Samsung's 2012 line of LCD televisions focuses primarily on switching their backlighting from CCFL to direct-array LED. In contrast to CCFL lighting, LEDs don't diminish in brightness over time and have an extremely long lifespan. Moreover, these sets are considerably lighter than their old CCFL counterparts which makes transferring them around easier. Nevertheless, this mannequin isn't edge-lit which suggests it's probably not thinner regardless of the burden savings. The lights are instantly behind the screen (i.e. direct-array), which many video purists choose since it makes the lighting extra even. This model doesn't support native dimming.
Display
To start off, the show is fantastic. Colors are wealthy and the blacks are deep. The set only helps 60hz, however I've never really discovered myself needing greater than that. The lighting is generally even, however there is noticeably dimming within the corners of the set. The display screen is semi-glossy, which I dislike tremendously as a result of I can see reflections of myself or the room in darker scenes. Glare from home windows is also pretty apparent, so undoubtedly issue that in about the place to put this set before you purchase it. The bezel which truly makes it look smaller than it is for some reason. The controls for the set are a four-approach joystick hidden underneath the bottom right facet of the bezel.
Sound
The problem with thinner TVs is that sound suffers. My final LCD TV was an everyday CCFL set and it had glorious sound. I'm not an audiophile in any respect, however I am unable to discover an audio setting I like for watching regular TV or movies. Either the dialogue is drowned out by music with heavy bass, or you can hear the dialogue (with added bass) and the music is barely audible. I fiddled around with numerous settings and I simply cannot discover one I like. After a few weeks I've gotten used to it, however for the primary time ever I'm contemplating getting a stereo system to get "normal" sound back.
Connectivity
Samsung has lowered the variety of HDMI ports on their cheaper, no-frills fashions to encourage people to upgrade to their dearer lines. The "dumb" models solely have 2 HDMI ports, this one has 3. Additionally, it appears as if no fashions assist S-Video any extra, and this set integrates composite and part into one set of ports. There are two USB ports, one of which is labeled as the "arduous drive" port as a result of it provides additional power. WiFi is inbuilt, and I will stream content from YouTube without stuttering or buffering. The TV can obtain and apply updates very simply, too. After the final replace, file playback includes 720p MKV files, although options during playback are limited. DLNA assist is unbelievable, but refreshing of file lists does not work very well. The menu has settings that enable for mouse and keyboard control through USB, which is useful in case you use searches quite a bit within the good TV apps. It would be nice in the event you may sign into Samsung's app website and click on which ones you want to download fairly than doing it from the TV. The interface on the whole is type of clunky.
Overall
It's a fantastic buy. A lot of connectivity, entry to sensible apps (I benefit from the YouTube one, Netflix can be out there and they're adding extra). Definitely recommended.
Tips and Caveats
In the event you plan to make use of this as a monitor, ensure you label the supply as "PC" of some kind. This removes loads of put up-processing. There is additionally a "Sport Mode" under general that makes the show extra responsive, but the draw back to using this mode for me is that audio is caught in "film" mode which is very bass heavy.
