Samsung UN55D8000YF Pro Reviews

About four weeks ago we looked at Samsung’s UN55D7000 and while it hit quite a few high points there were some glaring problems that made us shy away from recommending it. On paper at least the D8000 is supposed to succeed where its sibling failed but the question on everyone's mind remains very simple: is this flagship HDTV worth almost a grand more? The answer to that isn’t as straightforward as some may have hoped.

I won’t soft-pedal my concerns about the Samsung’s non-uniform screen lighting. It keeps this set from earning a Home Theater Top Pick. But this issue may bother some viewers more than others. And no other LCD 3D set I’ve seen can better this one in other vital attributes, including color, detail, and (apart from the uniformity issue) black level and shadow detail. Not to mention the best 3D images I’ve yet seen on any consumer display.

There’s nothing else quite like the UN55D8000 TV and its barely visible bezel. The TV makes a big visual statement whether it is turned on or not, and when it is turned on, the sense of depth you get when watching is a special kind of entertainment unto itself. Unfortunately, in order to make such a thin TV, some trade-offs had to be made, and one of them must have been screen uniformity. The left and right sides of the picture are clearly brighter than the rest of the screen. It’s the sort of thing that, if detected, can really stick in your craw. With that said, this TV does everything else very, very well. And with a street price living in the neighborhood of around $2,500 right now, it will likely appeal to a broad range of buyers who want top-notch features and performance in a stylish package for under $3,000.

There’s no doubting that $3,500 is a lot to pay for a TV. Samsung has at least attempted to sweeten the deal as much as possible by making the UN55D8000 more than just a dumb screen. The Smart Hub functionality is genuinely useful in places, and while we can’t really see ourselves Tweeting from our TV, the YouTube and other streaming service access works well. The integration with Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones and tablets is also clever, and when the updated app arrives with streaming support from the D8000 that will be particularly useful.

The Samsung UND8000 TV delivers best-in-class looks and features, but its picture quality--thanks to uneven screen uniformity--is ultimately not as good as that of many less expensive models.