Comment on Samsung UN46ES6500 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) by Brian.
Excellent 3D TV, the “Smart” stuff isn’t great but I don’t care.,
I got this TV to upgrade from an older Samsung 46″ 60htz LCD which I loved. I spent a lot of time comparing TV brands when buying that first TV and didn’t have to do much shopping for this one. I knew that I loved Samsung’s picture over any other TV except for some of the Sony Bravias but they’re overpriced IMO. I wanted a 55″ 3D with at least 120htz and this one fit the bill. I bought the last one on Amazon so I came back here for this purchase. They delivered it quickly and it was in perfect condition as expected.
I was initially aprehensive about this TV after seeing it only got 3 1/2 stars in customer reviews so I read all the reviews. I found that the people who gave the TV a negative review were all upset about the Smart TV internet features. Slow connectivity when using a browser, Netflix, Youtube, etc. I understand their reason for being upset because a TV that includes those features should function properly. Unfortunately these rely heavily on your internet connection speed which may not be fast enough to support them. Oh well, buy a faster internet plan. This TV is on the low end of the Smart TV spectrum so I wouldn’t expect those features to perform as well on it considering the other 3 models above it have dual core processors built into them to handle that. Buy one of those models with the dual core if you’re main reason for having a TV is to surf the internet or watch youtube. Or just use your computer for that like the rest of us. The actual “TV” is top-notch and the 3D is spectacular!
I agree with some of the reviewers that the picture needs tweaking to get it right. I was fully prepared for that because I had to tweak my last Samsung for a while before getting the picture just right but once it’s set, it’s awesome. This TV has even more options to tweak so it can get confusing for the inexperienced but it’s capable of producing one of the best pictures out there if you know how to tune it. The Dynamic, Standard, and Native picture modes are actually pretty useless unfortunately. Set it to Movie mode and start tweaking. Yes, it starts out dark so increase the backlighting and brightness, bump up the color and sharpness, high auto contrast, darkest black level, etc… If anyone wants my specific settings I’ll list them if you ask.
The 3D is simply awesome. Home theater 3D isn’t going to be as good as going to an IMAX theater but it’s still pretty sweet. One thing to keep in mind is that the picture mode settings that you did in TV mode don’t carry over to 3D mode nor do they carry over to the other sources, HDMI in, Component In. So, if you have a PS3 hooked up to HDMI you’ll have to edit the picture settings for that source to match the main TV settings so you get the same picture in both. Game Mode limits the amount of settings you can tweak so you have to use your judgement with that but if you match everything you can it’ll work out fine. Just remember to turn Game Mode OFF before watching movies because it degrades picture quality.
I’m sure this isn’t the best review out there for the TV but it might be of some use to some of you. If you’re considering a 3D TV and you’re not overly concerned with using it as a web browser and just want a great TV then this is it. Once dialed in, the picture is fantastic and the price is right. If you’re interested in the Smart TV features MORE than watching a great and inexpensive 3D TV then pay more money for the next models in the series that have the dual core processor. Regardless, stick with a Samsung because it’s always the best picture for the money.
