Un55B8000 Samsung – Just Short Of Perfect

The clarity of this glossy-screened LED-backlit TV is stunning. HD movies off blu-ray look fabulous, and HD broadcasts through satellite (DirecTV) look absolutely fantastic. Watching a silly sitcom, I felt like I was in the studio audience. Yes, I could reach out and almost touch Sheldon, Leonard, Raj. It was like looking at the actors through a window.

I could go on about how great this TV is, but here are a few nitpicks for the discerning audio-videophile:

(1) AutoMotion sucks. We had this smoothing feature turned on by default out of the box, and it caused frame stuttering! The frame stuttering was so bad while I was watching a few sample shows that I started to get a headache. We at first couldn't figure out why the picture was stuttering so noticeably, but once we turned off AutoMotion, the stuttering ceased.

(2) LED backlighting is edge, not from behind. When you look at a black screen, you can SEE the edge backlighting. During normal watching this setup doesn't bother much, but for dark dark movies like Aliens, Star Wars, etc., you have to turn it way down or you can actually see the edge backlighting.

(3) Gloss is a pro and con. The screen reflects light like mad. You have to turn off or shutter any light behind you before viewing, or you will see those tiny slivers of sunshine from behind the blinds. This was not the case with our previous HDTV; its screen was simply not glossy, it was quite matte-like and absorbed a lot more light.

UN55B8000 SAMSUNG - No Complaints So Far

Just picked one up from Sears this afternoon. Paid $2,600 with the 10% Sears card discount. Replaced a 62" Toshiba DLP. Compared it to the 8500 and didn't see the value in spending another $1K. Also compared it to the Sony XBR9 and the Samsung did it for me.

Brought it home and had it running in 15 minutes. No problems at all. I must say the colors are just sick. I'm watching the Boise State-Nevada game on ESPN through Cox Digital Cable (Cox STB connected through an HDMI cable) and the 'blue' of the Boise State uniforms and helmets is just unbelievable. Details of the field and the sidelines are intense. I can see the paint chips from the 'stick' marks on the players' helmets. I agree with other posts regarding the 3D appearance. The image just pops out. Simply amazing.

I've tried. I've really tried to find the problems with the spotlights in the corners. No luck. Perhaps the problems relate to older models. Perhaps it's a firmware fix. There's no doubt Samsung is having QC problems along with customer service issues. If I were experiencing the spotlights or random source selection or defective features that others have experienced, I would be just as upset as they must be. But this unit is beautiful and I am fortunate...so far.

As for those complaining about the speakers, I disagree. No, they do not compare to 5.1 or 7.1 systems, but they are more than adequate for 'the basics'. I do plan to purchase a home theater.

I picked up the extra warranty from Sears based on the comments from other posters. I plan on watching A LOT of TV over the next 30 days as the box is still in the garage. If I experience the QC problems it's going back.

Overall, I recommend it. Best of luck to those with problems.