other sets of this size it does not weigh a ton. The weight is listed as 82 pounds. That is the shipping weight. After lifting the set I am thinking it could not weigh more than 65 pounds. One big bonus is that LED sets use far less power than other flat panels so this doens’t jack your power bill up.

Caver on Wed, 26th May 2010 12:00 am 



Samsung LED LCD is a Superior TV
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Sorry, but the other comments about reverse vignetting or edge-lighting are sheer nonsense. You can see anything if you look hard enough – and that is the point. I originally bought the Samsung UN46B8000 (46 inch LED) and observed no such issue whatsoever – just a superb picture. After nearly 30 days I got bigger screen envy, so I went back to Best Buy and purchased the UN55B8000 (55 inch), and traded in the 46 inch. Once again a fantastic picture with no edge-lighting. No issues at all. Samsung has hit the sweet spot with the 8000 series. This 240Hz version is especially wonderful when viewing action scenes.

Anyone who has seen my set is blown away by the superb picture, rich colors, color contrast, etc. – and these are comments from my friends, the Geek Squad installers, the Dish Network guy, and so on. This set was worth every penny. You will pay more, but you get what you pay for. And on top of all that, this set allows me to go wireless and online with the built-in widgets (the Samsung USB link is extra).

My problem is that I have to get up each morning and go to work instead of staying home and enjoying this TV. Sheer torture .

A. Bailey on Fri, 28th May 2010 12:00 am 



Very good but not perfect
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Clarity and colors are stunning. It literally makes everything you watch look like it was filmed with a consumer grade camcorder rather than pro grade cameras. This TV makes things look like they are happening in front of you in your very own room. You see every strand of hair, every wrinkle, every mole and blemish on faces. You have to see it to believe it. One way to describe it is that everything looks “different” than what you may have been accustomed to seeing. I recommend that you see this TV in a brick-n-mortar store to see what I mean.

The number of adjustments menus is also above and beyond what any one of us not in the business of making these TVs is ever going to need. For folks that want to tweak, here is your opportunity.

However, this TV is not perfect.

1. Corners show reverse vignetting where on very dark scenes you can see the corner illumination projecting significantly into the screen. It looks like a flash light is projecting from the corner. The corner itself is very dark but a very faint light spreads in a fan pattern from each corner towards the center of the screen. This is only visible in very dark scenes where the primary display color is black. You can not see this normally.

2. The stand does not feel sturdy. If you push on the very top of the bezel, the screen will rock back and forth… I freaked out the first time I did that when I bumped the screen during placement of the TV on my entertainment stand. Looking at the attachment point, Samsung went super cheap; the current attachment technique does not belong on a TV in this price range. You are provided with (literally) a shoe-lace attached to a triangular piece of plastic that attaches to the TV. The other end is supposed to be attached either to the wall or your stand. This is really out of place for a TV of this caliber and I think is my biggest disappointment with this TV.

As the LED display technology advances, I’m sure this TV will be surpassed in performance by future models from Samsung or competing brands. However, for the time being, this is a very good HD display with some imperfections.

I’m pleased with the purchase and look forward to many years of service.

Regards,


david blackman on Fri, 28th May 2010 12:00 am 



truly amazing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I took delivery of this product today, and it was connected very quickly and the universal remote was set up in a snap. The picture is truly amazing. as sharp and awesome as i have ever seen on any set anywhere. I took a Samsung 58 inch plasma that i had in the family room and moved it to another room, and put this one instead. The reason? The plasma is a wonderful set, but produced a lot of heat both on the screen and through the top vents. It was like a heater being on at all times the tv was on in the room. So we moved it to another room that gets less use. This new LED/LCD is the most incredible picture i have ever seen. I am watching a blu-ray DVD of Lord of the Rings and it is absolutely stunning. The 240hz makes a difference and the 5:1 ratio is incredible. I have only one negative right now, i have been unable to hook up my wireless network to get Yahoo internet. I have a MAC time machine router and it is just not connecting when i put in the Samsung USB device. It will work, i guess i am doing something wrong. I am sure a quick call to someone at Best Buy will do the trick. Bottom line – this is the most wonderful set I have ever seen. Samsung has truly reached the top.

Michael J. Weaver on Sat, 29th May 2010 12:00 am 



Dark Room?
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I just got one of these and I must admit it seems like a very good product although it does lack some component inputs (only 1). I watched mine in a dark room and did not experience the same problem as the previous reviewer. I love the fact this TV has so many HDMI and USB connectionms as well as a LAN. So far so good. Im gonna hook up the Blue Ray when I get home. [...]

Scott Herz on Sat, 29th May 2010 12:00 am 



Beware of uneven backlight
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this TV because the overall picture quality is good and it’s unbelievably thin. However, there are some inherent problems with the set which are driving me nuts.

The backlight is extremely uneven at the corners. In dark scenes (like credits, or the entirety of letter-boxed movies) you will see little searchlights coming from the corners. Once you see it (and you will see it), you won’t be able to NOT see it.

The autodimming feature is also poorly implemented. Again, in credits or scenes where there is more dark than light, it will turn the backlight down for “better contrast”. However, when the TV changes its mind about the scene, the previously dim white areas will pop bright white. It looks very strange.

I’ve read that there are “workarounds” but some of them involve going into the service menu (which apparently voids the warranty). This TV should work better in dark scenes for the price.

johnnycake62 on Sun, 30th May 2010 12:00 am 



Best picture ever
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had researched this LED product online and in-store. I found the best features at the best price and did not have to pay sales tax nor shipping. I could not be happier with this 55″ Samsung TV.

Adel Altamimi on Mon, 31st May 2010 12:00 am 



SAMSUNG HAS HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased the 55 in LED from 6ave electronics and when I received it the large remote did not work. I called 6ave, they told me to go through Samsung since it was new and under warranty. I called Samsung and the CS Rep tried to charge me for a remote! I explained it was a new TV, and she said OK they could send a remote it would be about 5 business days. After 5 days, no remote so I called Samsung back to get the status. Well, guess what, no order for a remote was ever put in the system but the fact I called about a broken remote was in the system. They said they would create a new order and it would take about 7-14 days from now to get the remote. I asked them to send it express mail, since the TV can’t be fully utilized without the large remote and I have already had the TV well over 2 weeks and it is almost useless without the remote. They refused to send it xpress mail, they all gave the same scripted phrase: “it is Samsung policy to send it UPS ground” I asked them, it is also Samsung policy to send defective remotes and not put in a replacement order? This is not standard procedure, Samsung sold me a defective product then failed to send a replacement. They acknowledge their mistake but do nothing to rectify it. I also purchased the additional 4 year warranty, I can not even imagine the horror I will have to go through if anything happens with the TV.

I spoke to at least 5 people in customer service, including the “ECR” department. The ECR department is supposedly for situations that have “escalated”. They were not only no help but outright RUDE!! I asked to speak to the ECR supervisor and she would not even get on the phone with me. The ECR Customer service rep would not even give me the Supervisors name, they will call me back they said. Needless to say, I am not holding my breath for the call. If you like being ignored and treated rudely then by all means get a Samsung. If not, look somewhere else….

wbent44 on Mon, 31st May 2010 12:00 am 



Samsung UN55B8000 LED TV
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Picture quality 9 of 10, pretty cool actually. Yes, there is some color variation in corners of screen (light pumping) minor, u really have to look for it. Samsung 950A is a little better IMHO. But is old tech compared to networking opts on 8000. Wait for 950B, later this summer. If u can.

Haven’t had to make any tweaks to picture, apart from temporary changes depending on signal source.

Take care if hanging on wall; Tv is slim & fragile. make sure top 2 bolts are carrying most of the wieght, or you will buckle internal TV support frame.

All-in all, a very fine Tv that should remain techno enough for years to come.


M. Avanessian on Tue, 1st Jun 2010 12:00 am 



Upgraded from the Samsung 950
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The best money can buy for now. The only way to beat my 55″ Samsung 950 was to get the 55″ Samsung 8000. Some enthusiasts who cant afford the 8000 (wanting an older, more affordable 950) will blow out of proportion the 8000′s “edge lighting” verses the 950′s “local dimming” technology comparison. Take it from someone that’s owned both… The 8000 is King for the time being.

Chris C. on Wed, 2nd Jun 2010 12:00 am 



It’s just great as TV’s go, but truly not bewildering
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Hi, so you might be thinking that this is the ultimate technology right now and that you’re going to get absolutely the best HDTV experience there is on the market (because LED technology in the latest and greatest newcomer to the market right?) But if you want an honest appraisal in layman’s terms, then although I can say that this isn’t a bad TV, neither is it a super major leap forward in picture quality either. Sure the black looks black (perhaps on a par with a decent plasma type) and the higher frequency maybe cuts down on the fast movement blur compared with a lower refresh rate LCD, but I see this as more of a small step towards convergence between plasma and LCD in terms of picture contrast combined with a lightweight package, than any revolution in TV technology. For sure it’s thin compared with other STD offerings, and if gaining an extra inch or so in your room width is so important to you then this might just be the TV for you. If on the other hand you are hoping for a major technological leap forward in viewing pleasure then I think this is more in the mind than in the flesh so to speak. Let’s face it, the technology offerings today are realistically more a choice between design of the packaging and aesthetics of the unit more than any startling difference in performance, and until the consumer electronic brands develop technologies that defy reality in our minds eye, then from 8ft away the differences between the mid to best offerings on the market today are minor to say the least. Am I happy with this purchase? Yes, but to be truthful, Is it much better than a TV that costs $1000-2000 less then I would say not really. Now when holographic 3 dimensional TV comes onto the market I might have a different view, but until then, it’s a TV after all, with all the same drivel of programming that was there way before the cathode ray technology became a thing to ridicule. Bottom line, if you would like to pay extra for a TV that will hug your wall and save an inch or two then go for it, otherwise you will probably be just as happy with a decent offering of LCD or plasma technology, and save the extra money to invest in some compact fluorescent lamps to light your house (compared with regular incandescent light bulbs) that would save a lot more energy than the savings you will gain from firing up this TV a few hours per day compared with LCD or plasma. Bottom line, it’s all good, but not that good, and you will still see some pixelation that you probably hate but will try to ignore…

Astroboy on Thu, 3rd Jun 2010 12:00 am 



You need to watch this TV in a darkroom
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I was able to view this TV this afternoon and I got to tell you; Wait! Don’t buy this TV until you have viewed it in a darkroom. It doesn’t have to be totally dark, but dark none the less.

Make sure you look to the corners of the TV set. There you will notice light pumping whether it is a dark or light picture it is always present.

I am truly surprised that this is the same company that produced the LN55A950 would sacrifice picture quality for a super thin format.

A salesman came over and started the sales pitch with a $500 price drop. I pointed to the over driving of the LEDs and he said that it was a good catch but it was just that TV and he had one hanging up in the showroom and to look at that one for review.

Well the salesman and I did and there it was; Each of the four corners light pumping with each changing scene on the display model as well. I told the salesmans if I were to get home and find my model doing that it would be coming back.

You might get this TV and love it, but check it first in the showroom I wouldn’t spend over $3000 for a TV that performs like this not matter how thin and I can’t imagine anyone else would either.

Update: Just to clarify the edge lit technology is not as much in question as to how well it was implemented. The corners appear to suffer from an over driving of the LED and in the process it is causing a bleed over in the form of a bright circular pattern that radiates outward to the center of the TV screen from all four corners.

Mike on Fri, 4th Jun 2010 12:00 am 



Startling clarity, detail, and color
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Had my Samsung UN55B8000 TV a couple of weeks now. It has more than lived up to the hype. Hooked it up and put on a blu-ray disk. Even the delivery guy’s jaw dropped, and he’s delivered/set up hundreds of TVs.

TV is only inch and half thick and only weighs 60 pounds or so.

In fact, it is sometimes almost too good. When viewing people on HD you can see every little mole, scar, wrinkle, stray hair, makeup, five o’clock shadow, makeup line, etc. I’m sitting here watching the news and I can clearly see tiny pieces of lint on the guy’s black suit. I’m guessing the talking heads of tomorrow are all going to have to have much better complexions.

If you like to tweak your TV this one provides a lot of different controls. There are already some websites that will give you what they consider good tweaks to maximize the pic. You can also look for the B7000 tweaks. Looks pretty darn fantastic right out of the box so if you aren’t a techie, don’t worry about it.

Sounds..not particularly good or bad, but I don’t want TV speakers taking up space anyway. If you are going to spend this kind of money for a TV you should be using your stereo system.

Some reviewers were complaining about the number of inputs. Again, how many is enough. I run my PS3, XBOX360, IPOD, and the Dish box through my Denon and so I only use one HDMI.

You can plug it into the internet. No set-up, just plug it in. First thing it did was download 12 updates to itself. Have no idea what they did but …didn’t cause any problems. It automatically loads up some of Yahoo’s widgets. Fun to try but…not something I have really gone back and used much. Also has some built in content…recipes, artwork, etc. that I haven’t bothered to look at.

You can plug in USB drives and view content directly off the drive.

I long ago got rid of my roof antenna. I bought a little Turk indoor antenna and plugged that in so I can pop over into over-the-air signals and watch TV. It will automatically search and find the on-air channels. It even downloads some kind of TV guide from the internet for the channels it finds.

I also wanted to see if there was any signal degradation from Dish. I haven’t noticed the HD degradation with Dish that I had with Comcast. The way Comcast packed the HD signals you could see a real difference between OTA and the packed pics.

Samsung also provides software which allows you to use your PC as a server. Then you can display your pics, music, etc on the TV. Took a little playing around but was easy compared to some of the others I’ve tried to use.

I’ve played games with both my PS3 and the XBOX360. No problems. No pixelating. Did not bother to change TV over to game mode. I haven’t fooled around with the 240Hz function. I just leave it on standard.

I’m sure there are other features I haven’t tried. With the ability to update itself over the internet I have no doubt they will teach it even more amazing tricks.

I’ve set up my Harmony 880 Pro to control all my devices including the IPOD. IPOD menu/info will display (through my Denon) on the TV.

All of the above features are great but the main thing is… the picture is just absolutely mind-blowing wonderful.

So, fantastic TV. I am VERY happy with it. Obviously I highly recommend it.

((Now I’m watching Wall-E in HD and it is pretty amazing.))

Derek on Sat, 5th Jun 2010 12:00 am 



Picture Quality and Dynamic Contrast are the next best thing to 3D
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, but it’s the closest thing I’ve seen so far. Really deserves 4 1/2 stars instead of 5 due to the lack of a couple convenience features missing from the remote, and the limited number of non HDMI inputs. The picture quality, light weight, reduced power use, and thin cabinet are just terrific. The remote takes a couple hours to really bond

with though you can start watching TV and movies pretty quickly without knowing how to make adjustements other than selecting your input source.

Pros:

* Increadible Dynamic Contrast. I feel like other people are in the room with me. Even up close to a few inches away the images is crisp, clear, and lifelike.

* Light weight at only about 65 lbs or so, about 1/3 that of an old 32″ TV.

* VGA computer input, 4 HDMI, Audio out, and a couple other type inputs.

*240Hz demo feature lets you display 240Hz on one side and 60Hz regular on the other. There’s also multiple modes of 240Hz you can select. Great feature to play with while watching the latest Bond movies.

*2ms response time (sounds good to me)

Cons:

*Only one regular RCA input that is shared with a Component input (you can use either the 3 component inputs jacks~ or just one of them for your video, then use the Left and Right audio). Bottom line is you only have one non-HDMI video Input (not counting the computer VGA input).

*PIP only accessed from tools menu instead of a single button on remote. Swapping PIP image to main image required selecting that source input instead of a single swap button. Can only display TV or Cable image in PIP and not other HDMI input devices.

*Touch of Color is only one blue light at the bottom instead of all around the edges as I expected.

That’s the quick review. I’m sure someone will go into more detail soon and I look forward to hearing other takes on this new LED series. I’m very happy with the purchase, especially at 10% or more below the list price.

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