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Samsung UN60D7000 60" 3D LED TVPrice:
$2,299.00
Smart TV featuring Web-Connected Samsung Apps & Web Browser Captivating 2D & 3D in Full HD 1080p Visually Stunning LED Picture Quality with Clear Motion Rate of 720 Virtually Edgeless Picture.
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6 Reviews from Epinions.com
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Samsung UN60D7000
In January of this year we bought a Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV. We got it for a decent price at Conn’s and it included a free Samsung Smart Blu-Ray player and two 3D glasses (SSG-3050GB) for the 3D capability. I should add that this TV does not normally come with a Samsung Blu-Ray player or 3D glasses. It was a special deal atConn’s. We paid $2,599 and considering the included Blu-Ray player and 3D glasses we probably realistically paid around $2,000 for the TV itself.
We wanted a new modern large flat screen TV, preferably a 60 inch LED TV or more (well LED backlit LCD screen TV). We were interested in the 3-D capability since our kids like to play games and they wanted to do this in 3-D. Right now there is not much 3-D programming but it is coming and you can rent 3-D movies. Once 3-D becomes more common we can use the 3-D capability more often for both games and movies. We wanted 1080p resolution (sometimes called full HDTV) because we have DirectTV and they provide 1080p programming and we own blu-ray players. The kids also use the TV for their X-Box & PS3 & Wii games. Naturally we wanted the picture to be as good as possible but we were also interested in other features like good sound, eco friendliness, and it being a smart TV was also a plus.
We were mostly looking for a Samsung this time around since Samsung is the Mercedes of TV’s. Samsung is a little bit more expensive but it is a trusted brand that in general carries high quality products. However, we were open to other brands as well. We had read reviews, discussed with salesmen, and compared the image quality of various TV’s at various stores. I should say that the latter can be treacherous since you need the same high quality input for all the TV’s that you compare (1080p, high refresh rate, etc). In some stores they have one input source to one TV and another source for another TV and then you can’t compare them. The TV with the best picture may have the crappiest picture in the store. Well if you have lower resolution at home you should really compare using something comparable. That may not be possible. You need to make sure that you can trust your salesman on this and read many reviews.
Finally it came down to the Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV. It had everything we wanted and more, and after what I think was a fair comparison between TV pictures, I think we got a good deal.
We had our new TV mounted on the wall in our living room, set it up with DirectTV, and connected it to our new Samsung Smart blu-ray player, and the kids X-Box, etc. We also connected it to the encrypted wireless network that we have in our house. One of the features of this TV is that you can browse internet directly without connecting it to a computer. It allows you to connect it to internet via a wire or through WiFi. Naturally you can also connect it to a PC.
Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV Overview and Features
As mentioned the resolution of the TV is 1080p, but naturally it supports 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i as well. It is 60 inch diagonally, which is fairly big but not huge. The refresh rate is 240Hz, which is probably overkill when you are watching movies and TV. However, sports and games may look better in 120Hz or 240Hz, and 3-D games may require 240Hz for the best experience. Naturally this all depends in the input source.
The Samsung 60-inch LED Smart TV is a Smart TV which means that the TV is integrated with internet. Using the internet connection you can stream movies from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Vudu, etc. The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV features a Smart Hub, which is a portal through which you can access the internet using the TV. You have Samsung Applications, a Web Browser, search, face book, and Skype, much like the so called Smart Phones. We are just beginning to use these features and they may not be very important to us at this point, but they may be in the future as our habits change. It is certainly something to take into account when buying a TV.
The Samsung UN 60D7000 Smart TV also has built in WiFi so you can connect to a WiFi network without using a separate WiFi dongle. Naturally you can also connect it using a LAN cable. In addition the Samsung UN 60D7000 Smart TV features the so called AllShare DLNA Networking, which allows you to connect to your home network and stream music, videos, and photos from other DLNA Certified devices (cameras, computers, mobile devices, etc).
This TV has plenty of useful input connections. Four HDMI, three USB ports, Ethernet port, one Component Video, two Composite Video, PC input, PC Audio Input, and Component Audio Input. The TV weighs 47.8 pounds, which is light for a 60 inch TV, and it is just a tad wider than the 60 inch screen itself (ultra thin frame), which makes it practical for carrying and installing. The TV comes with a stand, which we did not use since we mounted it on the wall.
In summary, when we considered all these features it seemed like a good buy to us. Our experience with this TV tells us that we were right.
Eco-Friendliness & Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV
We also considered eco-friendliness. Global warming is an ominous threat to future generations and I think we need to consider it as consumers. Our electricity comes from wind power, I’ve recently bought a Toyota Prius, we are building a Green-Built house, we use LED light bulbs, and we are considering eco friendliness when buying appliances and electronics. I don’t think that it is all you should consider but all else equal why not consider it.
LED backlighting allows for a brighter display, better contrast levels, a thinner panel, as well as lower power consumption and better heat dissipation compared to other LCD technologies and Plasma TV’s uses significantly more electricity. This TV also has a so called Eco Sensor that adjusts the brightness based on the detected brightness in the room, and an Energy Saving feature which automatically adjusts the brightness depending on what you are watching. The Eco Sensor and the “Energy Saving” feature can be turned off under the “System/Eco Solution” menu item in case they become annoying. I can add that this TV exceeds the Energy Star rating limit by 50%.
The estimated yearly energy cost is $21.00 (5 hours a day, 11 cents per KWh) while similar models (60 to 64 inch) typically range between $31.00 and $79.00. That may not save you a lot of money, but it saves some money, and you reduce pollution. More importantly turn off the TV when you are not using it.
Look and Feel of the Samsung UN 60D7000 TV
One of the features of this TV that we found attractive was the fact that the TV is very thin and it features a very thin silver colored frame (the ultra thin bezel type). The width of the frame is 0.2 inch (0.5 centimeters). This looks very good on our wall and it will look good in our new Green-Built house. We also need to sell our old house and having this TV decorate the wall above the fireplace makes our house look better. I’ve never seen a better looking TV. The stagers we hired told us that this TV is perfect for selling a house. I should mention that the LED backlit LCD technology allows for a thin design, which allows for a cool looking TV. Naturally we did not buy this TV just to decorate our house so we could sell it, but it does not hurt, does it?
The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV; Usability & Remote
The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV comes with a remote that has buttons on both sides. On one side you have the typical controls; power on/off, source, channel navigation buttons, and volume, info, and menu, plus a few special buttons. The special buttons include the button for switching between 3D image and regular, switching to the Smart Hub, Social TV, Yahoo apps, and the E-Manual.
The E-Manual is a Users Guide that is on the TV. You just press the E-Manual button and then you navigate with the arrow keys to select topics and sub topics. The main topics are Channel Menu, Basic Features, Preference Features, Advanced Features, and Other Information. Things like “Adjusting Picture Settings” and “Using your TV with your PC” is under Basic Features, while 3D and Smart Hub is under Advanced Features.
Having an easily accessible Users Guide on the TV is helpful in case you misplace the Users Guide. The E-Manual also seems to be more extensive.
On the backside of the remote there is a QWERTY keyboard and a few more buttons. You use this keyboard when you type things, which you need to do when using the Smart Hub. Unlike my smart phone (Samsung Galaxy S II) which has a touch screen, this is real buttons. Also unlike the smart phone you don’t need to switch between digits and alphabetical characters, they are both on the remote. This makes using the TV remote more efficient than using the Smart Phone for similar apps and for browsing the internet.
However, using the TV remote is not at all as efficient as using a real keyboard and not only because of the size. First of all there is no “alt” key, or F-buttons and I cannot type extended ascii characters using the remote control. The fact that there are buttons on both sides of the remote is also a problem. There you are navigating and reading reviews on epinions.com and by accident you press the “Smart Hub” button or the E-Manual on the other side of the remote and, poff gone, you leave the epinions.com page (yes it happened to me). It would have been nice if they had made the remote so that the keyboard side folded out or slid out instead of have two sides with buttons.
The biggest issue I have with the remote is that there seems to be communication problems with the TV. Sometimes nothing happens when you press a button. It just acts dead and then suddenly something happens. I should say that this problem seem to exist only when you use the back side of the remote that has the keyboard.
Overall I think the remote is intuitive and easy to use and the QWERTY keyboard is a nifty feature. However, I think there is some room for improvement with respect to the design of the remote and the communication with the TV.
The Smart Hub, Apps, and Web Browsing
There is a “Smart Hub” button on the front side of the remote control and on the back side. It will take you to the “Smart Hub” gateway which features various apps including a browser. It also features a “Search All” widget and a “Favorites” widget. Examples of apps and collections of apps are Channel, Source, AllShare, CNET, Videos, Photos, Music, Explore 3D, Hulu Plus, Netflix, HBO GO, Social TV, Yahoo, Facebook, MTV, Media Hub, Screen Dream, SwipeIt, and YouTube. There are also the new Samsung Apps collection in the upper left corner, which is organized into categories like recommended Video apps, most recent Video apps, recommended Games/Sports/LifeStyle/Education/Information, yeah there are several hundred apps here, some of them free and some of them you have to buy. This is not very different from a Smart Phone.
My middle son likes YouTube a lot. YouTube has a lot of good professionally made stuff and good comedy, not just what people upload. So he sits and watches YouTube a lot on our 60 inch TV. Who needs HBO when you have YouTube.
Anyway, I tried some of these apps and I am using the browser to browse internet. Yesterday I tried the face book app and I was disappointed to find out that it required me to setup a Samsung face book account. That is stupid since I already have a face book account. However, instead I could use the web browser to get on face book.
One thing that annoyed me about the Web Browser, and the same is true for some other apps as well, is that it required you to press enter twice before you could type in things like web addresses, passwords, etc. After you pressed enter twice a little keyboard control box comes up that takes up a significant amount of real estate on the screen. I see no purpose in this. Also you cannot press enter after entering a password. You have to jump to the login button and then press enter. Well I guess that is like a smart phone browser but not like a computer.
The bottom line is that this is really cool and we are probably going to end up using many of these apps as we learn more about them. However, web browsing using the TV is mildly useful. It is similar to browsing the web using your smart phone, perhaps a little bit better, and you have a much larger screen. In my opinion you use the smart phone to browse the web because you don’t have a computer. Browsing the web using a computer is much better than using a smart phone or a smart TV. However, you most likely have a computer nearby your TV.
Picture Quality
The most important aspect of a TV is the picture quality and that is what we focused the most on when deciding on what TV to buy. As mentioned, the 1080p resolution mattered to us because we have multiple 1080p sources and for a large HDTV like this you can usually see a difference between 720p and 1080p. Naturally there are many other things that matter as well, perhaps more.
Another thing we considered was the refresh rate. There are 60Hz TV’s with a very good picture but 120Hz and 240Hz have some advantages. In general 24p movies (24 frames/second movies) display better in 120Hz and 240Hz because you cannot divide 60 by 24 evenly. That means that you cannot match the incoming frames with the 60Hz refresh rate and you may get judder. I should add that there are technologies that improve on this, for example, Sony’s MotionFlow technology. Blu-Ray video has a 60Hz frame rate and since you cannot add detail beyond what’s in the source that seems superfluous. However, there are technologies which can create in between pictures from two pictures. This can ruin and improve the picture, but at least with 120Hz and 240Hz you can do it. I also believe there are some 120Hz and 240Hz sources. It appears to me that the faster refresh rate helps when watching sports and especially when watching 3D games. I should add that we also looked at TV’s with a refresh rate of 480Hz. However, 480Hz seems to be completely unnecessary and you will pay for it. With 480Hz it appears that you are paying for nothing.
Samsung has something they call Auto Motion Plus 240Hz with a Clear Motion Rate 720Hz. The Clear Motion Rate measurement is calculated not just from the refresh rate but from the backlight and the chip set to allegedly get more realistic motion clarity metric. I am not really sure if this measurement is fair and what it really indicates. If 720Hz is supposed to be like an average 720Hz TV, what the heck what that mean and would such a high refresh rate make any difference over let say 480Hz? It sounds like a marketing gimmick so I take it with a grain of salt. However, the Auto Motion Plus 240Hz technology seems to do something good.
The Samsung UN 60D7000 TV has a dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000,000:1, which matters a lot when you play games, especially 3D games. The TV also features something called Micro Dimming Plus which allows more precise control of the backlight, and Samsung's so called Ultra Clear Panel absorbs ambient light and eliminates reflections and also boosts the contrast ratio.
When it comes down to it this TV has a very crisp, clear and fluid picture. The colors are vibrant, the shadow detail is great, and the skin tones look natural. As far as I can see there is hardly any blur and not much of reflections. The picture is not perfect but I think it is the best picture I’ve had on any TV and that I’ve seen on any neighbors or relatives TV. However, the off-angle view is not the best in my opinion. Overall the picture quality is quite good. Again, the picture quality depends your settings and on the source, and I am only considering 1080p programming, blu-ray, and games.
3-D Feature
To use the 3D feature you need 3D glasses, a 3D source (3D Blu-ray Disc player, 3D channel, game console), 3D content (3D movie or game), and an HDMI cable. As mentioned we got Samsung active 3D glasses SSG-3050GB, and we have games with 3D functionality, PS3 and X-Box. My son loves to play Halo Combat Evolved the Anniversary edition using the 3D graphics mode.
The gaming experience is improved in 3D and the 3D looks very good in my opinion. I don’t play that much but I’ve watched (with the glasses on) as my son is playing. It is a pleasure just sitting there and watching the 3D effects as if you were at Universal Studios. This is a promising feature and I am sure we’ll get 3D movies in the future. I’ve heard that the 3D experience is even better with the 8000 series but this is cool enough for me.
Sound Quality
This TV has hidden dual 15 watt speakers and it features Samsung's SRS TruSurround. It allegedly creates 3-D sound without a theater system. The sound is better than on most TV’s. It is not tinny, it is somewhat powerful, and I do get the “surround sound” feeling. However, the sound is not spectacular. If you really want a real home theater experience you can always buy and hook up a separate system (which I have not). However, the sound is good enough for us as it is.
Final Recommendation
So in summary, the picture is very good but not perfect, the sound is good enough, the 3-D feature is very cool, the Smart Hub and Apps and the web browsing could be useful, the TV remote and the menus are fairly intuitive, the built in WiFi is convenient, and the TV is beautiful and it has a lot of features, and it is also eco-friendly. Overall this is a good TV. However, the remote is also slightly annoying, off-angle views not so great, and it is a little bit expensive. I was waffling between four and five stars but I decided to go with five stars.
Finally I would like to add this review to Kelly60’s Eco-Friendly Write-Off since the TV is also relatively Eco-Friendly.
The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV is a Great Smart TV
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Pros: Good picture quality, 3D feature cool, smart features, built in WiFi, TV looks good, Eco-Friendly.
Cons: Remote loses connection, off-angle views, sound is just OK.
The Bottom Line:
The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED Smart TV is not a perfect TV but it has a lot of interesting features and good picture quality. 3D games here we come.
In January of this year we bought a Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV. We got it for a decent price at Conn’s and it included a free Samsung Smart Blu-Ray player and two 3D glasses (SSG-3050GB) for the 3D capability. I should add that this TV does not normally come with a Samsung Blu-Ray player or 3D glasses. It was a special deal atConn’s. We paid $2,599 and considering the included Blu-Ray player and 3D glasses we probably realistically paid around $2,000 for the TV itself.
We wanted a new modern large flat screen TV, preferably a 60 inch LED TV or more (well LED backlit LCD screen TV). We were interested in the 3-D capability since our kids like to play games and they wanted to do this in 3-D. Right now there is not much 3-D programming but it is coming and you can rent 3-D movies. Once 3-D becomes more common we can use the 3-D capability more often for both games and movies. We wanted 1080p resolution (sometimes called full HDTV) because we have DirectTV and they provide 1080p programming and we own blu-ray players. The kids also use the TV for their X-Box & PS3 & Wii games. Naturally we wanted the picture to be as good as possible but we were also interested in other features like good sound, eco friendliness, and it being a smart TV was also a plus.
We were mostly looking for a Samsung this time around since Samsung is the Mercedes of TV’s. Samsung is a little bit more expensive but it is a trusted brand that in general carries high quality products. However, we were open to other brands as well. We had read reviews, discussed with salesmen, and compared the image quality of various TV’s at various stores. I should say that the latter can be treacherous since you need the same high quality input for all the TV’s that you compare (1080p, high refresh rate, etc). In some stores they have one input source to one TV and another source for another TV and then you can’t compare them. The TV with the best picture may have the crappiest picture in the store. Well if you have lower resolution at home you should really compare using something comparable. That may not be possible. You need to make sure that you can trust your salesman on this and read many reviews.
Finally it came down to the Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV. It had everything we wanted and more, and after what I think was a fair comparison between TV pictures, I think we got a good deal.
We had our new TV mounted on the wall in our living room, set it up with DirectTV, and connected it to our new Samsung Smart blu-ray player, and the kids X-Box, etc. We also connected it to the encrypted wireless network that we have in our house. One of the features of this TV is that you can browse internet directly without connecting it to a computer. It allows you to connect it to internet via a wire or through WiFi. Naturally you can also connect it to a PC.
Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV Overview and Features
As mentioned the resolution of the TV is 1080p, but naturally it supports 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i as well. It is 60 inch diagonally, which is fairly big but not huge. The refresh rate is 240Hz, which is probably overkill when you are watching movies and TV. However, sports and games may look better in 120Hz or 240Hz, and 3-D games may require 240Hz for the best experience. Naturally this all depends in the input source.
The Samsung 60-inch LED Smart TV is a Smart TV which means that the TV is integrated with internet. Using the internet connection you can stream movies from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Vudu, etc. The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV features a Smart Hub, which is a portal through which you can access the internet using the TV. You have Samsung Applications, a Web Browser, search, face book, and Skype, much like the so called Smart Phones. We are just beginning to use these features and they may not be very important to us at this point, but they may be in the future as our habits change. It is certainly something to take into account when buying a TV.
The Samsung UN 60D7000 Smart TV also has built in WiFi so you can connect to a WiFi network without using a separate WiFi dongle. Naturally you can also connect it using a LAN cable. In addition the Samsung UN 60D7000 Smart TV features the so called AllShare DLNA Networking, which allows you to connect to your home network and stream music, videos, and photos from other DLNA Certified devices (cameras, computers, mobile devices, etc).
This TV has plenty of useful input connections. Four HDMI, three USB ports, Ethernet port, one Component Video, two Composite Video, PC input, PC Audio Input, and Component Audio Input. The TV weighs 47.8 pounds, which is light for a 60 inch TV, and it is just a tad wider than the 60 inch screen itself (ultra thin frame), which makes it practical for carrying and installing. The TV comes with a stand, which we did not use since we mounted it on the wall.
In summary, when we considered all these features it seemed like a good buy to us. Our experience with this TV tells us that we were right.
Eco-Friendliness & Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV
We also considered eco-friendliness. Global warming is an ominous threat to future generations and I think we need to consider it as consumers. Our electricity comes from wind power, I’ve recently bought a Toyota Prius, we are building a Green-Built house, we use LED light bulbs, and we are considering eco friendliness when buying appliances and electronics. I don’t think that it is all you should consider but all else equal why not consider it.
LED backlighting allows for a brighter display, better contrast levels, a thinner panel, as well as lower power consumption and better heat dissipation compared to other LCD technologies and Plasma TV’s uses significantly more electricity. This TV also has a so called Eco Sensor that adjusts the brightness based on the detected brightness in the room, and an Energy Saving feature which automatically adjusts the brightness depending on what you are watching. The Eco Sensor and the “Energy Saving” feature can be turned off under the “System/Eco Solution” menu item in case they become annoying. I can add that this TV exceeds the Energy Star rating limit by 50%.
The estimated yearly energy cost is $21.00 (5 hours a day, 11 cents per KWh) while similar models (60 to 64 inch) typically range between $31.00 and $79.00. That may not save you a lot of money, but it saves some money, and you reduce pollution. More importantly turn off the TV when you are not using it.
Look and Feel of the Samsung UN 60D7000 TV
One of the features of this TV that we found attractive was the fact that the TV is very thin and it features a very thin silver colored frame (the ultra thin bezel type). The width of the frame is 0.2 inch (0.5 centimeters). This looks very good on our wall and it will look good in our new Green-Built house. We also need to sell our old house and having this TV decorate the wall above the fireplace makes our house look better. I’ve never seen a better looking TV. The stagers we hired told us that this TV is perfect for selling a house. I should mention that the LED backlit LCD technology allows for a thin design, which allows for a cool looking TV. Naturally we did not buy this TV just to decorate our house so we could sell it, but it does not hurt, does it?
The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV; Usability & Remote
The Samsung UN60D7000 3D LED TV comes with a remote that has buttons on both sides. On one side you have the typical controls; power on/off, source, channel navigation buttons, and volume, info, and menu, plus a few special buttons. The special buttons include the button for switching between 3D image and regular, switching to the Smart Hub, Social TV, Yahoo apps, and the E-Manual.
The E-Manual is a Users Guide that is on the TV. You just press the E-Manual button and then you navigate with the arrow keys to select topics and sub topics. The main topics are Channel Menu, Basic Features, Preference Features, Advanced Features, and Other Information. Things like “Adjusting Picture Settings” and “Using your TV with your PC” is under Basic Features, while 3D and Smart Hub is under Advanced Features.
Having an easily accessible Users Guide on the TV is helpful in case you misplace the Users Guide. The E-Manual also seems to be more extensive.
On the backside of the remote there is a QWERTY keyboard and a few more buttons. You use this keyboard when you type things, which you need to do when using the Smart Hub. Unlike my smart phone (Samsung Galaxy S II) which has a touch screen, this is real buttons. Also unlike the smart phone you don’t need to switch between digits and alphabetical characters, they are both on the remote. This makes using the TV remote more efficient than using the Smart Phone for similar apps and for browsing the internet.
However, using the TV remote is not at all as efficient as using a real keyboard and not only because of the size. First of all there is no “alt” key, or F-buttons and I cannot type extended ascii characters using the remote control. The fact that there are buttons on both sides of the remote is also a problem. There you are navigating and reading reviews on epinions.com and by accident you press the “Smart Hub” button or the E-Manual on the other side of the remote and, poff gone, you leave the epinions.com page (yes it happened to me). It would have been nice if they had made the remote so that the keyboard side folded out or slid out instead of have two sides with buttons.
The biggest issue I have with the remote is that there seems to be communication problems with the TV. Sometimes nothing happens when you press a button. It just acts dead and then suddenly something happens. I should say that this problem seem to exist only when you use the back side of the remote that has the keyboard.
Overall I think the remote is intuitive and easy to use and the QWERTY keyboard is a nifty feature. However, I think there is some room for improvement with respect to the design of the remote and the communication with the TV.
The Smart Hub, Apps, and Web Browsing
There is a “Smart Hub” button on the front side of the remote control and on the back side. It will take you to the “Smart Hub” gateway which features various apps including a browser. It also features a “Search All” widget and a “Favorites” widget. Examples of apps and collections of apps are Channel, Source, AllShare, CNET, Videos, Photos, Music, Explore 3D, Hulu Plus, Netflix, HBO GO, Social TV, Yahoo, Facebook, MTV, Media Hub, Screen Dream, SwipeIt, and YouTube. There are also the new Samsung Apps collection in the upper left corner, which is organized into categories like recommended Video apps, most recent Video apps, recommended Games/Sports/LifeStyle/Education/Information, yeah there are several hundred apps here, some of them free and some of them you have to buy. This is not very different from a Smart Phone.
My middle son likes YouTube a lot. YouTube has a lot of good professionally made stuff and good comedy, not just what people upload. So he sits and watches YouTube a lot on our 60 inch TV. Who needs HBO when you have YouTube.
Anyway, I tried some of these apps and I am using the browser to browse internet. Yesterday I tried the face book app and I was disappointed to find out that it required me to setup a Samsung face book account. That is stupid since I already have a face book account. However, instead I could use the web browser to get on face book.
One thing that annoyed me about the Web Browser, and the same is true for some other apps as well, is that it required you to press enter twice before you could type in things like web addresses, passwords, etc. After you pressed enter twice a little keyboard control box comes up that takes up a significant amount of real estate on the screen. I see no purpose in this. Also you cannot press enter after entering a password. You have to jump to the login button and then press enter. Well I guess that is like a smart phone browser but not like a computer.
The bottom line is that this is really cool and we are probably going to end up using many of these apps as we learn more about them. However, web browsing using the TV is mildly useful. It is similar to browsing the web using your smart phone, perhaps a little bit better, and you have a much larger screen. In my opinion you use the smart phone to browse the web because you don’t have a computer. Browsing the web using a computer is much better than using a smart phone or a smart TV. However, you most likely have a computer nearby your TV.
Picture Quality
The most important aspect of a TV is the picture quality and that is what we focused the most on when deciding on what TV to buy. As mentioned, the 1080p resolution mattered to us because we have multiple 1080p sources and for a large HDTV like this you can usually see a difference between 720p and 1080p. Naturally there are many other things that matter as well, perhaps more.
Another thing we considered was the refresh rate. There are 60Hz TV’s with a very good picture but 120Hz and 240Hz have some advantages. In general 24p movies (24 frames/second movies) display better in 120Hz and 240Hz because you cannot divide 60 by 24 evenly. That means that you cannot match the incoming frames with the 60Hz refresh rate and you may get judder. I should add that there are technologies that improve on this, for example, Sony’s MotionFlow technology. Blu-Ray video has a 60Hz frame rate and since you cannot add detail beyond what’s in the source that seems superfluous. However, there are technologies which can create in between pictures from two pictures. This can ruin and improve the picture, but at least with 120Hz and 240Hz you can do it. I also believe there are some 120Hz and 240Hz sources. It appears to me that the faster refresh rate helps when watching sports and especially when watching 3D games. I should add that we also looked at TV’s with a refresh rate of 480Hz. However, 480Hz seems to be completely unnecessary and you will pay for it. With 480Hz it appears that you are paying for nothing.
Samsung has something they call Auto Motion Plus 240Hz with a Clear Motion Rate 720Hz. The Clear Motion Rate measurement is calculated not just from the refresh rate but from the backlight and the chip set to allegedly get more realistic motion clarity metric. I am not really sure if this measurement is fair and what it really indicates. If 720Hz is supposed to be like an average 720Hz TV, what the heck what that mean and would such a high refresh rate make any difference over let say 480Hz? It sounds like a marketing gimmick so I take it with a grain of salt. However, the Auto Motion Plus 240Hz technology seems to do something good.
The Samsung UN 60D7000 TV has a dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000,000:1, which matters a lot when you play games, especially 3D games. The TV also features something called Micro Dimming Plus which allows more precise control of the backlight, and Samsung's so called Ultra Clear Panel absorbs ambient light and eliminates reflections and also boosts the contrast ratio.
When it comes down to it this TV has a very crisp, clear and fluid picture. The colors are vibrant, the shadow detail is great, and the skin tones look natural. As far as I can see there is hardly any blur and not much of reflections. The picture is not perfect but I think it is the best picture I’ve had on any TV and that I’ve seen on any neighbors or relatives TV. However, the off-angle view is not the best in my opinion. Overall the picture quality is quite good. Again, the picture quality depends your settings and on the source, and I am only considering 1080p programming, blu-ray, and games.
3-D Feature
To use the 3D feature you need 3D glasses, a 3D source (3D Blu-ray Disc player, 3D channel, game console), 3D content (3D movie or game), and an HDMI cable. As mentioned we got Samsung active 3D glasses SSG-3050GB, and we have games with 3D functionality, PS3 and X-Box. My son loves to play Halo Combat Evolved the Anniversary edition using the 3D graphics mode.
The gaming experience is improved in 3D and the 3D looks very good in my opinion. I don’t play that much but I’ve watched (with the glasses on) as my son is playing. It is a pleasure just sitting there and watching the 3D effects as if you were at Universal Studios. This is a promising feature and I am sure we’ll get 3D movies in the future. I’ve heard that the 3D experience is even better with the 8000 series but this is cool enough for me.
Sound Quality
This TV has hidden dual 15 watt speakers and it features Samsung's SRS TruSurround. It allegedly creates 3-D sound without a theater system. The sound is better than on most TV’s. It is not tinny, it is somewhat powerful, and I do get the “surround sound” feeling. However, the sound is not spectacular. If you really want a real home theater experience you can always buy and hook up a separate system (which I have not). However, the sound is good enough for us as it is.
Final Recommendation
So in summary, the picture is very good but not perfect, the sound is good enough, the 3-D feature is very cool, the Smart Hub and Apps and the web browsing could be useful, the TV remote and the menus are fairly intuitive, the built in WiFi is convenient, and the TV is beautiful and it has a lot of features, and it is also eco-friendly. Overall this is a good TV. However, the remote is also slightly annoying, off-angle views not so great, and it is a little bit expensive. I was waffling between four and five stars but I decided to go with five stars.
Finally I would like to add this review to Kelly60’s Eco-Friendly Write-Off since the TV is also relatively Eco-Friendly.
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