While Samsung's "formal" press launch at CEDIA Expo was for the 65-inch LN65B650 LCD HDTV, I only had eyes for the new 8500 series, announced earlier this summer and on public display at Samsung's booth in Atlanta. While the 65-inch CCFL-lit B650 model is impressive in its specs, screen size and connectivity options, it can't hold a candle to the 10-inch smaller UN55B8500 HDTV with its bright LED backlighting and local dimming capabilities.
With local dimming the 8500 series LED/LCD TVs can selectively shut off lighting to areas of the screen as the picture dictates, allowing the set to approach (perhaps event meet) the black levels of top of the line plasma televisions. Off-axis viewing was respectable and picture uniformity, at least under the bright lights of the CEDIA Expo was also excellent. I did notice that the TV's screen was a bit more reflective than some other LCD models, but this was not noticeable in normal on-axis viewing and hey, you can always draw the curtains. But it was the black levels that hooked me. Those deep inky blacks that we rarely see on an LCD TV.
The rated dynamic contrast ratio is a fairly ridiculous 7,000,000:1 (but other manufacturers quote equally ridiculous numbers so don't hold Samsung to blame for that) - suffice it to say that it's among the best televisions currently on the market in its reproduction of the total absence of light and color, and this provides a velvety background for brighter objects and images to appear on the screen in almost three-dimensional detail.
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| While the 8500's screen is a bit more reflective than some other LCD TVs, the set's deep dark blacks and bright vibrant colors eliminate such trivial distractions. |
The 8500 Series is also compliant with the latest Energy Star v3.0 ratings, and includes an optimized energy savings mode that adjusts the backlight and picture quality based on content. The 8500 Series incorporates a speedy 2ms panel response time, combined with Samsung's latest version of its Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation technology that has a true 240Hz refresh rate - the helps avoid motion blur and eliminate judder. As with the 65-inch B650 model, the 8500 series offers a custom AMP mode with full independent adjustments for judder and motion blur reduction.
In the "Value Added Features" department, the 8500 Series includes Samsung's Medi@2.0 suite of multimedia capabilities with access to a wealth of content via the Internet@TV Content Service, a built-in Content Library, DLNA networking and two USB 2.0 ports. Internet@TV offers access to web-based content from Yahoo!, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter and more via web-based widgets. The widget interface and scrollbar are activated with the push of a button on the remote, and run along the bottom of the screen for easy browsing of the latest programs and content available without disrupting the main program.
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In addition to the internet-based content and DLNA networking capabilities, the set offers two USB 2.0 ports for playing back or viewing videos, photos, and audio files from portable devices and flash memory drives. And in case you are crazy enough not to add an external surround sound system, the set's built-in SRS TruSurround HD and 15-watt powered speakers (10 watts on the 46-inch model) should provide good sound in a pinch. And if you want to use the set's built in ATSC, NTSC or QAM tuners, you can pass Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound via the TV's fiberoptic output.
Where the 8500 series departs fairly radically from its A950 series predecessors is in its overall girth - specifically the cabinet depth. The first generation LED-backlit 55 inch set from Samsung (LN55A950) had a depth of 4.4 inches, while the new 55-inch 8500 series model (UN55B8500) has trimmed this down to a mere 1.6 inches. Hang it on one of Samsung's ultra-slim wall-mounts and you only lose an additional 0.6 inches.
The 8500 series will begin shipping this month in both a 46-inch and 55-inch version. All this performance, style and feature-packed goodness doesn't come cheap however. Pricing is $3599 for the 46-inch (UN46B8500) and $4499 for the 55-inch model (UN55B8500). We hope to be taking a closer look at one of these puppies in the BPBS labs soon so stay tuned.
More Information:
Where to Buy (Samsung-authorized Internet Dealer):
