Samsung UN55B8000 – Edge-Lit HDTV pros and Cons
In many ways – style, picture quality and price, for example – the 55-inch Samsung UN55B8000 is a cut above other LCD HDTV models, thanks largely to its innovative edge-lit LED lighting technology. Are you wondering what an edge-lit HDTV is? Read on.
Before we try to understand the concept of edge-lit HDTVs, let us first take a look at how LED-based televisions work. As you probably already know, most LCD televisions use a fluorescent lamp for a backlight, which is the main reason why they cannot produce black levels as deep as Plasma televisions. However, with LED-based televisions, as the term implies, hundreds of LEDs or small bulbs are used to light up the panel. These bulbs are arranged in clusters that can be turned off individually, resulting in outstandingly deep blacks. Other advantages of LEDs include lower energy consumption, durability and longer shelf life.
Because of this, many want to buy an LED-based HDTV. And now, there’s one more reason why they should – edge-lit HDTVs. While regular LED-based HDTVs are direct-lit, meaning to say their panels are covered with LEDs, edge-lit HDTVs, like the Samsung UN55B8000, have only a few rows of LEDs covering the top and bottom of the panel. Instead of projecting the light forward, they project it to the center of the screen to a light guide plate which then focuses it forward.
So what is so great about an edge-lit HDTV? For one, edge-lit LED technology allows HDTVs to be made thinner and lighter. Just take a look at Samsung’s latest LCD HDTVs. They are very slim, easy to carry and mount on the wall, and look more attractive than other models. The UN55B8000 is a perfect example, measuring only 1.2 inches deep at most.
More importantly, edge-lit HDTVs consume the least amount of electricity among current HDTVs. Just think, LCD HDTVs are already considered energy savers compared to other types like Plasma, and LED-based ones consume far less. Edge-lit HDTVs consume even less, since they use less LEDs.
As for the cons of an edge-lit HDTV, these are basically issues on screen brightness, uniformity and the heating of the frames, especially along the top and bottom where the LEDs are situated. Samsung has done a good job of minimizing these, though, so that with the UN55B8000, you can only notice the lack of uniformity during dark scenes, and only if you have a trained eye.
There are other reasons to buy the Samsung UN55B8000 aside from its edge-lit LCD lighting technology, like its accurate colors and excellent video processing with a refresh rate of 240Hz that prevents blurring even when the action picks up. It also has Yahoo widgets which you can put on your screen, DLNA capability that lets you access stored media files on your networked computers and a built-in content library to keep you entertained. While there aren’t much connectivity options for analog devices, the UN55B8000 still provides four HDMI inputs, a PC input and two USB ports.
Overall, the Samsung UN55B8000 is a great buy, that is, if you can afford it. After all, it is not only an edge-lit LED-based LCD HDTV. With an eye-catching design, a bunch of great features and breathtaking images, it might as well be Samsung’s best LED TV yet.
Edward McKellen is an HDTV expert who writes television reviews for HDTVreviewlab.com. To read more about the Samsung UN55B8000 55 inch LED HDTV or check out the latest Sony HDTV reviews visit HDTVreviewlab.com
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