Samsung 55”UE55HU6900 Ultra HD tv 4K

branners69 · 27-05-2014 08:56AM

bk wrote: »

I know, it is shocking that my 5 year old Pioneer is still better then any TV made today!

I cringe to think what I'll do if it ever breaks. My hope is that it lasts until OLED's come down to a reasonable price.

The only thing that has me thinking about upgrading is that my living room could do with a 60 to 65" (my Pio is a 50") but then I'm thinking it might be a better idea to move to a projector and a 120" screen for movies and stick to the Pioneer for everything else.

Just not sure about that, I've never seen a projector in a persons home, so I'm not sure how good the experience really is.

I know it is amazing the tech in the Pioneers TVs. I havent seen any OLED TVs but will check them out at the time!

I have a projector for the past 3 or so years and it still has the wow factor. I play console games (Call of Duty/Batman etc) and watch good action/drama films on it. Also if there are two sporting events on, I will watch one on my Pioneer and the other on the projector!

The kids love having a cinema night! Have to say even Frozen is watchable on a 120" screen! They only thing is the room has to be pitch black for the best picture!

Denisoftus · 27-05-2014 03:03PM

Lads, went to other store to see it live, and 50" one was on display, rotating some different content over HDMI switch, also I noticed some 4K content on USB stick and played it too. I had remote this time I could change any settings. What I must say I'm confused with previous feedback and reviews online. SmartHub wasn't activated so I can't confirm about Netflix.

First off all it WAS playing 24p content, at least, the INFO button showed so, it was a trailer with quite dynamic picture and I didn't see anything falling apart, really, maybe I don't have an eye for it

.

Then it was 30p, 60i content and nothing was wrong too.

I'm not sure what the source was, it could be that hdmi switch was ruining the picture but the picture wasn't great, it was kinda greyish and sort of "faded" like an old photograph, no bright colours I noticed. But again this could be because of the hdmi switch.

When I found the 4K content I was really impressed with the picture, I was wondering what refresh rate it is running as INFO button didn't show it to me.

Further more, behind this TV it was a beautiful 50" Panasonic Plasma GT60B, which reviewed as "reference model" by hdtvtest. And I wasn't impressed with it at all, the motion blur was there, not sure how is it possible, maybe its not that, just slow screen reaction, but definitely was something, also it was kinda flickering on white, having both plasmas and LED screens at home for a long time and sold them, I not really sure I do want to go back to plasma.

I hoped this visit bring me some clarity but instead I'm even more confused. I liked UHD content on this TV very much, I didn't notice any motion blur on 24p/30p/60i content with al the motion settings OFF, and standard or game mode. But I didn't like the way it looked, comparing to other TV running other demos it was kinda weird to see this one showing such a dark "uncoloured" picture.

Hope in a couple of days there will be a few more reviews published to consider, for the moment I don't want to change this one to plasma.

What do you think guys?

Added: Forgot to mention, I didn't find any settings to switch on/off uhd upscaling and the 1080p picture didn't show any sign of it, is it always on, or could it be a different model altogether

?

Rsaeire · 27-05-2014 08:53PM

Denisoftus, the only way I know that you'd be able to get a really good understanding of the picture quality differences between the 4K and the Panasonic GT60B would be to watch the same content in a light controlled environment and have control of the picture settings. I know the Sony Centre stores used to have these types of "living room" setups but I don't think the likes of Currys/PC World, Harvey Norman do; I could be wrong but I've never seen them.

The reason I'm suggesting the above is that you're not going to be able to see a valid comparison with your own eyes unless you have more control. The way the TVs are setup in these types of stores, as has been mentioned already, is by having everything seemingly set to max while the picture burns your eyes!

Other than the above, you could use reliable review sites, e.g. like HDTV Test, to understand not only the technical capabilities of the TVs you're interested in but the experienced opinions of the reviewers. I've bought several TVs based on their reviews and have been happy that I did.

Denisoftus · 27-05-2014 09:31PM

Thanks Rsaeire, I had an opportunity to play with the settings on both devices, but I know what you mean, it isn't impossible to see the same content on two TVs in the stores like that. Same time I've seen FullHD picture on plasma and wasn't happy with it, dithering was too noticeable, also other issues I mentioned in my previous post, maybe it is just this set.

I don't like dithering, someone maybe not bothered, so I'm thinking to stick with the one or wait and upgrade to 7500/8500, but the trouble is I already sold all of my TVs

bk · 28-05-2014 10:56AM

Excellent advice from Rsaeire here.

I always cringe when I walk into a curry's etc. They in no way reflect the experience people will get in their homes.

How many peoples homes have bright, white florescent lights and high ceilings?!!!

No one, everyone watches movies with the lights turned off.

Plamas suffer badly from this, they look awful under the bright lights, LCD's on burn your eyes out settings look far better under bright lights. But then in the real world, in a dark room, LCD/LEDs look far too bright and the colours unnatural, while Plamas are perfect and natural.

All my friends come around to my place for movie night, we never go to their place, despite them all having 50" LCD/LEDs, they all agree that my Plasma looks far superior. But in Currys it looked terrible!

Also I cringe when I see people basically stand right in front of TV's in currys. No one watches a TV this way. You can only do this for a few minutes, do this for an extended period (a whole movie) and your eyes will start to hurt and water and you will likely end up with a headache. Realistically most people will be sitting 9 feet or so away from the TV. You should measure the distance you will be sitting from the TV and then review the TV's in the shops at this distance (and preferably in a darkened room).

Also you should be wary of reviewing the content supplied by the manufactures. Often they will use content that takes the best advantage of their TV's, but might not be realistic.

Notice how a lot of the 4k content is often very slow moving vistas and scenery. They very seldom show fast moving action, more realistic to the majority of content people watch. They do this as it is much harder to notice the difference between 4k and 1080p on fast moving content like most people watch then an almost still image.

So as you can see, it can be really really hard to properly review TV's

techdiver · 28-05-2014 11:12AM

bk wrote: »

Notice how a lot of the 4k content is often very slow moving vistas and scenery. They very seldom show fast moving action, more realistic to the majority of content people watch. They do this as it is much harder to notice the difference between 4k and 1080p on fast moving content like most people watch then an almost still image.

This is very true and the reason I asked for a blu ray to be put on when I looked at the HU6900. The "test" material supplied by the manufacturer is specifically designed to show off the colour etc, but without stressing the motion processing of the TV.

I would also echo the sentiments of reading reviews. They tend to be on the money in my experience and a good guide to know what to look out for.

I am now looking at the HU7500 (essentially the non curved version of the HU8500) which received 5 stars from whathifi (the only 4K set to do so) and a "Highly Recommended" from HDTVtest.

It's also useful, to try bringing a USB drive or external hard drive with movies and clips utilising different frame rates and motion ranges to test in store.

Denisoftus · 28-05-2014 12:53PM

Was in store again and looked at 50HU6900 vs 55HU8500 (curved), setup next to each other, had remotes and put similar settings. I put same demo on both and I must say 8500 is definitely a superior model, no wonder it is 1K more expensive, in store 55-6900 was around 2K, 55-8500 curved 3K. I don't think I ever be able to spend 2-3K on TV set, so for the moment I'll stick with iBood order, and if I'm completely dissatisfied with it, I'll change it later.

To be honest I kinda liked curved TV and going forward I might get one

As for the plasmas, I nearly bought 55GT65B last "on display" set for 899, but spotted a scratch in the middle of the screen which ruined the day

Thanks for your advises and reviews guys.

If next two days doesn't change anything I'll post here my own view of 6900.

Denisoftus · 31-05-2014 10:06AM

Under constant pressure of thinking about the lack of 24p, motion issues, I finally decided to cancel the order and get instead last year model UE55F9000, which is top of the range, but quite out of dated. Not sure if it is the best decision but the time will show. My friend still holds to the iBood order and we will be able to do a proper testing in home environment

Thanks everyone for feedback.

Rsaeire · 31-05-2014 11:30AM

Thanks for the update. Let us know your experience with your new TV and also how it compares to your friend's.

techdiver · 31-05-2014 04:09PM

I just pulled the trigger and bought the UE65HU7500.

Should have it in 2 weeks. I will update you all when I get it with a report.

It has gotten great reviews across the board. The avforums review even states that it is plasma like in its contrast and screen uniformity with excellent black levels.

http://www.whathifi.com/review/samsung-ue65hu7500

http://www.avforums.com/review/samsung-ue-55-48-65-hu7500-4k-ultra-hd-led-television-review.10361

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/ue55hu7500-201405083761.htm

Denisoftus · 31-05-2014 04:21PM

Wow, nice choice, 65" must be a killer. Keep us posted. I was thinking of 55HU7500, but considering lack of 4K content decided to go for cheaper version for the moment, hopefully the "one connect" can later be upgraded to do what 7500 does. Did you buy in store?

cyklo · 31-05-2014 06:15PM

FYI Samsung has released firmware update 1003.0 (28th May 2014)
Sadly, I can not find any changelog or information about improvements.

techdiver · 01-06-2014 10:21AM

Denisoftus wrote: »

Wow, nice choice, 65" must be a killer. Keep us posted. I was thinking of 55HU7500, but considering lack of 4K content decided to go for cheaper version for the moment, hopefully the "one connect" can later be upgraded to do what 7500 does. Did you buy in store?

From what I read, the one connect box is upgradable. The HU7500 is equipped to use any future one connect box also, so that was a big selling point for me too. Samsung seem to be the only manufacturer with a clear upgrade path for customers.

I bought in power city. Got a good discount on it too. Went to all the main dealers to try and get the lowest price possible by playing them off each other.

Denisoftus · 01-06-2014 12:49PM

techdiver wrote: »

Got a good discount on it too.

Just out of curiosity, can you reveal how much did you get it for, no worries if you can't

I was bargaining with power city re UE8500, curved one, and only got €180 drop, which makes it still too expensive for me.

Denisoftus · 01-06-2014 12:50PM

cyklo wrote: »

FYI Samsung has released firmware update 1003.0 (28th May 2014)

Which TV are you referring to?
Thanks.

cyklo · 01-06-2014 01:00PM

UE55HU6900
I can not post link , but it's easy to find.

BTW for those who have 4k tellys equipped with HEVC and want some 4k content, there is a test FTA satellite transmission

Eutelsat Hot Bird 13C (13,0°E)
tp. 121 (10,930 GHz, pol. H, SR: 27500, FEC: 2/3; DVB-S2/8PSK)

ID: 4kTV HEVC 50 fps
PID V: 257 (HEVC/UHDTV)
PID A: 258 (AAC)
PID PCR: 257
SID: 1
PID PMT: 256

3840x2160 (50 fps), 16:9, Video bitrate 29,6 Mbit/s
Audio 256 kbit/s, stereo, ADTS AAC

enfant terrible · 01-06-2014 01:47PM

cyklo wrote: »

UE55HU6900
I can not post link , but it's easy to find.

BTW for those who have 4k tellys equipped with HEVC and want some 4k content, there is a test FTA satellite transmission

Eutelsat Hot Bird 13C (13,0°E)
tp. 121 (10,930 GHz, pol. H, SR: 27500, FEC: 2/3; DVB-S2/8PSK)

ID: 4kTV HEVC 50 fps
PID V: 257 (HEVC/UHDTV)
PID A: 258 (AAC)
PID PCR: 257
SID: 1
PID PMT: 256

3840x2160 (50 fps), 16:9, Video bitrate 29,6 Mbit/s
Audio 256 kbit/s, stereo, ADTS AAC

Some bit rate.

Reminds me of the BBC HD trial channel when it first started, the bit rate was that high and the picture quality was far superior.

johnj1969 · 06-06-2014 01:51PM

techdiver wrote: »

I just pulled the trigger and bought the UE65HU7500.

Should have it in 2 weeks. I will update you all when I get it with a report.

It has gotten great reviews across the board. The avforums review even states that it is plasma like in its contrast and screen uniformity with excellent black levels.

http://www.whathifi.com/review/samsung-ue65hu7500

http://www.avforums.com/review/samsung-ue-55-48-65-hu7500-4k-ultra-hd-led-television-review.10361

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/ue55hu7500-201405083761.htm

Fair play & congrats on your new TV: Looks the dogs, nice one.;) The days of Pioneer LX50/6090 & KRP 500/600 owners saying their 6-7 year old Pioneer Kuro are still better than todays TVs are long gone. Panasonic have been putting out better ST/VT & ZT for the last couple of years. There was actually a time in 2008 when Sonys W4500/Z4500 LCD range came close to the Kuro in almost every dept, although they had a bad batch of S-PVA panels which clouded the situation shall we say...

No doubt it was the killer TV was the Kuro & fully deserves its legendary classic status.

I don't own a 4k screen at the moment, but i'm sure Netflix 4k must be amazing quality. Even 1080p converted to Youtube 4k looks truly stunning on my 1080p panel, using the oppo blu-ray picture processor. Its streets ahead of any other picture source i own for colour & detail, & thats 4k down converted to 1080p. It will surely be a huge step forward esp. when content becomes readily available & TBH I would love native 4k blu-ray movies if it happens. Tell me then theres not much difference between 2k & 4k...

Of course the marketing hype behind it is over-hype but if they are investing billions on getting these TVs to the market of course they are going to say they are made of gold.

I'm really looking forward to a nice 4k tv when they become more pocket friendly. Eventually i would love a 4k projector though, that would be my killer display!:)

Denisoftus · 10-06-2014 08:11PM

Hey guys, I was wondering if any of you have received the set and managed to use Netflix 4K? I'm getting reports it doesn't work yet on any UHD samsung sets, also some Panasonics affected. And how's 24p playback after all?

techdiver · 10-06-2014 09:42PM

Denisoftus wrote: »

Hey guys, I was wondering if any of you have received the set and managed to use Netflix 4K? I'm getting reports it doesn't work yet on any UHD samsung sets, also some Panasonics affected. And how's 24p playback after all?

My 65" 7500 is due to arrive on Saturday. I'll report back on netflix. From reading the online forums netflix works fine on the 7500 and 8500, but according to reviews of the 6900, it has been removed due to issues.

I'll update the thread when I receive mine.

vibe666 · 10-06-2014 11:59PM

techdiver wrote: »

I bought in power city. Got a good discount on it too. Went to all the main dealers to try and get the lowest price possible by playing them off each other.

thumbs up to this, NEVER pay list price for anything, you'll almost always get a discount on practically any electronics if you barter a bit and get better prices from other retailers.

Denisoftus · 11-06-2014 11:55AM

techdiver wrote: »

My 65" 7500 is due to arrive on Saturday. I'll report back on netflix. From reading the online forums netflix works fine on the 7500 and 8500, but according to reviews of the 6900, it has been removed due to issues.

I'll update the thread when I receive mine.

Cheers mate, also I would like to hear about viewing angle and black levels, after being using plasma in this room for 3 years, I'm very suspicious, thought all the reviews and reports say F9000 has almost reference level for viewing angle and black level, I still think its not the case

, bearing in mind LED will never come close to plasma black/angels - I'm comparing with my other Panasonic 42" LED.

The only think I must agree with all the reviews Motion Clarity, even with Motion - OFF still it is much better then my other 42" Panny, almost as good as plasmas.

bk · 11-06-2014 06:41PM

johnj1969 wrote: »

Fair play & congrats on your new TV: Looks the dogs, nice one.;) The days of Pioneer LX50/6090 & KRP 500/600 owners saying their 6-7 year old Pioneer Kuro are still better than todays TVs are long gone. Panasonic have been putting out better ST/VT & ZT for the last couple of years. There was actually a time in 2008 when Sonys W4500/Z4500 LCD range came close to the Kuro in almost every dept, although they had a bad batch of S-PVA panels which clouded the situation shall we say...

As an owner of a Pioneer LX5090, who has been looking to upgrade to a 60 or 65" TV I have to respectively disagree.

Not willing to step back in picture quality for larger size, I've been desperately reading reviews of every high end "reference" TV and checking them out in person myself. Unfortunately non come close to matching my 6 year Pioneers.

The Panasonic ST/VT come close, but they still don't have quite the same deep blacks, nor the same overall build quality.

I've sadly come to the conclusion that I will just have to wait for OLED to go mainstream and come down in price before a TV comes out that matches my Pio and I can upgrade.

On the other hand I suppose I'm lucky to have bought such a superb TV, that has lasted so well and so long, something unique in the electronics industry.

But it also shows how bad the TV industry is, focused on selling cheap crap and focused on selling marketing gimmicks like curved TV's, smart TV's over quality :mad:

Denisoftus · 11-06-2014 06:54PM

bk wrote: »

something unique in the electronics industry.

My 20 years old Thomson 14" CRT TV, my first colour one, still works well in my father-in-law's shed

Some electronics are last forever

, but we change them 10 times quicker then theirs life-span.

I looked at the Pan. 50gt60b (HDTVTest gave it "Reference Level") in store and wasn't really impressed, but I have heard many times about this mysterious Pioneer plasma which isn't possible to buy anymore for like 5 years? I wish I was in the market of top of the range TVs 6 years ago

rightman · 11-06-2014 08:08PM

I find this thread very interesting and informative too.

I have to say something I noticed myself here. As I'm currently looking for a 55" TV I'm familiar with current models (and legends too).

I was convinced to buy Panasonic VT 55" and realized that I can't afford to have the bloody thing left up and running for the whole day - this is how it is being used at my place. It is like 300W sucking the meter allnday long compared to 70-80W for modern LED. The difference in the cost of running it will buy me some quality time with my family watching movies in a REAL cinema ☺
My 6 yo 39" Sony LCD was also award winning at the time and cost me over a 1000e. It makes sense to go for some top products that will give you for example 4 x HDMI ports and no 1 or 2 like other "pro" models. The only pain is 12 months warranty on some TVs - joke like for a 1.5K purchase...

My mother in law says: "Cheap things are not for poor people". ðŸ˜…

bk · 11-06-2014 09:58PM

Denisoftus wrote: »

My 20 years old Thomson 14" CRT TV, my first colour one, still works well in my father-in-law's shed Some electronics are last forever , but we change them 10 times quicker then theirs life-span.

The point is not that it still works (my parents have a 40 year old TV that still works!) the point is that the picture quality offered by this TV, 7 years later, is still superior to any TV made today.

Usually technology advances and gets better. That hasn't happened in the TV industry. TV's did get cheaper, but the quality of the picture they deliver hasn't improved in 7 years!

They have improved in other ways, getting cheaper and more energy efficient, but picture quality hasn't improved and that is the most important thing a TV is supposed to do.

rightman wrote: »

The only pain is 12 months warranty on some TVs - joke like for a 1.5K purchase...

My Pioneer came with a 5 year guarantee, you are right, you pay for high quality and service, it was an expensive TV.

However FYI, under Irish consumer law, a product is supposed to last as long as is typical for that product category.

I know someone whose Sony TV broke after 5 years, Sony wouldn't repair it, he brought it to the small claims court and won, Sony replaced it.

Rsaeire · 11-06-2014 10:27PM

bk wrote: »

...the point is that the picture quality offered by this TV, 7 years later, is still superior to any TV made today.

That's not quite true as both Samsung and LG's OLED TVs have been reported to surpass even the might Kuro with Panasonic's 2014 Plasma range beating the Pioneer in a number of areas too.

bk · 12-06-2014 12:14AM

Rsaeire wrote: »

That's not quite true as both Samsung and LG's OLED TVs have been reported to surpass even the might Kuro with Panasonic's 2014 Plasma range beating the Pioneer in a number of areas too.

Haha, you are right, these two OLED TV's finally (after 7 years!) surpass the Pioneer. But then they cost €8600 and €10000 respectively!!

That is a hell of a lot more then €2000 I paid for my Pioneer. Also the Pioneer surpasses both of these TV's in one important area, gaming. The Pioneer has superb low lag, while these two TV's have unacceptably high lag for gaming.

Also they are disappointingly curved TV's a very bad thing IMO.

So yes, OLED will finally surpass Pioneer, us enthusiasts have always known that, but it looks like there are still a few snags to work out of OLED (lag) and a lot of price reduction to come yet.

OELD still looks to be 4 to 5 years off from coming down to a reasonable price where it can replace my Pioneer. My patient wait goes on. The Kuro really was the best purchase I've ever made. Hell I could sell it second hand now and actually make a profit!!

As for the Panasonics, yes they certainly are the best "reasonably" priced TV you can currently buy, but they aren't quite better then the Pioneers, which have deeper blacks still and go brighter, so they would be a questionable "upgrade" for a person who already has a Pioneer. But well worth pointing them out to anyone looking to buy a new TV. They are superb.

bk · 12-06-2014 12:39AM

For those interested, I just came across a shoutout (they were all in the same room) of all the top TV's (Plasma, OLED, 4K LEDs) currently available:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/tvs-and-projectors/the-ultimate-shoot-out?page=3#comment-2966526

Unsurprisingly, the Panasonic 1080P Plasma came out on top, easily beating the 4K TV sets and even beating the OLED (which in fairness has better picture quality, but overall is still a bit buggy).

techdiver · 12-06-2014 10:01AM

bk wrote: »

For those interested, I just came across a shoutout (they were all in the same room) of all the top TV's (Plasma, OLED, 4K LEDs) currently available:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/tvs-and-projectors/the-ultimate-shoot-out?page=3#comment-2966526

Unsurprisingly, the Panasonic 1080P Plasma came out on top, easily beating the 4K TV sets and even beating the OLED (which in fairness has better picture quality, but overall is still a bit buggy).

Well my Sammy (HU7500) came third behind a plasma and an OLED, so that's a respectable result. I'm glad I didn't spring for the curved one as it is 1K more expensive and doesn't seem to perform as well as the flat one.

Regarding the comment of netlfix not "popping", I wouldn't really expect it to pop like a true 4K source due to compression. My current experience of Netflix 1080p is the same in comparison to blu-ray. I would still bet netflix 4k beats netflix 1080p. I will test this when I get the set.

Also I would bet with true 4K source (not just pretty demos) it would score far higher and since I bought the TV to last me a good number of years I will bet that the availability of 4K material will increase over time.

Samsung 55”UE55HU6900 Ultra HD tv 4K

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