Nice box
shame about the content (programs that is)
When it comes to features, Samsung’s UE40D6530 40in LED telly doesn’t skimp on anything much. Freeview HD, 3D, Video on Demand, Skype, integrated web browser, social media apps, media streaming, PVR recording to external hard drive – it’s all here. This isn’t so much a TV as an all in one entertainment centre. And priced at £ …
I own an older Samsung TV, and I've found that network streaming problems are actually down to the DLNA server used (and not the TV). The best I have found is http://www.serviio.org, which works great with almost every encoding and container (HD MKVs), and other TVs too; it is now being recommended by Sony. It can also work on many platforms and OSs, I highly recommend it.
80% is not a low score. You've been conditioned by years of high marking in the media.
If you use a rating system of 0-100% then surely an average product should get 50%? It utterly devalues the scoring system to suggest anything above 75% should be for anything other than exceptional products.
You can't just go around throwing around high scores with abandon otherwise when you do come across a truly great screen what do you do?
It's like GCSE's. They got so devalued that they had to start giving A Star marks because the threshold to get A's was too low but they couldn't hurt the poor little darlings feelings.
Seems that 3D gets the thumbs down for most TVs these days, which is fair given that the price of the TV appears to double with a feature that's nothing more than a gimmick right now. A slightly older 40" Samsung 1080p with most of the same features would cost no more than $800 (about 500 quid), and probably a lot less if you wait for a decent sale. If you went for LCD rather than LED then you could get a 46" version for that same $800, but you'd also probably be missing most of the internet features too.
...and when you get it home, you are expected to fiddle with the settings to get the picture to your liking?
Look, when I pay a grand for a telly, I expect the settings to be right. If I go to the cinema, they just get it right, don't they? Why on earth can't it just be right for a TV?
The difference with audio is stark. When you spend less on a sound system, it tends to come with multiple audio adjustments to try to fiddle the sound to be a bit better. When you pay a lot for your system, it comes with a volume control and that's it. To my mind, it should be the same for visual systems - you turn it on, and it looks great - full stop.
(I'd accept a bit of adjustment for a bright or dark room, but that's all...)
there is no one-size-fits all. i can configure my TV to be perfect in regards to test cards and all that jazz, but games on ps3 appear too dark, blu-ray looks fine. HD looks fine but SD not so much. the thing is with all the video sources available you configure it to suit what you watch and where (sun/shade, HD/SD, you like colour/not so much etc etc) do you want motion processing to smooth older DVDs or leave it off as blu-rays dont really need it? same with noise: process it out for SD or leave for HD?
now, the question really should be shouldnt TVs know the source and you can configure it for that. i find it annoying on my denon/B&W system that dolby digital channels are much quieter than pro-logic/stereo. surely the TV can suss out the compression and sizes (SD/HD) and sort this out!
at the end of the day i have never bought a tv and been happy with the presets. also remember that everyone has slightly different eyes and preferences. i hate too much colour, some people saturate to hell...
the configure it for HD content in a dark room. obviously a cinema with no windows always showing the same type of film quality doesnt need to do much tweaking on a daily basis. for those of us who watch tv, movies and play games in dark and light rooms have a fair bit more scope for adjustment