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Whether it’s boxset binging, movie night or game time, the Samsung UE55BU8000 rises to the occasion with its premium picture quality. In terms of image upscaling, the processor is still very efficient. From SD content and live content up to 720p, 1080p and 4K, the TV did not show any obvious artifacts from the upscaling process. But keep in mind that the end result is always very dependent on the quality of the original content. It’s quite distinct through the mid-range and, again, quite decent levels of detail. Voices project forwards well, and they're actually quite nicely balanced – until they start to nudge into the upper frequency range. Once it reaches the higher frequencies, the BU8500 becomes quite hard and edgy, bringing sibilance and even a hint of coarseness to treble sounds. It’s a trait that’s only exacerbated by volume.
Relatively dark HDR content on the BU8000 also reveals a slightly compressed, unrefined look to low-brightness, densely detailed picture areas, such as the hedges and flower beds outside Georgie’s house in the opening scene of It on 4K Blu-ray. Right from the off you don’t feel as if the UE55BU8500 is firing on quite as many cylinders as Samsung has often delivered in the past at this middle part of its TV range. The picture just feels a little flat and dull compared with some of the competition – two things we definitely would not traditionally associate with Samsung TVs.Information of the number of pixels in a unit of length. With the decrease of the display size and the increase of its resolution, the pixel density increases. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.)
Information about the brightness of the screen. It is measured in candela per square metre (cd/m²). There’s support for High Dynamic Range, specifically HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), and HDR10+. Samsung is a big proponent of HDR10+, but it doesn’t support Dolby Vision, which is the other HDR format with dynamic metadata. The dynamic contrast shows the ratio between the brightest and the darkest color, which the display can reproduce over time, for example, in the course of playing a video. Subtitles and audio description information displayed on electronic programme guide programme banner Subtitle and audio description information spoken on the electronic programme guide more info panelThe Samsung BU8500 is on sale now, though at the time of writing this particular model is available in Europe and some other countries, but hasn't been announced for North America or Australia (though it is available in New Zealand). The dialogue is fairly murky, too. There’s no problem hearing or understanding what’s said, but it’s like listening with a layer of material between our ears and the characters’ voices. This clouding issue with HDR sources is much less likely to appear with SDR content; in fact, its good native contrast makes it a rather good SDR display. The BU8500 also pays the price for its missing Quantum Dot colour system by delivering a colour palette which, while fairly wide-ranging and decently subtle, ultimately feels a little desaturated versus the vibrancy of the TCL. Admittedly the TCL sometimes pushes its colours a little too much, but overall its extra vividness is more engaging than the Samsung’s rather pallid look.
Of course, we don’t all live on a diet of brand-new cutting-edge content - and when it comes to upscaling, the Samsung (mostly) continues its good work. Certainly an HD broadcast of some elite-level tennis suffers hardly at all – colors are confidently described, on-screen movement is stable in almost all circumstances, and detail levels stay high. There’s a little coarsening of skin-tones and a hint of jaggedness to the more difficult edges, but by and large the BU8500 remains eminently watchable. The TV supports Dolby Audio. Dolby Atmos can be streamed via the included eARC to any Dolby Atmos soundbar or dedicated sound system. This year, DTS support is again completely absent, which is a pity. There is Q-Symphony, a feature that can be enabled to pair your TV audio system with a matching soundbar. Connections
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Information about the maximum vertical viewing angle, within which the image on the screen is of acceptable quality. Troy on Blu-ray features an ample amount of detail found on characters’ faces and period armour, as well as a decent level of clarity for a 65-inch screen. The azure blues of the sky translate well and contrast with the sun-dappled yellow of the beach as the Greeks storm it. It’s a credible upscaling performance, with no distracting artefacts, and the BU8000’s sense of colour is best realised with SDR content. But, again, the image does appear a touch soft. Percentage luminance drop at 20 degree vertical angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying a live scene and white square taking up 10% of the screen (measured in Nits) Power supply and consumption Information about the power supply and consumption, energy efficiency class, etc. 110V
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