List Price: $8,999.99
Sale Price: $8,997.99
Today's Bonus: $2.00 Off
Although the curved OLED screen sounds like the big new thing here (and it is!), Samsung has included so many "next generation" capabilities in this TV, it's like a preview of what we can expect over the next five years.
The OLED screen is definitely amazing...it's as different from today's Plasma and LED screens as Plasma was to old glass CRT technology. The colors jump out, and with no LED-style backlighting, the blacks and contrast ratios are fantastic. It's also "fast" with no motion artifacts, and with a good quality 1080p signal, there's a smoothness to the image that has to be seen to be believed. I've owned and auditioned lots of Plasma and LED monitors this is by far the absolutely best image I've ever seen on a 55" screen.
Worth checking on this TV is 3D. I've never really found 3D in the home to be all that fantastic but the Samsung takes it to an entirely different level. I'd actually say 3D on this TV is better than 3D in any theater.
A funky use of the 3D technology is "MultiView" a feature Samsung advertises as the ability for different viewers to watch two totally different programs at the same time on a single TV by wearing your 3D glasses. Not sure I see a lot of utility to this (I like my sound from my home theater speakers, not the 3D glasses), but it is kind of an amazing way to show how much raw capability the TV itself has.
In terms of construction quality, I give the Samsung high marks. The set itself is thinner and lighter than many others in this size, though at over sixty pounds, it's not exactly a featherweight. I have mixed feelings about the curved screen, mostly because it makes the TV a bit more difficult to wall mount or fit into cabinetry. Still, that aside, it's like an IMAX screen that gives you a stunning side-to-side view, even if you're not right on center.
This TV also integrates Internet and other high tech features in the best way I've yet seen.
For one thing, the TV responds to physical gestures and voice commands, much like an XBox Kinect. Wave at your TV and ask it whether your favorite TV show is on and you get a custom directory on the screen showing the schedule you asked for. Very cool.
The TV also has all the usual Internet options built-in, from a self-patching software management system for the TV itself, to browsers, Netflix and so forth. WiFi is built in and you can share content with other devices and computers on your network, and there's even a rudimentary video conferencing system that works with services like Apple's FaceTime and Skype. The quad-core processor makes all the animations smooth and performance fast.
The only drawbacks I see are (of course) the price and lack of screens larger than 55", but I'm sure that will evolve soon enough. As for the price, the performance is so much better than what you get on a $2500 unit, I have to say that the Samsung is a good value for the price. Still, I'm sure prices will drop quickly (this unit was $15K when first announced in Korea), and before you know it, OLED technology on an 85" screen with 4K signal processing would be quite an amazing product.
At the moment, I'm feeling like Samsung has created a product that's in a class of its own, and that this is the TV all others should be measured against for the immediate future at least until all the other brands catch up. Even if you don't intend to buy, it's worth a trip to your local store to see one of these close-up...it will definitely give you a sense of where TV is going in the future.
Definitely recommended.
0 comments:
Post a Comment