Samsung UE-40B6000 Review

40in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Another excellent LCD from Samsung although LED technology will undoubtedly benefit from further refinement.

Rating:

91%

Reviewed: 15 August 2009

Stunning black levels

No Ethernet connectivity

Design

With no requirement for the traditional bulky fluorescent tube found on the majority of LCD TV's, Samsung's Edge based implementation of LED backlighting comes with an ultra slim profile.

By nature of these slim profiles alone, Samsung's edge based LED TV's create an impressive centrepiece for any living space.

Add Samsung's glossy rose red finish to the mix and the B6000 presents a stunning piece of audio visual kit.

Features

Samsung's original entrants into the LED TV market, the F96, A786 and A956 series, introduced a more sophisticated 'LED Array' implementation of LED backlighting. With their more affordable 'Edge' based 6000, 7000 and 8000 series, Samsung are aiming to make LED based LCD TV's mainstream.

LCD TV's have traditionally required an 'always on' backlight to illuminate the display, a system which makes it difficult to achieve high contrast ratios. LED technology is designed primarily to achieve higher contrast but comes with the added benefit of a much wider colour palette, lower power consumption and a far less bulky profile with the backlight removed.

Screen: 40in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 3,000,000:1

Other Features: 100Hz processing (IFC), edge-based LED lighting, HDML level adjust.

Sockets: 4 HDMI, 2 SCART, 1 USB 2.0, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, CAM slot, SD card slot.

Rather than the 'local dimming' LED technology of their earlier models, and as a concession to affordability, the 6000 series uses 'edge based' LEDs. While 'local dimming' employs 'banks' of LED's which can be dimmed individually the 6000 series uses white LEDs which are mounted along the edges of the screen to illuminate an array of reflective plates which direct the light forward and out of the screen.

Samsung are actually claiming that edge-mounted LED's can produce better contrast than locally dimmed LED's if set up correctly (by using darker diffusing mechanisms) and will actually react faster to changes in picture brightness.

If you would like to find out more about LED technology you might like to read our LED TV guide

The UE-40B6000 benefits from a healthy array of connections, including four HDMIs, although you will find just the one USB ports rather than the two found on the 7000 and 8000 series. Unlike the 7000 and 8000 series you won't find an Ethernet connection.

With no Ethernet connection, the B6000 lacks the interactive features of Samsung's higher end Edge based LED TV's. There is no DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), which makes it easier to integrate the TV as part of a home network through the LAN connection or the internet connectivity option represented by Samsung's 'Internet@TV' concept. Finally, Samsung's Content Library which contains a wide range of pre-loaded material such as photo screensavers, recipes, children's stories and songs along with some basic games is available only on the 7000 and 8000 series.

With an innovative mix of high and low reflection layers, Samsung's 'Ultra Clear Panel' works to improve contrast ratio and black levels whatever the lighting conditions, actively adjusting its responses depending on ambient conditions. 'Ultra Clear Panel' is Samsung's evolution of their 'Super Clear Panel' technology found on previous LCD and Plasma screens.

Samsung's take on 100Hz processing, 'Motion Plus' inserts extra frames (up from 50 frames per second to 100fps) to produce a smoother viewing experience by eliminating on-screen 'flicker' (the noticeable transition of picture 'frames' with faster on-screen action). Three pre-sets are available increasing in strength from 'Clear' to 'Standard' and finally 'Smooth'. There is also a 'Custom' option which allows the user to tweak settings.

Performance

Benefitting from Samsung's highly accomplished picture processing circuitry and despite having to upscale the 576 or so lines of a Freeview signal onto the Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution screen, Standard Definition (SD) pictures were on the whole excellent. A very small amount of on screen 'noise' became visible at times, but is barely visible. The only other issue was 'smearing' with faster on screen action, but once again this was barely visible and somewhat rectified by tweaking the on board 100hz processing.

Once again illustrating the effectiveness of LED technology, the UE-40B6000 delivers an excellent black level performance, although surprisingly, there were some minor issues we hadn't noticed on the B7000. The 'Auto Dimming' feature of this screen (which works in conjunction with Edge based LED lighting) seemed to introduce some minor inconsistencies within darker scenes. In these situations, the deep blacks seem to come at the expense of that rich graduated detail across darker scenes you get from the likes of Pioneer's 'Kuro' range of plasmas.

We now take for granted a supreme high definition (HD) picture from Full HD (1920 x 1080) screens and the B6000 doesn't disappoint. Feed the UE-40B6000 some HD material and you become immediately aware of what HD Ready screens were built for. Every nuance of detail combines with pin sharp detail to produce a truly remarkable picture. To get the best from the UE-40B6000 however, requires some tweaking. You will need to experiment with 100Hz settings to get the best fast motion performance from the screen in HD.

Reflecting once again how accomplished Samsung's suite of picture processing technologies have become, the B6000 delivers a stunning colour performance which produces its hues with a vibrancy that few flat panel TV's can match. In fact, this vibrancy may appear a little over saturated at times, but what is not in doubt is the Samsung's ability to deliver every nuance of colour variation which on the whole has the subtlety to make even tricky areas such as facial skin tones appear wholly realistic.

Like the vast majority of flat panel TV's, acoustics reflect a lack of raw sonic power which struggles with more demanding soundtracks but is more than adequate for day to day use. This problem is compounded by the requirement for even slimmer speakers for the svelte like frame.

Conclusion

For those of you who are fans of the slightly 'softer' picture quality you get from plasma screens, the highly 'processed' look of all the on board picture processing wizardry on the UE-B6000 may not suit. Most will appreciate the stunning standard and high definition pictures available and the enthusiasts among us will delight in the plethora of on board tweaking options available on what is a very accomplished if not entirely 'rounded' TV.

Samsung UE-40B6000