Comments on: Samsung UN55B6000 55Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV

By: Able Devildog

Able Devildog — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:28:57 +0000

Great TV if one can figure out how to use it.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My family and I just love this TV, particularly for watching sports. We looked at a lot of LCD and Plasmas but saw none that gave us the sense of depth this one does. It is like 3D. Moreover, our family room is also a sun room during the day but the picture is just as strong in the day time as it is when the room is dark. The viewing angle is comparatively wide. We see no appreciable drop off when it is viewed at an angle. It is large enough that my wife can view it from the adjacent kitchen with ease.

Learning how to use its features and to set it up is another matter and that is the one gripe I have with the TV. Samsung only provides a four page manual which tells the owner nothing. Instead it includes a flash drive which contains a manual for its use but it took me over three weeks to realize what the flash drive was for. The manual does not show the available ports or how things are to be connected to the TV. I finally figured it out by trial and error and got the flash drive connected. Finding out how to use it however, was again a lot of trial and error. Once I was able to read the pages, it was hard to read, mostly grey on black (I hate black-you can't see where anything is on black). Figuring how to page the manual on the TV isn't easy. Samsung provides numerous steps to take but the user has to leave the Manual screen to go through the steps and unless the user writes out all the steps, it is a tiresome process to follow the steps.

So I tried using the flash drive on my computer. Well the manual is in a strange format so it will not open normally. Windows searched for a driver that would allow viewing the manual and found one which I downloaded and installed The one I found that worked was from IrFanView but one must also download all the plugins before it will work. However, when I opened the Manual, it was unprintable except with a screen capture utility.

That was more trouble than it was worth and it then dawned on me to go to the Samsung Support Center and see if there was a Manual that could be downloaded. Voila, the Manual was available in both PDF and Word formats but because the Manual is in three languages, it is 273 pages long. Just print the first 75 pages.

What I found is that with no difficulty I could run picture shows directly from either my camera or from a card reader. They come out beautifully. If I tried to print pictures that big, they would be grainy as all get out. But the pictures show in full size on the big screen in terrific detail and color and they have depth.

But I wish the USB ports were either on the side or the front where they are easily accessible. I intend to wall mount the screen but if I do I won't be able to get to the connections which are on the back. And even then it is difficult to insert USB cords because the recess is so narrow.

We love this TV however, because of the lack of a printed manual and the location of the USB ports, I can only give it 4 stars.

By: Rmass

Rmass — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:25:06 +0000

Good but not great
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I got this Samsung UN55B6000 to replace a dead Sony KDL52W3000 that was just shy of 20 months old.
For the price, it came down to this or the 52XBR9. I took the Samsung cause the picture looked sharper at the store and while still smarting from a Sony reliability issue.
Once set up at home, I started to reconsider my choice. While the dark levels are definitly darker, the glossy screen is a nuissance during low lit scenes.
The bezel design is such that the speakers have nowhere to go but behind the TV which relies purely on the condition and distance of the wall behind it. Compared to the Sony, the sound coming out of this TV sucked.
Samsung defaults their screen with 95% contrast level. So there's not much room for increased contrasts if you ever need to. I believe this is how Samsung obtains their contrast advantage, raise it to max then cover it with a glossy screen.

The slim design also limits source input options. It comes with 4 HDMIs and only either a component or composite source. With the Sony I can connect all my sources redundantly so no need to boot up the power hungry receiver 100% of the time.
So if you hook up all your components into the TV via HDMI, the sound going into your A/V receiver depends on how well the TV can pass it through.

By: M. Osti

M. Osti — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:45:59 +0000

buyer beware
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
After only 3 weeks of owning this TV, the TV randomly shut off on its own while we were watching TV. Now the TV constantly just turns on and turns off (with no actual image being displayed on the screen). The only way to shut it off is to disconnect it from the main power source. Called Samsung and apparently it’s an issue with the power supply, and they have to send a technician to repair. Turns out, this is a common issue with Samsung. I am not amused that after spending 2500$ on a brand new TV, it will need repair after only owning it for 3 weeks.

By: inter.active

inter.active — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:58:15 +0000

Enjoying the Samsung UN55B6000 HDTV
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Image Quality and Connectivity:

This Samsung UN55B6000 is excellent technology and priced to move. We've got it hooked up to a cable box (MOT DCT 6200) via the 1 component connection and the image is sharp and crispy and the colors are vivid and bright.

We have an older PC connected via the VGA connection and the 3.5mm mini audio connection. Internet browser windows come up real sharp in 1920x1280i resolution. Sidebar: I'm also using wi fi and wireless mouse and keyboard.

Hi-res images look fantastic. This TV was assembled with web-browsing and computing in mind (Net widget, USB, JPEG and mp3 friendly) and Samsung has nailed it.

Online Support and Configuring the Cable Box:

Initially, the cable box was sending 720x480i to the TV. Fortunately I was able to find forums online with posts from a Samsung HD Tech and a cable co. employee that outlined the solution -- turn off the cable box, hit the menu button (cable remote) and here you can select the higher (or different) resolution.

Additionally, the cable box required two power cycles for this (resolution) change to take effect but when it did I was viewing cable tv in 1920x1080i.

Using Samsung's P.Size (Picture) Button:

When watching cable programming broadcast in HD, the 16:9 (aspect ratio) mode looks the best to me. For standard definition programming the Wide-Fit mode stretches the image a bit to fill the screen.

I've noticed some adjusting is required when flipping between channels, for example, sometimes CNN ticker text is below the screen and other times the Fox Sports Net FSN graphic is a bit above the screen. Perhaps this issue is addressed in the screen-fit mode, I'm not sure yet, I'll have to mash a few more buttons. Overall, I give it 4.5 stars.