Samsung UA55F8000AK 55-inch Series 8 LED TV - A Modern TV for Modern Living
With full HD visuals, a new and improved Smart Hub as well as 3D capabilities, the Samsung F800 55-inch TV is one of the high end panels that the Korean manufacturer has made available to the public in 2013. So just how good is this edge-lit LED TV? Read on to find out.
The F8000 55-inch LED TV
When it comes to televisions, LCD panels with LED lighting seems to be the choice of the masses. Offering a good balance of affordability and performance, LED lighting can be credited for making TV screens thinner and more prevalent. After having passed CRT televisions in terms of units sold for the first time in 2007, LED TVs have continued their unhindered ascent to the top of the pile and have never looked back.
For 2013, Sony, LG and Samsung’s television line-up is dominated by LED TV contenders ranging in size and functionality. From Samsung, the F8000 can be considered as the Korean manufacturer's premium 3D enabled smart TV. Some may argue that the pricier F8500 model might be a bit more high-end but the only difference between the F8500 and the F8000 is the fact that the former features a unique aluminum stand. Seeing that the difference is superficial, in our books this puts the F8000 on even footing with the F8500.
The F8000 is a direct successor to the Samsung ES8000, which in turn took over from the D8000. The Samsung F8000 is available in 46-inch, 55-inch, 60-inch and 75-inch models (while the F8500 mentioned above is only available in a 55-inch size). For our test drive, we chose the 55-inch Samsung F8000 model (UA55F8000AK).
The UA55F8000AK in its fully glory.
Design and Aesthetics
One thing Samsung has been getting right for the past couple of years is the aesthetics of their television products. Samsung TVs, especially the Series 8 range, have always looked gorgeous. The F8000 55-inch is no different. With a profile thickness of just 35mm, the panel is extremely thin. Samsung has also gone with their One Design philosophy and the F8000 has an almost border-less front face, with a bezel of just 5mm.
The thin profile of the F8000 is apparent in this shot and you can also have a gander at the Metaform Arc Stand.
Major design changes come in the form of Samsung’s Metaform design drive, which is represented by the Arc Stand on the F8000. Finished in chrome, the curved stand is extremely stable and barely visible from the frontal view. Our only qualm with the Arc Stand is the fact that it takes up a lot of space on the resting surface and prevents the TV from being flush against the wall.
Clean Back design means that the back of the TV also has a refined finish. Also noticeable in this shot is the panel which covers the ports.
With "Clean Back" design, Samsung has also given attention to an oft neglected aspect of televisions, namely the rear surface. Sure it may not be visible, but that doesn’t mean it should be completely forgotten. The usual industrial look is replaced with a clean solid color with a slight brushed metal finish. The connectivity options are hidden away under a magnetic panel, which is a nice touch. The Samsung F8000 sports four HDMI ports, three USB ports, one Ethernet port, one Component, one Composite and one Digital Audio Out port.
The usual ports such as HDMI and USB can be found at the back.
Smart Hub Re-Designed
Smart TV features have established a foothold in the television space and consumers today expect their TVs to have some form of internet connectivity. Samsung’s Smart Hub has been one of the better implementations to-date and the latest iteration in the new TVs further improves its standing.
First up, there is an entire re-design of the interface and layout. Gone is the busy screen which was previously cluttered with multiple options. The new organization includes three major tabs which are Social, Apps and Photos, Videos & Music. The titles and the content under them are quite self-explanatory. The wealth of applications available to users is immense, however it must be said that our region still lags behind in terms of VOD and on-demand content services.
First up is the Social tab, which includes access to services such as Skype and Youtube.
The Samsung F8000 has a number of apps ranging from games to content.
You can also view your own photos and videos on the F8000.
Also changed is the way users can interact with the Smart Hub. The F8000 comes with a new smart remote. With a wide touch-pad, it was the primary mode we employed to navigate the Smart Hub. The smart remote also includes a microphone that can be used to issues commands. Samsung’s voice recognition algorithms must be commended. Users can almost "talk' to their F8000 TV in natural speech and it will recognize keywords to perform the desired actions. For example asking the F8000 to "Search for songs by PSY" will reveal tracks by the Korean artist. At the same time you can change the channel, adjust volume and much more with just voice commands. Compare this with LG’s voice control, which can only be used for content searches and does not accept native TV control commands, and you have to give props to Samsung.
The new smart remote has a wide touch-pad that helps you navigate the Smart Hub. It also comes with a microphone to pick up voice commands.
With the help of this centrally mounted camera, users can issue gesture commands to the F8000.
The F8000 also comes with a camera that can be manually retracted. Besides being used for applications like Skype, the camera also enables gesture controls. With the flick of a wrist users can toggle between panes on the Smart Hub menu. Two-handed gestures to zoom in on pictures and rotate images are also possible.
The Smart Hub experience on the whole is also speedier and snappier than the older versions largely thanks to the new quad-core processor that Samsung has fitted the F8000 with. Also interesting to note is the fact that the F8000 is Evolution Kit compatible. This means future versions of the Smart Hub can be purchased in the form of Evolution Kits and installed into the user’s existing F8000 TV model. This way the user can enjoy the latest Smart Hub without having to upgrade their entire TV set.
SD, HD and 3D Tests
Right out of the box the Samsung F8000 55-inch TV's visuals come with a blue tinge, which in itself gives the image quality a cool feel. While the color may not be completely accurate, we have always thought it is better to err on the side of blue than any other shade, say for example red. Switching over to “Movie” mode rectifies the issue slightly. As always we ran our Spyder 3DTV calibration process to see if we could bump up the performance of the Samsung F8000.
SD Content
To test the standard definition capabilities of the F8000 we ran through our DVD of X-Men: The Last Stand. Previously SD content had been a stumbling block for both the D8000 and the ES8000. However with the F8000 Samsung seems to have paid some attention to improve this particular aspect. One of the first things we noticed with regards to the visuals is that noise reduction capabilities seemed to have improved. There were noticeably less artifacts in the scene where Professor Xavier and Magneto walk in to young Jean Grey’s home when comparing with the same scene being displayed on older Samsung Series 8 TVs. Unfortunately due to the nature of the content being viewed, some artifacts were observed during the motion sequences. The fact that we were watching DVD content upscaled was most evident during Cyclops' solitary motorbike ride through the forest where some motion noise was in evidence.
The noise reduction capabilities of the F8000 are quite commendable.
However, artifacts could still be observed with fast motion sequences.
Samsung has fitted the F8000 with a feature they have dubbed "Cinema Black". Essentially the feature is a form of micro dimming for the edge-lit LED. When content with letterboxing (2.35:1) is being viewed, the TV automatically dims the LEDS for the letterbox bar portion. While the feature does not affect the actual area of displayed visuals, it works well to increase the perceived contrast and overall viewing experience.
HD Content
High Definition content is where the Samsung F8000 55-inch TV came into its own. With the Blu-ray source material being richer in detail, when compared to SD content, the TV was able to show its true color literally and figuratively.
Vantage Point
The warm tones and color scheme of Vantage Point do not seem to up the F8000’s alley considering that we observed a blue tinge to the visuals at the start. However during playback we were quite impressed with the quality of the color represented. The skin tones for the actors were almost spot-on and the details were vivid and easily appreciable.
Samsung states that the F8000 has a Clear Motion Rate of 1,000 (the ES8000 had a Clear Motion Rate of 800) and does not disclose the refresh rate of the panel. According to Samsung the Clear Motion Rate is a representation of the Refresh Rate, Image Processor and Backlighting. Whatever the number might denote, in practice we found the F8000 to handle motion extremely well. The flurry of movement during the assassination attempt in the movie was represented accurately with no visible artifacts.
With HD content, the F8000 was able to shine and show its excellent attention to detail.
The flesh tones for Vantage Point were well rendered and the texture of skin and hair was well represented.
Corpse Bride
The Samsung F8000, as mentioned earlier, is an edge-lit LED TV. What this means is that it LEDs mounted on the right and left side, with a light plate to guide the light to the right areas of the screen. While micro dimming may be available, an edge-lit LED TV does not offer the same level of lighting control as a full-array LED TV with local dimming.
Being an edge-lit LED however does not stop the F8000 from delivering great blacks. The black levels were deep when we viewed the animated classic Corpse Bride. At the same time though the different levels of the blacks and the greys was extremely commendable. All the details in the shadows of the frames could be made out with ease.
While it may not be evident in this shot, the F8000 has great greyscale capabilities.
3D
Samsung is not marketing the F8000 as a 3D TV. But the product is still equipped with active shutter 3D technology for those who would to make use of the feature. Trying out the 3D content in the shape of Monsters .vs. Aliens, we felt that the performance had improved from previous models. General cross-talk has been reduced and the depth of field is good. However ghosting is still a problem when high motion sequences. It must also be stated that the 3D picture looks slightly artificial, most probably due to the processing the Samsung TV uses to deliver the 3D effect.
Active shutter 3D technology has still not reached a point where all users are able to view it without experiencing some degrees of strain. Passive 3D, as found on LG TVs, may not offer the same depth of field as active shutter 3D but still remains much more comfortable for the viewer.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung UE55F8000AK fully deserves its billing as a premium, high-end television set. In terms of visuals the edge-lit LED impresses with its uniform display, its deep blacks and excellent greyscale reproduction. Color is also very well represented and on the whole the TV has a cool tone with a slight blue tinge. Watching Blu-Ray content on the TV is a joy and SD performance has also been beefed up compared to older models. Simply put the Samsung F8000 does a mighty fine job with its core competency.
So how did the UA55F8000AK fare?
In addition to quality visuals, the Samsung F8000 55-inch TV also comes with what we consider to be the best smart feature suite on the market at present. The redesigned Smart Hub is now cleaner and easier to navigate. Powered by a new quad-core processor, the operations are snappy, fast and responsive. Users also have a wider array of options for interacting with the television. The new Smart Remote comes with a touch pad, which we used most frequently to issue commands. Voice control is the best we have encountered on LED TVs, seeing that the F8000 can interpolate your commands from natural speech. With the help of the front mounted camera gesture control is also possible.
If you are afraid that the F8000’s smart feature capabilities will becomes obsolete when the next iteration of Smart Hub is released, Samsung has you covered. The F8000 is Evolution Kit compatible and whenever Samsung chooses to revamp their smart feature suite, users will be able to upgrade by buying the relevant Evolution Kit.
Excluding 4K resolution, the Samsung F8000 55-inch TV has every feature a modern TV should have. Excellent display performance is married with a functional Smart Hub and active 3D. The price-tag for the 55-inch model is S$4899 and in our opinion it is a solid outlay for those looking to upgrade their television set.
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