Samsung B8500 officially announced! - Page 61

Finally saw the set at my local best buy.Was not prepared for the beautiful,natural color that was on the screen from some fantasy blu ray film.Nothing harsh or blinding about the picture that i expected from seeing other LEDs in the past.Black was as good as the Kuro elite near it.No heat to speak of from anywhere on the unit.I had the saleman put a regular dvd movie in and it was so close the blu-ray that it sold me as what I need with my huge sd dvd collection.Now the hunt for the right price begins and the purchase of an oppo 83.Hope holiday competition drops some prices.

Fellow AV'rs. Got my 8500 locked and loaded and here is my first reports for those of you interested.

DELIVERY from ABT was on time and they sent me tracking numbers so I could track shipment.

TRANSPORTATION: Box is huge, I was able to fit it into a 2002 chevy blazer with the back two seats folded down. Blazer has rear hatchback with pickup-style downward folding gate. I transported it laying on its back with the glossy side of the box (front) facing up.

UNPACKING: My girlfriend and I easily carried the box from the curb into my living room. The box has hand grips on each side making it very easy to carry with a male and female adult. TV was packed very lightly with styrofoam stabilizers on all four corners and t-boneing tv across the top to keep it steady during shipping. I would have thought that they would fill the rest of the box with shipping popcorn because there was a lot of hollow space in the box which seems like it would be easy to crush.
I cut box from around tv and my girlfriend and I were able to lift tv about 4 feet onto a stand easily. Wiring was easy. Two HDMI cords going in and powered on the TV.

To be continued>>>> (im at work now)

SETUP: Put two AAA batteries in my new remote (not included). The cool thing about this remote is that it has some sort of motion sensor so that as soon as you grab it, it lights up without having to push a button. I love that. The tv puts you through standard set up, store display or home use, setting up cable channels,,, etc.

DISPLAY: I kept the factory settings and popped in Planet Earth on the PS3 (make sure you have 1080p checked on ps3 settings). I killed the lights and turned off the fireplace to kill all amient light... room is totally dark.

WOW.... the screen goes black and the sun pops along the edge of the earth in the opening credits. Pure Black, No letterbox, no greys, just the earth FLOATING in my living room.. kinda freaky the first time you see it. I hear a "OMG" from my GF sitting next to me We watched the first 20 min or so in normal viewing, then switched it to Dynamic and turned up backlight to 10 and then the images really popped out, especially in a dark room. Those of you familiar with the movie, there is a part where the birds of paradise are dancing and mating and there is a black bird that spreads his wings and inflates his breast with a bright blue smiley face looking markings... that blew me away. My girlfriend and I watched it over and over... just amazed at how it looked.


Movie #2: I popped in Watchmen and was treated to another visceral utopia! Great colors. You cant help but stare at the roughness of each grain of stubble on the face of The Comedian... yes the definition is so clear that you find yourself focusing on little details that are not even the main focus of the scene!


Ok, now no tv is perfect so here is the other part of my observations:
I did notice during a scene with single flying bird, shown at a distance, there was a blur outlining the bird.. and i noticed it with other scenes similar. I imagine this can be fixed with one of the blur or judder settings. Ill report back on it later.

Definate blooming in dark scenes such as credits at end of movie, or PS3 menu areas. It was not visually present, to myself, during any movie scene. It doesn't bother me at all, however I know it is a well discussed topic in this forum.

Standard definition is not processed very well. Watching Blue-ray and HD channels look awesome... its like driving a top fuel funny car at the drags... and winning every single race no matter who you race. Watching SD channels is like taking that same top fuel funny car and trying to run to Wal-mart for some milk and eggs.

Keep in mind that I have made no adjustments to set nor have I even dipped more than 5% into the menu to see whats available. I will report back with more candid info as soon as I get a chance to do so... and also to report back on my favorite subject...GAMEING on the PS3 and 8500 together!!!
To be continued......

that has a lot to do with source and making sure you have the tv in 4:3 mode. My 8000 and 950 both do very well with that set and my cable box set to pass through and to not convert and let the TV convert.

What, the remote doesnt come with batteries!Guess I wait till next years model to see if they correct this!

@ JOJO

Hey let us know about your ps3 experience. Looking forward to your opinion. Also as far as halos and what not. You say you dont really notice them in movies or anything...Pretty much the only thing holding me back is the idea of halos and blooming but i think im making it into a bigger issue than it would really be once i have the set. I think that is due to all the reading i do here about these issues, but i will say from the 5 or 6 times ive looked at this set in BB or Fryes i havent seen anything that turns me off. I thought about just going with the 8000 to avoid halos but once you see the two side by side there is no comparison, not to mention edge lit issues on top of everything. So i guess what i want from you is a "normal" guy opinion of these things once you actually get it in the house. Thanks in advance

Yah from a normal guy perspective I say go for it. The only faults I see in the set are ones that I specifically looked for after reading about them. Also, i don't thing I have my cable box hooked up correctly (as mentioned by another in this forum)... I'll keep u posted.

doh!! Forgot to do that. Thx!

In case anyone was hoping to get one soon, there's a thread on slickdeals for $3200 (possibly less) + a samsung BD player and most likely no tax. I'm contemplating whether to jump or wait a few more months.

I saw that! Very good deal available on 46B8500 too. It's starting to look a bit like Xmas!

I have been reading the posts with interest in the Samsung 8500 or 8000 55" I currently have a Bravia XBR 3 46".

Just saying - I am member of many forums of other subjects and found this forum to be VERY helpful, you guys really dig in..

Anyway- My questions-
Will I see a considerable improvement (enough to be noticed) over the Bravia with the 55 8000?
Should I look at the 46 for better res?
Should I just get the 8500 55" and roll with it?
Whats the best deal anyone has seen yet for these TV's and from a reputable source..
Budget is flexible for best value and performance..

Thanks guys and thanks for decoding much of these new products.

Capt. Steven
DrCatcher
Key West, Florida
Dream Catcher Charters

Well, like I said, I would report back what the result of my negotiations were at BB. They were willing to budge on the $4500 MSRP down to $3600+tax, but I would also have to buy the $450 warranty. I was okay with buying the warranty, but was not okay with the $3600+tax considering some people got the $3400 OTD from ABT. Granted, it's still a fantastic deal, but I'm holding out for a better price. But while I was there, I did manage to buy a TV stand with a mount so the trip was not a complete loss. I have an old Panasonic plasma on there now.


Well, I think you may be wrong on this point. A lot of retailers, both brick and mortar and online are giving out discounts. You have to ask for some but they are still out there.

I think that is what many of us are hoping for. The slickdeals thread mentioned above is very encouraging. I look forward to see what deals may shake out over the next month.

Thanks guys. I have been wondering why my SD reception seemed so poor.

I think with your all help I may now have it but let me run through what I have and if those more knowledgably then me could comment I would appreciate it.

I have a ps3 and cable box connected via hdmi cable to the 55b8500. I have three settings I can make to the cable box.

1. Set format of tv picture either 16:9, 4:3 letterbox or 4:3 panscan. I have this set to 16:9.

2. ypbpr/hdmi set to 1080i.

3. 4:3 Override where I have 4 settings. 480i, 480p, stretch, or off. I use to have that one set to "Off" but now have it set to 480i. My SD picture looks better and I THINK the HD picture looks unchanged from before (which is good).

Do I have it right now?

Then on playing BD from the ps3 I set the ps3 setting to allow the passing through of whatever the disk format is? Is that right?

Thanks,

Steve

I'm sure this has been answered many times in here so forgive me go not searching the nearly 2000 posts but could someone tell me their opinion if it's worth upgrading from a 7000 to an 8500? I saw the 8500 at Cedia and was very impressed with the local dimming but it wasn't in a position where I could do a good comparison. I really don't care too much about the refresh rate I am more interested in the improvements due to the local dimming. Thank you for your opinions.

Wow, I cant wait for the time that buying a 3k+ TV is actually worthwhile. Im mean really, CRT's are better in nearly every way except resolution and weight, but yet we still justify buying a 3k+ television worthwhile. Ive done it, and I still feel happier with my 27" Sony CRT which cost 1/10 as much. IMO, If you are spending 3k+ on a TV, it should at least outperform the the older tech. in every way possible and last 20+ years w/o having to "upgrade" to the "new one" every year. As much as Id like to have a 8500 Sammy, I just cant stand the fact that its NOT perfect for the price you pay.

there seems to be some great deals all over the place with this set. Has anyone actually jumped on the one posted on slickdeals?

Ive been tv less for a while lol -
two 52a750 returned due to flashlights
151FD returned - dont like plasmas, tried too, but dont

Love the 8500 - just waiting for a good price.

this is depends on what do you expect from TV?
personally I went with 42" LCD about 3-4 years ago to get 1920x1080 monitor of such huge size (it was ago huge) vs 30" LCD and for less
also to get 1080p for any video that comes out of my htpc.
CRT TV just was not able to do that for me, including size.

many went to plasmas / lcd for its sizes vs CRT - I think it was largest crt of 34"-40"

if you are for SD and don't care much about size of monitor than you will be disappointed of justifying paying so much for LED LCD
no, you'll NOT get 10x better picture then you have on your CRT - especially for SD

hope this helps you

I did yesterday! I briefly checked the bbb to see if there were any huge conflicts but they gave the store a B- but all matters look to have been resolved so figured it was worth a try

I jumped on the deal, seems like an OK seller, definately no Crutchfield. I did call them on the phone and their customer service was responsive!
Worst case I guess i argue it with my credit card company, thats what they are for, right?

btw, does anyone know what the VESA pattern on this TV is? I would like to order a mount adapter before it gets here!

To be a "Crutchfield" you would have to bend over and pay full MSRP. I don't know how they stay in business.

at that price im soooooo tempted.
would love to hear back how it went for those of you guys that purchased from them.

yeah with the bing cash back and the gimmie blu-ray player I found it hard to refuse...I myself have been watching and waiting for this TV for what seems like...well it has been a year or so, I am just glad to finally be done with it.

I'm not sure that there will ever be a perfect tv. IMHO, this tv is well with the money it's going for. Keep in mind that I upgraded from a 5000:1 panasonic projector PTae900 in my home theater to this 7 kazillion:1 contrast ratio... So this display (8500) is visual nirvana to me! In my review I only spoke of the downfalls of the 8500 for those that have more disciminating standards than myself. To me the tv is perfect..... I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder

So does anyone actually know if the bing cashback is gonna come through or not? There seems to be some question on whether or not it will due to the coupon being used.

Ive gotten bing cash back on items ive purchased through ebay - so long as you were using their search engine I believe there shouldnt be an issue. it will show you exactly right then and there how much your getting back, then takes what, another 30 days to get. You actually dont even have to use the search on their site. There was another way to search it out, and it tells you exactly how much percentage you get back - just dont remember it off hand

now for the TV special, I dont know .. I just read about that deal on here and had not looked into it too much yet.

A few people on the Slickdeals forums appear to have bought the B8500 from them, so you're not alone.


Because they accept returns no questions asked, a crutch a lot of people need. Why do you think it's called "Crutchfield?"

Alright guys i have like 2 or 3 hours to decide on going with the slick deals deal. My biggest concern is that i jump the gun and this thing drops below the 3200 that i could get it for now, during the next couple months (black friday, holidays blah blah).... So i need some expert advice right now. Do you guys count on this set coming down below this price anytime soon???

I'm on the confirmation page right now and still debating if I want to drop this amount of money down right now, but remember, you're getting a FREE $200 bluray player as well with it for that $3200. It hit my magic price point of under $3000 if you consider that it's $200 for the blu-ray player. It's a great deal that you won't find anywhere right now.

EDIT: Okay just pulled the trigger on this deal. I'm glad I waited. I was seriously thinking about calling ABT about the deal some other people got, but this one definitely is a great deal. I'm sure Black Friday will have deals that come close to this for some online retailers, but I don't think that brick and mortar stores will even approach this price.