topspeed
09-07-2012, 08:44 AM
I compared the Sammy with the Sony HX850side by side, albeit in the cozy confines of Sears, and while I preferred the monolithic aesthetic of the Sony, the better edge definition of the Sammy won the day (they really need to offer a black bezel, the silver completely detracts from the zero edge). They were essentially the same price, so that wasn't a consideration.
I purchased the set online from powersellernyc.com and they delivered sooner than expected (10 days) and right into my house, new in box, and then plugged it in to verify it worked. Nice. The Salvador Dali inspired stand is quite flimsy when attached to the back of the set, so it's wise to take care when moving anything around as it will rock like AC/DC. Once plugged it, the menu guides you through the initial set-up and network pairing. The latter immediately brought up a 16 minute wait while it updated the software! Man, these things are more like computers every day. After calibrating the set according to a few sites online, I sat back and took it all in.
Blechh.
These settings may be what ISF or whoever decides is the correct picture, but to my eyes they were entirely too warm, too dark, and too yellowish. Out of the box, everything is set to kill, so you do need to downshift a few gears, but this was not what I was expecting. I switched from "movie" to "standard" ("dynamic" will give you a sunburn), tweaked the settings to dial it back a bit and derived a picture more to my liking. Apparently video is like audio, you like what you like and to hell with what other people think is "right." Dialed in, the picture is really quite stunning. There are no clouds in dark scenes, which will definitely show up as the blacks are as close to absolute that it would be hard to fathom anything deeper. The dramatic contrast really shines on quality HD and blu-ray content with very good color separation, no bleeding, and the aforementioned edge definition. I'm not a videophile, so suffice to say I'm really pleased with the picture.
This is a SmartTV, but apparently it needs a few remedial classes to pass the grade. I have a universal remote, so the touchpad/voice activated remote was never even unwrapped. The motion control simply does not work and was disabled. The voice control via the set top camera and mic allow you to access the apps and do basic controls, although I find it far easier to click my "off" button on my remote as opposed to saying "Hi TV, power off." Call me old fashioned, but most of this stuff reeks of gimmickry in my estimation.
I really didn't care about 3D, but since it was bundled with the set I gave it a whirl. 4 sets of active glasses are included and are actually quite light and far less bulky than the first gen that made you look like Drew Cary. I popped Killzone3 into the PS3 and my entire family let out a collective "Wow!" The depth of field is amazing and the 3D did nothing to mask the remarkable graphics and textures of the game. Switching over to one of DirecTV's 4 3D channels, we watched a documentary with underwater footage that darn near convinced your brain that you were looking through Nemo's command deck into the vast ocean. It was very cool...up to a point. Within 5-10 minutes I was acutely aware of the strain on my eyes and seriously doubt I could put up with it for more than an hour, tops.
So that's it. The picture quality is everything I'd hoped for, the 3D is a pleasant bonus, and I could care less about the "smart" features, which is good as they suck anyway. Game time for USC vs Syracuse is 12:30pm, Saturday, at my house. Bring beer. Who's coming?
I purchased the set online from powersellernyc.com and they delivered sooner than expected (10 days) and right into my house, new in box, and then plugged it in to verify it worked. Nice. The Salvador Dali inspired stand is quite flimsy when attached to the back of the set, so it's wise to take care when moving anything around as it will rock like AC/DC. Once plugged it, the menu guides you through the initial set-up and network pairing. The latter immediately brought up a 16 minute wait while it updated the software! Man, these things are more like computers every day. After calibrating the set according to a few sites online, I sat back and took it all in.
Blechh.
These settings may be what ISF or whoever decides is the correct picture, but to my eyes they were entirely too warm, too dark, and too yellowish. Out of the box, everything is set to kill, so you do need to downshift a few gears, but this was not what I was expecting. I switched from "movie" to "standard" ("dynamic" will give you a sunburn), tweaked the settings to dial it back a bit and derived a picture more to my liking. Apparently video is like audio, you like what you like and to hell with what other people think is "right." Dialed in, the picture is really quite stunning. There are no clouds in dark scenes, which will definitely show up as the blacks are as close to absolute that it would be hard to fathom anything deeper. The dramatic contrast really shines on quality HD and blu-ray content with very good color separation, no bleeding, and the aforementioned edge definition. I'm not a videophile, so suffice to say I'm really pleased with the picture.
This is a SmartTV, but apparently it needs a few remedial classes to pass the grade. I have a universal remote, so the touchpad/voice activated remote was never even unwrapped. The motion control simply does not work and was disabled. The voice control via the set top camera and mic allow you to access the apps and do basic controls, although I find it far easier to click my "off" button on my remote as opposed to saying "Hi TV, power off." Call me old fashioned, but most of this stuff reeks of gimmickry in my estimation.
I really didn't care about 3D, but since it was bundled with the set I gave it a whirl. 4 sets of active glasses are included and are actually quite light and far less bulky than the first gen that made you look like Drew Cary. I popped Killzone3 into the PS3 and my entire family let out a collective "Wow!" The depth of field is amazing and the 3D did nothing to mask the remarkable graphics and textures of the game. Switching over to one of DirecTV's 4 3D channels, we watched a documentary with underwater footage that darn near convinced your brain that you were looking through Nemo's command deck into the vast ocean. It was very cool...up to a point. Within 5-10 minutes I was acutely aware of the strain on my eyes and seriously doubt I could put up with it for more than an hour, tops.
So that's it. The picture quality is everything I'd hoped for, the 3D is a pleasant bonus, and I could care less about the "smart" features, which is good as they suck anyway. Game time for USC vs Syracuse is 12:30pm, Saturday, at my house. Bring beer. Who's coming?