[Knocked off 3 stars because TV died, will re-evaluate when new one arrives]
[Added 3 stars when new TV arrived]
[Added 1 star after adjusting settings and watching multiple sources, TV, and Movies]
My 8550 arrives on Friday, May 23rd. I have been very frustrated with the info available online, at stores, and with Samsung. I think I have it mostly figured out, so here goes:
Samsung reps are clueless on Chat - they were telling me all kinds of wrong info (clearly poor scripts). "The One Connect doesn't come with the TV, but you need one because the TV is just a monitor" (it has no ports they said). They said "I could buy the One Connect Box from the parts department" (false). They said "I would not be able to watch any 4K without the Box" (false, it has the codec and HDMI 2.0). I pushed back and explained a few facts I was reading from their own website's specs. They finally started apologizing and taking back what they said about the "missing ports" and "need for the box".
This model is a unique beast in their lineup for 2014. It isn't an 8500 or 9000, obviously because it's the 8550. It is so new that the reps don't know what it has or doesn't (I blame that on Product Marketing/Management teams). So, the 8550 comes with all the connections you need on the back (interesting that nowhere I've looked is there a picture of the back of this TV - including the full PDF owner's manual). In my 40+ years of audio/video experience, I have never come across this issue. I sold A/V equipment in my college days, I built my own home theater in Las Vegas, I had 13 TVs in that house, and I build my own PCs. I do heavy research for every purchase I make. Amazon is my #1 go to for 80% of my purchases. This TV is certainly a puzzle.
I have seen this TV in person at Best Buy (55" model). The picture is amazing; rich colors, black blacks, nice bezel, solid base!
The One Connect or UDH Pack will be needed in the near future to support downloading/streaming of 4K content from the Samsung Store. The UHD pack that's out now for $299 has 5 movies and 2 documentaries. The second UHD pack will have different movies and possibly add support for the Samsung Store. The One Connect Box [edit, stopped in mid-thought] will add future features/functionality/technology when it arrives. This is the best I can make of the information I've gathered so far.
I will update the post after I receive the TV and experiment.
UPDATE 5/23/14 - TV just arrived at my office. Hard to just stare at the box - but fortunately leaving early today for the holiday weekend! I will add updates this weekend.
UPDATE 5/23/14 PM - Streaming 4K "House of Cards" from Netflix right now, works perfectly. TV is a little thicker than my non-4K Samsung - having all of the ports on the back of the TV instead of the One Connect Box probably adds to the thickness. The extra Smart Remote is small and very convenient. It takes a few minutes to get used to pointing the remote at the TV, but man it makes input so much easier than using the up/down/left/right buttons. The Samsung Smart Apps work 100% better than my older Samsung. The new quad-processor makes the apps run as fast as my computer. They were a joke in the original smart TVs.
UPDATE 5/23/14 Late PM - watching a Blu-Ray movie and 90 minutes in the picture went black. The TV is dead. I have unplugged all of the connections and power and let it rest. It will turn on and show a blank backlit screen, but nothing displays - no menu, no smart hub, no TV, no video, nothing. I now have an expensive paperweight. Contacting Amazon ASAP.
UPDATE 5/24/14 - Called Amazon and got some technical support. They had me do almost everything I already tried last night, including holding a flashlight to the screen to see if I could make out the image. The only new thing they had me try was holding the exit button for 10 seconds to reset the TV to factory settings. No help. The TV is on and responding to the remote, but the panel or something is just dead. Sure they're sending me a new TV, but it won't arrive until June 2, 2014. I'm not a happy camper at the moment. I was hoping to write some decent review information, not talk about my dead TV issues. It's uninstalled and back in the box. Reinstalled my 40" Samsung.
UPDATE 5/26/14 - While I'm waiting for my replacement, I thought I'd post another observation. Everywhere the product description states that you can watch "whatever is on the TV screen" on your mobile device using the Samsung App. First of all there are three apps for the Samsung Smartview. Threre is #1, then one for the iPad, then #2. The only one that works with this TV is version #2. All of the apps have horrible ratings. I got the app to recognize the TV, but while watching Netflix or PS3 movie, the app says the current format is not supported for viewing. So my question is: 'whatever' means what exactly? I have a TiVo Stream which allows me to watch my TiVo on my iPad, so I know it's possible and pretty cool. What's up with this feature Samsung?
UPDATE 5/30/14 - Well, the new TV arrived early because I contacted the carrier and scheduled it for today (instead of Monday). The new TV is installed and set up again. Picture looks great, especially the 4K samples on Netflix. I'm still working on all of the picture settings that need to be adjusted (blur, judder, contrast, clear motion, brightness, eco settings, etc.). No point on anyone commenting on the picture unless you've done your homework online and made the recommended adjustments. Yes, Samsung should ship them with the proper settings, but I guess some people like the hyper-real looking image?? Universal remote setting work OK, but can't get the PS3 to turn off/on (and yes I have the IR adapter for the PS3). Hopefully this TV will last more than 90 mins like the first one.
UPDATE 5/31/14 - Spent all night last night and all day today making adjustments and watching content. Currently I think the settings are almost perfect. The picture is amazing! Enjoyed several Blu-ray movies last night. Today I watched a lot of auto racing. The Barbados RallyCross was the hit of the day, This TV has no problem with fast motion (sports/racing). Understand these cars go from 0 to 60 in two seconds! I also watched drag racing. There is zero blur and the images are crystal clear during the high speed motion. I have the image fairly bright for regular TV and dimmer for movies. Color is spot on - amazing reds, blues, greens, blacks, and whites.
The small remote works very well. The point and click makes input EXTREMELY easy compared to any other remote I've used. I even had luck using the voice control, but it's control is limited. This remote is also controlling my TiVo better than any other remote packed with a TV (my Harmony remotes do a lot more and have a keyboard, but those are aftermarket remotes).
I'm not impressed with House of Cards, but the other four nature videos are amazing and a great way to show off your 4K. I will buy the Samsung UHD pack soon and give updates on those 5 movies and 2 documentaries. Sadly, only the upcoming UHD pack will provide 4K streaming support, so I'll have to buy that one also.
UPDATE 6/20/14 - Continue to enjoy all the features and picture quality of this TV. One significant observation is that this TV runs VERY HOT for an LED HDTV. My other LED Samsungs run with almost no noticeable heat discharge. Only my Samsung Plasma TV runs this hot. Walking by the TV you actually feel the heat coming off the TV. The biggest offender is the edge of the TV which I expect because these TVs are edge-lit. But the heat does radiate from the whole TV, just not as hot. Perhaps the existence of so many more pixels impacts the temperature?? Thoughts?
| Brand Name | SAMSUNG |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 39.7 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 43.9 x 27 x 10.6 inches |
| Item model number | UN50HU8550 |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. (included) |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Specification Met | Energy Star |
| Special Features | Flat |
| Item Weight | 39.68 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 50 Inches |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
