4K At its Picture Perfect Best
As an avid supporter (& owner) of Panasonic’s TVs over the years, it was very difficult for me to settle down and give Samsung a proper re-visit. Last year I was very impressed by their F8000 series and the ease of use their Smart Hub provided, but I felt there was still something special lacking in their other full HD sets.
With the introduction of a wider range for their 4K offering this year I have to take my hat off to the guys at Samsung and give them the credit they have been working so hard to achieve.
The HU7500 range is, in my opinion, the best overall performing TV on the market right now, 4K or otherwise. We will focus on the 55″ version in this review but I would strongly suggest looking at the 48″ for smaller room setups and the 65″, 75″ and even the 85″ for the big screen connoisseurs.
Straight away when looking at a 4K/UHD (Ultra High Definition) TV most will scamper onto Netflix to view some of that true UHD content and Samsung certainly don’t disappoint. The app is quick to load and run thanks to the Quad Core processors inside which is a dream compared to the delays from Smart TV’s of old. When working through House of Cards the depth and clarity becomes immediately apparent with tones very natural when in the correct settings. And the sharpness can simply take your breath away.
Also, Samsung are offering a UHD content pack which contains various short videos and movies all either filmed or properly scaled to UHD standards and many times in my local store have I had customers telling me that the level of detail on this set gives an almost 3D like appearance, even when the 3D is switched off. The short video of puppies playing in the yard has been filmed and distributed in true Ultra High Definition and for the softies among us it will drop your jaw with how cute they look and how realistic the fur detail is when shaking off the mud on their backs.
However, once you’ve finished with the 4K material currently available (which at the time of writing is sadly quite a small amount) the next best thing is a Blu-Ray at 1080p (or Full High definition).
Now considering 4K (UHD) has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 and full high definition is 1920 x 1080, those of us with a speedy brain will see it has near enough 4 times as many pixels to fill. This means the TV will have to upscale anything not natively in 4K. But don’t worry this is where Samsung has an ace up its sleeve. This series has a 5 stage upscaling process that keeps everything running along at a smooth and uninterrupted pace. We’ve taken this TV right down to a SD (Standard definition) source from BBC and it still doesn’t show signs of struggling. With a 1000 Hz CMR rating to boot, this TV doesn’t struggle with motion lag either and thus makes it a much more appropriate choice for those of us who enjoy sports, action movies or gaming.
Lastly this TV has both Freeview and Freesat tuners built in for added choice and subsequently both sources can be recorded if you have a separate hard drive to hand.
Touching quickly on sound, as with most flat screens, the quality is not great. You’ll certainly want to invest in either a soundbar or (my personal favourite) a 5.1 surround sound system to get a true cinematic experience whether you’re watching the latest Planet of the Apes movie or Eastenders.
The HWH750 works wonderfully through the Soundshare system to allow communication between the bar and the TV without the need of an optical cable (WAM hub required).
All in all, considering its price against some of its closest rivals (LG 55UB950V, Panasonic 58AX802, Sony KD55X8505) the level of motion handling, its award winning Smart hub and the added freebies, this TV requires a viewing and demands to be the highlight of your living room.
Rating: 10/10
Pros: Great picture quality, all catch up channels through Smart Hub, Great 4K display, wonderful motion handling
Against: If I find one, I’ll let you know.
Author – Andrew, Weybridge store
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