Samsung UN55D8000 55 inch LED HDTV
Sep 12th, 2011 | By SimonI know many people are jealous that I get to test different TVs but let me tell you that it is hard work. ;) I’ve got to subject myself to hours of use! In order to fully enjoy a TV you have to be able to see it. Not every room allows you to have a TV stand where you sit directly in front of the screen. In cases where you need to rotate the panel a few degrees to the left or right the Samsung UN55D8000 allows you to do so. You have approximately 15 degrees clockwise and counter-clockwise movement.
This allows you to maximize your viewing angle. In cases where you still don’t sit perpendicular to the screen the Samsung UN55D8000 has an amazing viewing angle. Even at what felt like 170+ degrees you can still make out fine details and colors.
To test out the TV I enjoyed a variety of sources: TV, PC, HDMI and network sources. All of them came out crystal clear even when watching videos or playing music off a wireless connection. Here is a sample of “I am Legend”.
The Samsung UN55D8000 doubles as a monitor for my HTPC. The 55″ screen is large enough to read the news off a webpage with the 1920×1080 resolution. With the amazing color quality this TV can easily double as a monitor of large size photo editing or CAD drawing.
Much like the previous few Samsung TVs that I’ve reviewed, the UN55D8000 is capable of 3D display provided you have a 3D source. The UN55D8000 even comes with 3D glasses, a huge plus in my books. Samsung still uses the 3D HyperReal Engine but I believe there has been some kind of tweak made to the engine. Samsung boasts that there is less ghosting, images are razor sharp and fluid when using the 3D converter. I for one actually believe them, when watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup in 3D, the images actually popped out of the screen. Before I use to say the image was only mediocre compared to that of an IMAX 3D experience, but the UN55D8000 surprised me. I actually felt like the soccer ball was flying towards me or into the corner. The players that were staggered in the field actually looked like there was some distance between the forward and defense players. While I don’t have as many 3D samples to try out with, I’ll have to say this is the first 3D experience at home that I was pleasantly surprised with.
That being said, testing a TV is subjective, what you interpret will be different than what I interpret. I always recommend to friends that when you’re shopping for a TV you find a retailer that has them all out on display. This way you can stand in front of a few different models and see if your eyes like it. To take away from some of the subjectivity, I like to have a look at two technical subjects you’ll read about on the next page.
