Samsung UE40D6530

I purchased the Samsung UE40D6530 model two weeks ago and like other users I have the same problem with back light uniformity during night watch. It has in all four corners and in some parts of the screen whiter spots. After some Internet research I found out the effect is called ''clouding'' and it is common in all back lightning slim led tv's. The Samsung User Manual says:

''This TFT LED panel uses a panel consisting of sub pixels witch require sophisticated technology to produce. However, there may be a few bright or dark pixels on the screen. These pixels will have no impact on the performance of the product.''

So, new technology costs money  and comes with issues..

I think Amun82 has made a very important point – the impression Samsung gives to their customers is delusional!

Samsung should think twice next time round before releasing another half-product as cutting corners doesn’t pay off in long term strategy. Software features and performance seem to suffer the most.

I purchased UE37D6530 model few months ago after being impressed by its picture quality and stylish design. The specification was also very promising, particularly the Internet@TV/SmartTV features – the main selling point for me – and 400Hz Clear Motion Rate. And although I can give a great credit for all the eye-catching aspects, devil in details reveals the dark sides of the bright star.

The best comparison that comes to my mind is like driving a Rolls-Royce with the body work being the only genuine component.

Based on my experience and to help other customers to make the right choice, the following drawbacks should be taken into account before committing to spending an awful lot of money for this cutting-edge half-product:

1. The LCD panel is never fully deep dark no matter what viewing angle you’re looking at. The top ¾ up to half of the screen in my model is brighter that the remaining bottom part. You can spot the difference while watching TV programmes.

2. EPG menu is slow. When you press a scroll down/up button it takes approximately 1sec average to shift the cursor and sometimes even longer. Only occasionally (aprox. 10% of the total usage) the performance is acceptable.

3. The ‘Videos’ app does not playback movies recorded on my iPhone! The same applies to an Olimpus camera but I cannot remember the model. So it seems to be a genuine problem. But why the H.264 format is not supported even though Samsung has already released cameras that support it? It doesn’t make sense at all!

4. Decoding of Full HD video files is terrible slow. When I stream a file from my NAS drive the sequence is as follows: 3sec read while the picture is frozen, 3sec playback and so on. Please note there is nothing wrong with the drive.

5. ‘BBC iPlayer’ app is missing fundamental features.

•       - It does not remember what was being played last time when you switch to a TV channel and then back to iPlayer or pause the app for a while and the TV automatically switches off. You need to start from scratch by searching your programme first and playing it from the beginning. Very irritating!
•       - Although you can use fast forward your iPlayer programme, it’s dead slow as the progress bar can only be moved in small increments. So imagine a 2 hour programme where you’ve missed just the last 10 minutes …!
•       - The volume control does not allow precise enough adjustment. Level 2 is too quiet whereas 3 too loud and unacceptable - unless your hearing is impaired.

6. The Web Browser is literally useless due to slow response and lack of essential navigation capabilities e.g. qwerty keyboard or mouse.

7. The ‘Youtube’ app always plays a random or default movie every time you switch it on against your will, even if you choose to run a search in the first instance. The navigation performance is also appalling.

8. The recording feature is not supported via WiFi connection. I’m sure many owners would like to use their NAS drives. I hope it works via USB!

9. The price of the chipset rechargeable 3D glasses is enormous and therefore should not be disregarded if the 3D feature is an important selling point.

10. Very limited selection of compatible video cameras - also very expensive.

Please note that I haven’t tested all the available features yet and I’m anxious to go ahead.

In terms of 3^rd party apps Samsung might say ‘We are not responsible for the functional aspect of them’. My response would be ‘Respected high-quality brands, such as Rolls-Royce, do care what they put into their products as they are ultimately responsible for the final outcome of the manufacturing process’.

There is no exaggeration in what I've just got off my chest and it paints a very honest picture of my experience with Samsung TV.

I believe that majority of the software-related problems can still be resolved and released as an update. However, this requires good will and commitment from Samsung to keeping their customers happy.

Personally, my faith in Samsung has faded but can yet be restored.

I originally bought the 46 inch version I was so pleased with it I returned it and exchanged it for the 55 inch as it didn't really look any different in size to my Toshiba 42 x3030db but improvement in picture is unbelievable.this set did have uniformity issues especially during nighttime viewing it was very prominent at night. returned it once again and the problem is very negligible on the new set, if only Samsung could sort this problem out.although this is a truly amazing set this can hinder picture very ocasionly.

I bought the South African equivalent of this model the UA40D6600.  The TV looked amazing in the shop.  Got home and opened my brand new set.  The colours and picture on this set is amazing... everything that is said in the review is true.  The only problem was that I got exactly the same differences in backlighting described by Amun82.  The set had a large dark patch right in the middle of screen.  I took it back to the store and they gave me a second set without any problems.  The second set had the same problem, only this time in the lower right had corner of the set.  Also had a few pixels that must have died during it's shipping.

At this point I got so worried about the quality of samsung that I returned the second set and asked for a refund.  What are the chances of getting 2 dud sets in a row?  Samsung should take a good look at its QC department.

quality tv what more can i say.good picture quality,superb response time,brilliant deep black i upgraded from a phillips ambilght set to this.I thought the philips was good but this set blew it away.I disagree i think the 3d is pretty good no worse than others out there,the freeview tuner gives good vibrant pics and the tv upscales standard tv to a good standard.Def worth the 5 stars awarded and would recommend to anybody well done samsung again.5stars.

I got the 46 inch TV version of this TV, the UE46D6530, and what can I say? It's fantastic! Upgrading from a Sony 32inch S2530, the difference between these two sets is night and day. Images are bold, bright, and beautiful. Motion is butter smooth, helping considerably with 25p content. And from watching Blu-Ray movies to watching Countdown, this TV is superb!

This TV really showed me what it could do when watching Avatar on Blu-Ray. The contrast between the dark woods and the glowing orange fire in one of the scenes was gorgeous. Additionally, the 400hz technology made the film far more pleasurable to watch, virtually eradicating the judder found without the technology. Moreover, the TV produced smooth, detailed, colourful images when Playing games like Call of Duty Black Ops and Project Gotham racing.

Before I get too ahead of myself, there are some niggles with this tv, particularly with the mediocre 3D images. Personally, I don't think too much importance should be placed upon this, simply because the 3D content available at the moment is lacking. And let's be honest, 3D is a bit of a gimmick. On top of the plain Jane 3D images, there is the faintest touch of backlight bleed, but is negligible. You can only really notice it when you're on a mission to!

As for the comment made by Amun82 saying that SD content is presented 'horribly', I totally disagree. I've had nothing but good experiences with the SD images this TV produces. I understand you have a bigger version of the same model, so that might be why.

Pros:
-A detailed, vivid image
-Deep blacks with striking contrast
-400hz technology produces incredibly smooth motion
-Beautiful styling, with a small bezel and thin, tight profile
-SmartHub is very useful, especially with the BBC iPlayer app
-Very well priced!

Cons:
-Slight backlight bleed
-Average 3D images
-No QWERTY keyboard for web browsing
-Web browser is slow

Overall, an awesome TV that definitely warrants the five star rating that 'What HiFi?' awarded it!

Sorry you've got a rogue set, but I can assure you we did extensively review this set and found none of the problems you describe - though it does sound as if you're describing a larger model in the range, NOT this 40in version (which could explain poorer SD performance for starters).

Just because a set comes from the same range, it does not mean it will offer the same performance at a different screen size. Different-sized sets can and do get different reviews because of individual strengths/weaknesses  - plus, of course, larger LCDs come up against some strong competition from plasma TVs.

Backlight bleed/clouding can strike any LCD set if poorly made - and where we've found it (and we have on some Samsung sets, alongside several Sonys and other brands) we most certainly shout about it.

I am starting to loose patience with "professional" reviews. This is the third product I bought after reading numerous "professional" reviews i.e. WhatHiFi which gave them exceptional or excellent marks.