Samsung UN60F8000 60-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Ultra Slim Smart LED HDTV..
GET Samsung UN60F8000 60-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Ultra Slim Smart LED HDTV By SamsungMost helpful customer reviews
466 of 484 people found the following review helpful.
TV will keep you happy until 4K is perfected & prices lowered
By Concerned Consumer
*Updated after 9 months*
Overall: I have had this TV series for about 9 months now. I am VERY pleased with the purchase. Glad I went to the 60". The previous ES8000 model was plagued with cloudiness, banding--both gone in F series(55/60" tested). Flashlighting is minimal on this set and improved over the ES series. I needed a LED TV upgrade and was on a budget ($2500 OTD/with tax) that didn't place me in the local array dimming technology zone(I believe to be the best type of TV right now). Plasma's are too reflective for my environment and the extra heat is unwanted (check out the Samsung PN51F8500 though, sounds like it is well liked).
Right away I noticed how solid the TV itself felt. IF I had to do it over again, I would definitely recommend the 55" OR 60" F8000 for others to buy over the ES8000. Just ensure you get the best deal for it as the MSRP is way overpriced. For ES8000 owners...I wouldn't upgrade. No way. This TV will hold me over until 4K's are on the market for awhile, helping companies perfect the tech and lower the price.
Be wary of some of these random 1 star reviews, as many users do not even own the F series TV! Or they had an issue because they didn't have the right settings configured. If you read the comments, under those reviews you will see they fixed their issue. I feel this TV rates 5 stars as I believe this tech is at it's "ceiling" and there is minimal room for improvement using edge lit tech.
For those who wish the short and simple, thats it! Keep reading for indepth review.
Current FIXABLE problems with firmware 11.16:
-3D setting "light control" settins on "high" resets to "low"
-Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Prime, DLNA video's all have cinema black disabled(supposedly this can be fixed in app updates but its remained off)
Picture Quality: The picture quality on this TV is fantastic especially after a few color tweaks (posted below). The blacks are so DEEP compared to my last tv(direct lit led). There is a SMALL amount of flash lighting in all four corners(more noticable on 60" when in PC mode); I believe this is a fault for ALL edge lit tv's as that is how the image functions. I can only notice flashlighting in all black lighting with something like movie title in middle of screen and black on rest of screen, or if in PC mode with a most black screen. Unless you are really looking for it in a black screen and concentrated on a corner you will not notice flashlighting. Also when testing it, please play a movie or something, as when the menu is up or the TV states "check source HDMI not connected" flashlighting is more evident and nobody uses their TV to watch a blank screen.
Viewing Angle: Fairly limited until it begins to wash out(ALL edge-lit tech will have this issue). You will notice the farther off center you will notice more of a degradation in picture quality. This doesn't bother me as my "seat" is always right in front. Most end users are not as particular or picky as me when it comes to picture quality, many will not even care or notice a difference until a more extreme angle(an angle you can't reach in the room my TV is in). I sit about 14 feet away and if I go 4 feet to either side, I cannot notice the picture washing out.
Price: MSRP is overpriced. Ensure you get a good deal and get a store to pricematch to best price you can find. The 55" should be around $1730 and 60" $1945. I attempted to get Amazon to price match a store that was not on their official authorized list and they refused (attempted multiple times, through different numbers and chat). It was a $500 difference. When I was looking I found the 60" as low as $2400 at the time. I ended up having the local Best Buy price match this tv for me. I bought my last flagship Samsung TV in 2008/9. The A850 model(now in bedroom, this TV still satisfies me and looks better than many lower model new Samsung TV's on market today).
Stand: I hated the TV stand. To feng shui for me. My wife loved it though. It actually fit our TV stand, be warned if you have a small TV stand it will not fit...this stand is very wide. This helps the tv to appear to "float". It even came with some sort of oversized plastic screws and rope that ensured a child couldn't pull the TV down (smart). I planned on mounting this TV though like my last TV, so the stand doesn't matter much to me.
Wall Mount: I opted for a low profile wall mount from Monoprice. The one I picked was $14 and the product ID number is 5918 from monoprice's website. I linked the same mount below through amazon but it is $8 more here. This places the TV pretty much ON the wall with this mount. It's about 19mm off of the actual wall. I was able to run the power cord and a Redmere technology HDMI thin cord(10ft for $17 over at Monoprice..same cord is cheaper on Amazon)Monoprice 10-Feet HDMI Cable with RedMere Technology. It came with all the necessary bolts and spacers for the F8000 (1 small/1 large on top bolts and 2 smalls on bottom bolts). Monoprice Ultra-Slim Low Profile Wall Mount Bracket
Heat: Had the TV on for 12 hours and couldn't find any hot spots or to much heat to make me worried with how close the TV was to the wall. Was an issue on certain ES8000 sets last year causing a V spot of cloudiness.
Remote: The remote is solid and touch part feels just like a laptop. It's not a gimmick at all and actually works great. I find it easy to type with there on screen keyboard. Came with crappy batteries so I opted for some standard spare ones I had in the house. It would have been nice to get a standard remote though for older generations that do not like touchpad technology. *update* The TV now comes with a 2nd standard remote. For those of you like me that did NOT receive a remote, apply for free standard remote here: (LINKS not allowed, look in comments for direct link) To manually do it, goto samsung's website and locate your TV i.e. UN60F8000 and click the "Support" tab. On that page at the top there is a blue box that states "click here to see if you qualify for a free IR remote". Click that link and fill the form out and it will inform you if you can recieve the free remote.
Extended Warranty: I bought my warranty through Costco's squaretrade deal for $99. It will cover ME for 4 years. If I used my American Express card it would have been 5 years. Research your own warranties and determine if you are ok with how squaretrade handles their warranties, they will not put more money into it then what the TV is worth (pretty sure it is actually what YOU paid for it). You do not need to be a Costco member to purchase this warranty.
Smart Hub/"Smart TV" features: Easy, smooth. It would be nice if it was a bit more customizable. Its nice to have all apps in one system. I liked it better than my blurray player app system(panasonic). Browsing the internet is as smooth as Safari on my iPhone 5. EXCEPT when dealing with flash, then it slows way down...I'm not sure if flash is compatible. Netflix and Amazon Video stream fine, just wish they had the Smart LED feature. S-Recommended works for many different providers in my area to include my service which is newer(Century Link Prism TV..similiar to FIOS tv). Not a fan of motion control, not useful yet, to gimmicky. Voice seems fairly well if you practice at using it although I had a movie set it off twice in a matter of 3 weeks. I prefer to hit buttons myself, using your voice still isn't natural to me. I was able to stream DLNA sources easily(up to 1080P 3D) with no issues wireless on a 5ghz network. Only issue is DLNA servers on Samsung TV's don't let you fastfoward so you have to find a workaround for certain movie formats. My solution was using ZappoTV(free app on iphone) to inform my NAS DLNA to stream to TV...then I could FF/Rewind on tv with touchpad remote(flicking remote left or right) OR doing it form my phone. Samsung's media center is caveman like and basic. PLEX and other apps available on the TV look so much nicer. They really need to overhaul how it functions especially since this TV has such a fast processor.
Smart LED: This is certainly more of a "personal" setting depending on what you prefer to stare at. I believe if you are a videophile that is obcessed with "trueness" leave it on low or off. I went from 'low' to 'standard' and really enjoy it there.
Cinema Black: I love this feature it certinaly makes the bars more black on widescreen movies. Again you be the judge of this feature, let your eyes guide you.
Devices: Hooked up my 10-13 year old 1st gen microsoft bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Worked just fine, somewhat impressed how functional it seemed to be.
Banding: I did several different banding tests and had no banding. I found none on the 55"/60", I have yet to see a 65" without minimal banding.
Stuttering: I really had to work on finding something to get this tv to stutter. My bluray player on any movie? No. Streaming all different types of formats up to 1080P 3D quality on my laptop to TV via HDMI..no stutter. Streaming from my NAS(Synology DS213+) to TV with same formats/qualities listed above. No stuttering. Other users have noted stuttering on Verizon FIOS though and had to set their AMP to clear. Mine works great on custom(settings below).
Sound: No idea, disabled it to use my own external speakers(newegg runs crazy sales on polk audio speakers) and a Denon 2112CI..link to the current model Denon AVR-2113CI. A few years ago I spent $700 for Samsung's HTIB. HUGE mistake, multiple repairs in and out of warranty. Do yourself a favor and invest in a real audio company that has longer warranties and stand behind their product for longer for audio.
The firmware I'm currently running is 11.16. Right when I started the TV and setup network it notified me that I had an update available. I click do not update and selected to turn automatic updates off. Still, Samsung updated the firmware (they are known to sometimes do this) initially. This can be a bad thing as in the past on other sets they sometimes take away features or make the sets look worse--not better. Fortunately this has not happened again(6 updates and going strong). On my last TV it was easy to upgrade OR downgrade firmware...now it's a PITA to downgrade but still possible.
Evolution Kits: I think until these kits prove themselves they are a complete and utter joke. UNLESS these kits prove themselves somehow improving picture quality. It is possible though with a better PCU, better color accuracy could be obtained. If they don't at most I might update the last year its "compatible" with my set to upgrade the processor.
Game Mode: This setting helps reduce lag while playing through your gaming consoles(Xbox One/PS4). Its important to update to 11.16 if you want to try game mode as it functions well on more current firmware. I played BF4 on my Xbox One and did not notice any input lag. On earlier firmware's there was a noticable different between how great PC mode was and game mode. Although on firmware version 11.10 and later versions "Game Mode" seems to perform slightly better similiar to PC mode. This is great news as you have much more control over color settings in game mode(such as smart led). Game mode tests around 26ms and PC mode 28ms. This is great for gamers!
Menu>System>General>Game Mode>On
NOTE: PC mode can only be accessed on sources not assigned to a "Samsung" device(i.e. Samsung Bluray) or any input set up with their universal remote system...it renames source forcing a keyboard naming option that does not enable PC mode. Simply select HDMI 1/2/3/4, select tools(top right), a drop down list should appear, select PC and select it. This mode/dropdown list is ONLY accessible from HDMI's that weren't previously assigned to a Samsung Product or your universal remote. If you wish to assign PC mode to a port previously assigned to STB, just delete the universal remote settings.
The features currently disabled in 11.16 are:
Game mode settings not available:
Picture Options:
Film Mode
Auto Motion Plus
Advanced Settings:
10p White Balance (forced off)
Motion Lighting
PC Mode settings not available(MUCH is disabled):
Picture Mode: Entertain OR Standard only
Color
Tint
Picture Options:
Digital Clean View
MPEG Noise Filter
Film Mode
Auto Motion Plus
Smart LED
Cinema Black
Advanced Settings:
Dynamic Contrast
Black Tone
Flesh
RGB Only Mode
Color Space (Forced Native)
10P White Balance
Expert Pattern
Motion Lighting
Summary: This TV is an excellent purchase for the right price. I believe it deserves 5 out of 5 stars as it has very MINOR flaws: somewhat pricy, stand wide, stutters nonexistent on my tv service(Century Link Prism TV), flashlighting (BARELY there, doesn't even bother me as I believe edge lit tech is as good as it will get and Samsung needs to hurry up and take over sharp's patents so they can get back to local dimming array models OR get more OLED's on the market).
Current Color Setting's I'm using from an online forum member's home calibrator's settings and slight tinkering of my own(remember, all sets are different and you should use this only as an end user as a good "base" too start with and tweak to your liking's..thats why mine do not match his, also I added turned on cineblack/smartled):
Backlight=6(night)-16(day) with best backlight to use being 10-12
Movie Mode
BL 10
Cont 90 (try 95, user preference)
Bright 45
Sharp 0
Color 50
G/R 50/50
Pic Size - screen fit
Advanced Settings
Dynamic Contrast - Off (using it can crush blacks too if not careful)
Black Tone - Off
Flesh Tone: 0
RGB Only Mode- Off
Color Space - Auto works well but if unhappy these:
Color Space Auto (some might prefer native)
White Balance:
ro 23
go 23
bo 25
rg 16
gg 25
bg 27
10p White Balance Off
Gamma- 0
Expert Pattern- Off
Motion Lighting- Off
Picture Options
Color temp - Warm 2
Digital Clean View - Off
Mpeg Noise Filter - Off
HDMI Black Level - Low
Film Mode Auto 2 (if available, otherwise off)
Auto Motion Plus > Custon > Blur = 10, Judder = 0, Clear = off (NOTE: if you get stuttering, try turning it from custom onto Clear, the clear option in custom can be "on", user preference)
Smart LED - Standard
Cinema Black - On
System, Eco Solution, Eco Sensor: OFF
3D mode
Note: Press the 3D button on the remote and select 2D>3D to put the F8000 into the 3D mode
Turn off everything that says Auto to Off Except Film Auto2 in Picture Options
Movie Mode - Note 2D and 3D on the same HDMI Input have separate memories
Backlight 20
Contrast 100
Brightness 46
Sharpness 0
Color 50
Tint 50/50
Picture Size - Screen Fit
3D
Perspective 0
Frame Depth 5
Light Control > High
Advanced Mode -
Dynamic Contrast - Off
Black Tone - Off
Flesh Tone: 0
RGB Only Mode- Off
Color Space - Custom
Red R-38, G-0, B-6
Green R-15, G-23, B-9
Blue R-9, G-0, B-51
Yellow R-47, G-52, B-9
Cyan R-14, G-51, B-53
Magenta R-41, G-0, B-48
White Balance 27 29 28 0 8 50
ro 27
go 29
bo 28
rg 0
gg 8
bg 50
10p White Balance - not accessible in 3D mode
Gamma -3
Picture Options
Color Temp Warm2
Dig Clean View - off
Mpeg - off
Film - Auto 2
Auto Motion Plus - Custom - Blur 10 - Judder 0 - LED Clear Motion Off(if having motion problems, try turning custom off and onto "clear")
Smart LED Off
Cinema Black Off
Xbox One Calibrated: Game Mode On
Standard Mode
BL 15
Cont 94
Bright 46
Sharp 0
Color 50
G/R 50/50
Pic Size - screen fit
HDMI Black Level: Low
Advanced Settings
Dynamic Contrast - Off (using it can crush blacks too if not careful)
Black Tone - Off
Flesh Tone: 0
RGB Only Mode- Off
Color Space - Auto
White Balance:
ro 23
go 23
bo 25
rg 16
gg 25
bg 27
10p White Balance Off
Gamma- 0
Expert Pattern- Off
Motion Lighting- Off
Picture Options
Color temp - Warm 2
Digital Clean View - Off
Mpeg Noise Filter - Off
HDMI Black Level - Low
Film Mode Auto 2 (if available, otherwise off)
Auto Motion Plus Off
Smart LED - Standard
Cinema Black - On
99 of 114 people found the following review helpful.
This is a wonderful television
By CC reader
We researched extensively before replacing our 10 year old set. We knew we wanted backlit LCD rather than Plasma and we wanted to go bigger. We looked at many sets but settled on the Samsung UN55ES7200 and UN55F8000. Based upon the reviews there were some issues with the ES8000, which was an early generation of Samsung smart tvs. While that set is meaningfully less expensive we are glad we went with the F8000 released in 2013. The picture is incredibly crisp and, despite its size the set is slim and light weight. The clicker has a touch pad feature and the connections with the internet, HBO, Amazon, Netflix are very easy (even for a non-technically savvy person like me). It connected easily (although it was missing 2 screws which Samsung sent out very quickly) so set up time was nominal. There have been no resolution or lighting issues (as have been described in the ES8000). I have only one constructive comment, the resolution is so very good that you can sometimes see the artificial nature of the movie sets in older movies. If that is the only problem we encounter I believe that is something that can be overlooked. We are really pleased with the purchase and, as always, Amazon delivery was fast and convenient.
82 of 94 people found the following review helpful.
Unbelievable!!
By K. Coste
I am a professional video producer who is seldom truly impressed. My previous TV was a Panasonic 50 inch plasma, which was working perfectly, and I had been waiting and watching the industry for when I should jump to the next level. This, among other choices, including new plasmas, was it. Pricey, but some things in life are worth it.
Out of the box, I was not happy at all, and it turns out there are a multitude of factory settings that need adjustment. The biggest culprit was something called Auto Motion Plus, which Samsung should never have made the factory default, and should be turned off forever. It was designed as an aid to fast moving action scenes utilizing the high refresh rate, but it turns a stunningly beautiful movie into a soap opera video. The rest are a matter of personal taste, as in color balances, contrast, saturation, black levels, etc. I keep the Cinema Black off, as this unit does a great job with the blacks in other areas of the menu. Skin tones are the true test.
Off axis viewing is less than ideal, and there is some edge light visible at times on dark scenes, but I continue to be stunned by the image, especially the 3D, which is mesmerizing, super-vivid and hyper-real.
There are those who are saying 3D is a fad that will pass, but they are dead wrong, and obviously have NOT seen the likes of this TV in a dark space. 3D is no more a fad than experiencing life with two eyes rather than one. I would add though, that for 3D to be effective, the screen must be large, as it can be a little like looking through a window if too small.
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As others say, this hard drive does not let you play backwards compatible games