As is usually the case with Samsung TVs, two remotes are included in the box — a chunkier standard-looking one and a more slender, simplified option. The latter has all the main features you’ll use most often, without the ones you won’t. This includes a ring-shaped D-pad, channel and volume controls, shortcuts to Netflix, Prime Video and Rakuten TV and buttons for activating Samsung’s Ambient Mode (more on that later), your voice assistant of choice and for general navigation. That said, the 55D8000 hasn’t got rid of crosstalk completely. There are still minor traces of it to be seen here and there – more, still, than we saw on Panasonic’s 2010 plasmas, in fact. But let’s be quite clear, here: the 55D8000 is definitely a true advance for the 3D cause, and sets the bar high for the rest of 2011’s TVs.

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With HD content in SDR, the TU8500’s image has a bright overall picture level, with a satisfying level of pop. It’s a great match for regular Blu-ray. Step it up with native 4K, and the screen snaps into clearer focus. More Apple than Android, Roku is customisable in appearance but part of its success is that it’s the same experience no matter your device. It has a clean UI that’s very straightforward to use. It rarely takes more than one guess to find the menu or setting you’re after but neither does it feel oversimplified. Few would describe the TV as slim because it swells out to the rear from that tiny bezel, but equally it’s not overweight. For what it is, it looks good, and certainly not cheap.Motion is vexatious from any source though, each of the D8000’s settings establishing its own particular shortcoming even as it clears up that of the previous preset. And sound, unsurprisingly given the cabinet dimensions, is on the weedy side.

Samsung UE55TU8000 Review (UE55TU8000KXXU) - Personal Reviews Samsung UE55TU8000 Review (UE55TU8000KXXU) - Personal Reviews

Normally when reviewing Samsung LCD-based displays, we’ve got into the habit of selecting the “Custom” [Motion Plus] mode, which allows [Blur Reduction] to be set to “10? (or another similarly high setting) and [Judder Reduction] to be set to 0. The point of this is to maximise the TV’s motion clarity, without introducing any frame interpolation into the image (frame interpolation is what causes the “soap opera effect”, where 24fps film material appears with hyper-smooth, video-like motion). As it happens, Samsung has a [Motion Plus] mode called “Clear” which should be selected instead on the D8000. Although you’d think that “Clear” (which also uses values of 10 and 0) and “Custom” (with the same 10 and 0 values set) would give the same performance, we found that the “Custom” mode caused some stuttering during footage which contained a mix of high-motion (video) and low-motion (film) material. The “Clear” mode was free of any such quirks. Samsung continues to impress with every aspect of their standard-def upscaling performance. The video deinterlacing process concealed jaggedness very effectively, scaling was clean and without excessive ringing, and film mode detection worked brilliantly with both test sequences and real-world footage. Although some options have been moved around, there are no major functional additions to the Picture setup menu when compared to last year’s high-end models. Samsung’s excellent calibration controls (which include a three-axis Colour Management system and 10-point Greyscale/Gamma control) are present, and should allow the images put out by the UE55D8000 to be adjusted to nearly perfect levels. 2D Calibration There's a TU8500 model that sits between it and the company's QLEDs, and perhaps that will be even better, but it's rather hard to imagine it - or any other TV for that matter - proving to be a bigger bargain this year than the excellent, affordable TU8000.The TU8500 panel sits on a splayed central tripod, which makes it easy to park in your living room. The set’s not as chic as Panasonic’s HX800, but the bezel is still fashionably minimal, basically a wraparound frame with an extended lip at the base. Stereo speakers point down from the bottom of the cabinet. TheSamsung TU8000 TV is available in the UK, US and Australia, with the only difference being the 85-inch variant available in the US – instead of 82-inch in the UK and Australia. Other than that, the line up is the same across all territories, including 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch models.

Samsung TU8000 Review (UN43TU8000FXZA, UN50TU8000FXZA Samsung TU8000 Review (UN43TU8000FXZA, UN50TU8000FXZA

In case you’re wondering about [LED Motion Plus], this control does make a subtle, but worthwhile improvement to motion clarity (the motion resolution of 1080 lines was measured with this setting engaged). Although it does cause the image to darken very slightly, the UE55D8000 can produce an incredibly bright image anyway, so this wasn’t an issue. 3D Material There’s no doubt that if you’re looking for a well-specified 4K UHD TV that won’t break the bank, the TU8500 is an enticing prospect. It’s more cutting-edge than you might first think (Samsung can’t help itself), and smart connectivity is excellent. Familiar from other Samsungs, we’re offered two Game mode options. If you opt to select Game Motion Plus, you’ll retain some elements of beneficial picture processing. In this mode, input lag measures around 26.7ms (which is fine for casual gaming). However if you disable Game Motion Plus, and go hardcore Game mode, input lag drops to a mere 11.7ms (measured at 1080p/60fps), which can be considered excellent. A new feature of this 2020 TV is the implementation of Bixby and compatibility with Google Assistant and Alexa, which greatly simplify the interaction with the TV. The hub features are expanded this year, so you can basically control all of your smart devices through the TV and even get on-screen notifications when the washing machine cycle ends. We give 5/5 points for the Samsung UE55TU8000 review part of the functions. Sound What really matters about the 55D8000’s 3D capabilities, though, is that they deliver the 3D goods much more successfully than those of Samsung’s first-generation of 3D TVs.

Conclusion

Unlike last year’s C8000 model, the Samsung UE55D8000 comes supplied with a standard remote control with buttons that you can identify with your finger alone, rather than the flat, silver variant supplied last year. We approve of this change – although last year’s C8000 remote control looked impressive, having no physical buttons meant that in reality, it wasn’t as easy to use. “If it ain’t broke”… Connections Of course, this all makes for quite the wealth of content. Thankfully Roku’s Search section is brilliant. Type in anything related to TV and film – actors, directors, the name of a film, TV show or streaming service – and the search will return a list of appropriate results where you can open up the relevant third party service to buy, rent or start streaming whatever you like. Live TV is taken care of by a Freeview tuner with a full plate of Freeview Play catch-up services on board. Smart TV or not, we think the first thing people will notice about the Samsung UE55D8000 is how stunning it looks. Some of us have questioned the practicality of an ultra-thin TV (unless it’s in the middle of a room, will anyone ever notice how thin it is?), but what’s undeniable is the attraction of the nearly non-existent bezel. There is only about 1 centimetre’s worth of silver plastic separating the 55-inch LCD panel from the rest of its surroundings, which makes the screen feel bigger than it really is. Colours are just as well-handled here as they are in HDR, so the red and gold of Iron Man’s suit are suitably striking without being over the top, while the contrast in darker scenes remains impressive with a helping hand from the extra processing.

Samsung UE50TU8000 (2020) HDR 4K Ultra HD Smart TV, 50 inch

Ultimately, we end up with a choice between a subtle and nuanced, but slightly dull, picture with the Contrast Enhancer set to Low or something with more HDR impact, but a little lighter on tonal detail, when going for the High setting. Either way, the picture is involving, exciting and way beyond anything else you’ll find at this price. Why Samsung has decided to bestow wide feet on this model though — or any TV for that matter — is anyone’s guess. A central stand, as is found on the TU8500 model above this, is so much easier to accommodate when it comes to placing larger TVs onto furniture. As it is, the UE55TU8000 will require a TV stand of at least 103cm, so do make sure your current setup can accommodate it first. And if that wasn′t enough, you have the option to share and transfer your music, videos and photos from a PC or mobile wirelessly to your TV, connect your console and Blu-ra player via the 4 HDMI and 3 USB ports, and use a Samsung Smart touch remote control to watch the same content that′s playing on TV on the remote! That means a press of the home button will bring up a row of your installed apps, which are now smaller to fit more on screen, and highlighting any one of them will show up a secondary row of suggested content or actions. This content will be customised to your viewing habits if you’re signed in to that particular app, so Netflix will offer to continue what you were last watching, for example. But there's more to be had. The TU8500 is Dolby Atmos enabled, and comes into its own when connected to a Dolby Atmos system. We hooked up an Atmos soundbar, which persuaded the Netflix app to stream Dolby Atmos across ARC to the soundbar no problem.But it’s also pre-baked, so you can’t make adjustments in the Expert settings menu, whereas Standard opens up gamma control and colour space adjustments, for those who like to tinker. The Samsung UE55TU8000 has two built-in speakers, each with 10W power. The total output power of 20W is usually sufficient, unless you are too far from the TV. In this case, you should buy external speakers that turn your room into a home theater. If you buy external speakers, you can also use the multi-room link technology. The sound is very clear, but it depends on the quality of the content. We will give 4/5 points for the Samsung UE55TU8000 review part of the sound. Design Connectivity reflects the screen's affordable price point: there are just three HDMIs, although one of these does offer an eARC mode as well as regular ARC, to stream audio to a waiting soundbar (more on that in a mo). There are also two USB ports, plus analogue video and stereo inputs, an audio digital optical audio out and Ethernet. Wireless support comes via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.