Samsung UN55D7000 55 inch LED HDTV
Nov 23rd, 2011 | By SimonI talked earlier about the QWERTY remote when I pulled it out of the package so I’ll just re-iterate some of the features. The two-sided remote has your regular remote controls on one side and a QWERT keyboard on the other. The remote automatically detects which side is facing up so you don’t accidentally press the buttons on the underside. I’ll make a quick note in saying that out of the box the QWERTY feature of the remote doesn’t work, you do need to synchronize it with your TV. It’s just a matter of following the two steps in the instruction manual. A key on the remote enables the backlight so you can use it late at night without turning on the lights in the house. The first picture of the remote has the light on giving it a light glow around some of the keys.
Just like the UN55D8000, the UN55D7000 has the SMART HUB to make it a SMART TV. The SMART HUB is a portal to all of the apps available on the UN55D8000. It gives you access to your favourites, integrated apps like video, photos and music playback or online apps like YouTube, Social TV, Web Browser, BBC News etc.
The Media Play feature runs pretty well the same as before with a slight GUI change. If you switch video sources to a USB thumbdrive it will automatically load up Video Player and you have to switch to Music or Photos at the top. The playback quality is very good – both video and audio. There was no ghosting or uneven lighting in the videos and the audio playback is just as good as my soundscience speakers.
One of the features I really enjoyed with the SMART HUB is the Web Browser. With the QWERTY keyboard on the backside of the remote the Web Browser effectively eliminates the need for an HTPC. With network access to my NAS with all my digital content I can do all my browsing right off the TV. I’ll admit the Web Browser is definitely not as fast as my HTPC and the keyboard does take some time getting use to, but if you’re just doing some light browsing like looking up what’s playing tonight or reading e-mail then this would be all you need. The quality of the online browser is very good, just as if you’re working right off a computer. He’s a few screen shots. Later on in the review you’ll see how the TV looks when doubling as a monitor for my HTPC.
The UN55D7000 has the same primary menu as the D8000 which is a vast improvement to last years Series C menu. I’ve put this section at the end because it’s one of those set it and forget it. Once you’re happy with the way your audio, video, network is setup you’ll likely never re-visit this page. That said, here’s a quick snapshot of how it looks. The GUI has changed and I find the GUI much easier to reset with the contrasting background and text. The selection hasn’t changed with user changes being accepted on Picture, Sound, Channel, Network, System and Support. The ECO Solution features to control how much power is consumed by changing the backlight or turning off the screen are still there. A nice new feature is the e-Manual where you can read about how some of the apps work and what all the features do. Keep in mind that it does require internet connection to work.
The menu to change input sources is the same and if you want to take full advantage of the UN55D7000 you must have it connected to your network, either via wireless or with a wired connection. As long as the wireless connection had a strong signal I didn’t have any trouble browsing the internet or streaming standard 720p videos. Occasionally the high resolution 1080p would cut out. If you can, you should use a wired connection. I find even a powerline connection to be effective.
Let’s do some testing with the TV. I’ve skipped the balance of the features as they are nothing groundbreaking and everything in the SMART HUB is very self-explanatory. If the app exists you’ll be able to figure out how it works.