With the Samsung UE55HU6900, the Koreans fire the price war. Ultra HD is the most modern, high-quality TV technology that can only be used with very expensive devices. That was yesterday. Today, there are first products already at the price of Full HD. At the bottom of the TV shopping mall, Asian manufacturers deliver fierce battles. Now come as “weapons” under 1,000 euros also Ultra-HD TVs are used: and not mini-devices, but handsome 55-inch TVs. The suggested retail price of 1,500 euros for Samsung’s new UE55HU6900 was soon after the introduction of some traders, such as Saturn, almost under half. So we are at the standard price of a proper 55-inch full HDTVs. Samsung, however, is not alone there, but is attacking UHD models from LG, TCL and Hisense.
Samsung UE55HU6900: Positive surprise
The first idea is that, in addition to reimporting, it is above all to offer discounted models with obsolete technology so cheaply. But the Samsung TV is brand new. Is the Samsung UE55HU6900 perhaps based on older technology and renounced on the latest in Ultra HD such important achievements of the latest generation such as 4K @ 60 Hz, HDCP 2.2 or the HEVC decoder? What else should justify the big difference already with the list price to the first tested brother HU7590, which looks even more similar, but scarcely the double costs?
Samsung UE55HU6900: Very well equipped
In the tests of the UHD sources, the Samsung UE55HU6900 was convincing. He easily played the 4K clips of our HDMI UHD players in 24 and 60 hertz and could be addressed by the test picture generator DVDO AVLab TPG in the highest resolution. The 4K film Timescapes ran on the USB stick flawlessly and looked good with 25 frames per second. A bigger challenge is already our recording of the ASTRA-UHD-Demokanal, which radiates in 50 Hz and with 10 bits (four times as many color steps), thus the next evolutionary stage of UHD. This material also exceled with a lot of color transitions and messy details.
The Samsung UE55HU6900 played with the latest firmware even our recording of the Linkin Park concert, which was broadcast in 4K. Here even the big brothers (with old firmware) had to fit. The crown he set up his UHD quartet selection by the fact that he also received the ASTRA demokanals via the integrated satellite tuner and showed error free. As a further test, we selected the 4K production Marco Polo via the Netflix app in the Smart TV environment. This also worked easily in top streaming quality. Of obsolete 4K technology so no trace - quite the opposite.
Samsung UE55HU6900: From the laboratory
The processing is not quite as noble as the top models. There is more plastic in housing and foot, but sharp edges or misshapen surfaces do not fall. Even through its greater depth, the TV does not look quite as smart, but the volume is supposed to bring even advantages in picture and sound.
As for the connections, nothing negative occurred to us. Four times HDMI, three times USB (of it once USB 3.0) and analog sockets without adapters are completely in order. With WLAN, MHL and Bluetooth for the mouse and keyboard are features on the list, which could have been saved in the price class.
However, Bluetooth requires the device anyway for the movement-sensitive remote control SmartTouch, which controls the entire TV system via a mouse pointer - similar to a Wii. It also accepts voice commands, such as search queries, via a built-in microphone. With the intelligent control of third-party devices and a huge range of smart TV apps, the equipment you get for the market price can be described as sensational.
The double version of the tuners, with which one could independently look, stream and record, remains the expensive models reserved. And another candy is missing, which is owed to the somewhat slow panel: 3D.
The first glance at the display is quite promising. It does not reflect as strongly as you have been accustomed to in recent years. For this, it appears to be slightly blackened to increase the contrast. If the room light is on, it also looks nice.
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However, the maximum luminosity is comparatively lean. In the darkened room shows that the zone-wise dimming, which Samsung likes synonymous with at the edge of the picture backlight LEDs used, remains ineffective here. For the measurement of the dynamic contrast alone, the background lighting turns off completely. What, on the other hand, has a positive effect is a proper illumination with very good avoidance of clouding and corner lights. In this case, the larger depth of the housing, which can be as large as five centimeters (large area), could have meant lighter play in the more even distribution of the light.
The view through the microscope brings out the typical VA structure of a Samsung panel, which, as always, shows paler colors if you are not watching from the front. On the front, however, the color preparation is excellent. Our measurements show macellose image parameters as they are not better implemented by the top model. In the classic two dimensions everything is all right.
It is only a problem with 3D and the fourth dimension: time. The 100 Hz panel is too slow for shutter 3D, and even with classic TV you can immediately see that there are fewer intermediate images, and that this is far coarser than in the 7 or 8 series. This is where the red pencil was set up. For cinema fans, who only want to enjoy a Blu-ray or 4K picture as unchanged as possible, this should play a lesser role, but Samsung instead of a real 24p playback, the 2: 3 pulldown. The film playback is similar to the learned viewing habits of the 60 Hz countries USA and Japan - a pity.
Samsung UE55HU6900: Conclusion
Still very impressive is Samsung's purge of bad sources, if you put noise filter and digital processing on car. Then disappear the previously terrifyingly violent artifacts of the TV broadcasts of SDTV and HDTV. Only the burning question remains whether you really need Ultra HD with a 55-inch image size. In order to be able to completely differentiate all details, one must reach the TV up to one meter. Then the sharpness of digital photos or the new 4K sources is however overwhelming.
In the lab: much too good
The image measurement of the Samsung UE55HU6900 shows a only marginally extended green, otherwise the measured values for still images almost perfect. Even the level of the base colors is right. The gamma is ideally close to the cinema look of 2.4. Only in third / fourth dimension and local dimming is it different from the reference.
Mini-pixel
The UHD pixels look like reduced versions of 2013 full HD TVs.
Illumination
The majority of the image area is best illuminated homogeneously. The fast wastes to the edges are perceptible, there is neither clouding nor light cone.
For the recommended retail price, the Samsung UE55HU6900 is already a good deal - the UHD and smart TV functions for the market price are sensational. Without renouncing 3D and slick motion playback you get a TV, which is a lot of fun. Only for a perfect picture you have to dig deeper into the bag.
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