JP—March 2, 2021
I purchased the 65" version of the Samsung Crystal UHD TU-8000. Pros and Cons: * Mounting was relatively straightforward. Like other reviews, I did have to purchase specialized bolts to secure the tv to my existing flat screen mount. Fortunately I have a hardware store nearby, and it was easy to find what I needed. I agree with other reviews that the screws need to be a tad longer than what is specified in the owner's manual. I used four M8 1.25 pitch screws at 30 mm length. Depending on your mount, this may or may not be the proper length for you. * Once powered up, I found the remote control to be very simple, and surprisingly intuitive. I give the remote 4 stars for two reasons: the buttons are not back-lit or visible at all in the dark, and the remote is small and black which means I lost it three times in one night of viewing. * The quality of the graphics are very good. As noted in other reviews, the screen is very reflective which can be bothersome for daytime viewing. I would have included a picture, but the tv behaved like a mirror and I didn't want to post a selfie. ;) * The smart features were very intuitive, and highly functional. Within minutes I had set up access for YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and HBO Max. This was the main reason for me to upgrade from my 55" Samsung screen, which was nearly 10 yrs old. * I plugged in my Chromecast, and the TV recognized it and began offering Google Assistant as a voice command option (in addition to the native Alexa and Bixby options). * I still haven't figured out how to get Ambient mode working. It isn't important for me anyway, so I gave up. I may try again in the future out of morbid curiosity. * I have a separate Sony stereo receiver with bookshelf speakers. I plugged in the optical cable and HDMI, and it worked immediately. The two devices "talk" to each other, so I only need to use the remote that came with the TV. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. The interface is now much simpler than what I had before. I'm a tech person by trade, so the added complexity I used to deal with didn't bother me, but my wife was not able to operate the tv without my help. With this new setup, she feels much more comfortable operating it on her own. Read more
Jeff—November 3, 2020
I have had this TV for 10 days now and I wanted to share my feelings on the positives, negatives, and overall traits. I did extensive research on Youtube and Amazon before landing on this one. I was moving up from a 60" plasma Samsung which I was moving into my living room, to replace a 42" Panasonic plasma which I am moving outdoors to my patio. I've owned several Samsung TVs. Here are my thoughts: Positives: - Great packaging. The box has a "pull off top" that allows you to expose the TV while it is standing upright and easily get your hands under it to lift if straight out. There was plenty of styrofoam and the screen and TV overall were clean and devoid of scratches or cracks. - Delivery. I paid the extra few dollars for "delivery to any room" and the delivery team took it straight to my home theatre in the basement. Both were very nice and wearing masks and arrived on time. - 4K picture. I have watched hours of 4K content on Youtube to test the color, dynamic range, etc. It's brilliant! Really blew me away. I would recommend (after making this mistake myself) to not get too wrapped up in all the comparisons and little distractions brought up in various Youtube videos. The reality is a 2020 Samsung 4K TV is going to look pretty amazing. The reviewers get down into crazy details that the average person just won't notice. - Setup. The setup for the remote, Smart TV options, etc, was SUPER easy. It automatically paired to the Samsung sound bar I also bought, and also automatically connected to my cable TV box (Spectrum) and the setup of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video was done in minutes. Negatives and Annoyances: - The remote kinda sucks. It is very small (same size as an Amazon Fire TV remote) and has minimal buttons. I've learned to use it just fine, but I really don't understand this dumb concept of "minimalist" TV remotes. If you are using the remote in a dark media room, it's basically impossible to see the buttons. And the remote has no backlite or glow-in-the-dark features. Also, the volume and channel buttons are narrow little toggles that you click literally forward/backward instead of just pressing up or down. Really, just stupid design. Not a dealbreaker, but terrible nonetheless. ALSO, the soundbar remote is basically IDENTICAL, but without channel or Home options. I can't tell you how many times I grab the wrong remote in the dark. Overall, the remote sucks. - SOAP OPERA EFFECT ENABLED OUT OF THE BOX - Disable this! It ruins 4K movies! You can do your own research on this topic, but bottom line, this TV (like many competitors) automatically enables "motion smoothing technology" which might be OK for sports, but RUINS real 4K movies. But don't despair! Just disable LED Clear Motion in the Expert Settings, and the problem is solved. - Sound. The soundbar also, for whatever dumb reason, comes set up with "sound delay" which means moving mouths do not match the sound. This is also an option you can fix easily in Expert Settings, but again, so stupid for it to be enabled. It should not even be an option in my opinion. Overall: Really love it and would recommend. Note, I am not using it for gaming, just streaming movies and regular TV. Beautiful picture, easy setup, good packaging and delivery, and very easy-to-use smart TV options. I would definitely buy it again! Read more
Brian—February 20, 2021
Granted, this is a significant upgrade from what I had, but this is a great TV. I bought it with the Samsung sound bar to replace the main TV in the living room. Great quality UHD picture and great sound as well. Setup was easy, it has all the apps I want, it's very light, and it has plenty of inputs. Just a few caveats though. I have an older Panasonic VCR/DVD recorder combo. It has HDMI out, but when trying to connect this there were connection problems. Perhaps all that is needed is a newer HDMI cable, but I haven't bothered. I just hooked it up composite. Another thing is I thought the Samsung sound bar would be more easily controlled with the same remote as for the TV. Once connected it does simply take over as the TV sound, with +, -, and mute controlled by the TV remote with no problem. The trouble is the sound bar power stays on when you turn off the TV. In other words, I thought you'd be able to turn everything on and off at once. Not the case, or at least I haven't figured it out. I just leave the sound bar on all the time. When you turn on the TV you first hear sound from the TV speakers for about 15 seconds while everything boots up, and then the sound bar takes over. Another thing is there are some OEM apps you can't delete. This is a bummer, because it clutters up the home screen with things I won't ever use. Read more
