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Samsung F8500

SUMMARY – The Samsung PS64F8500‘s new ‘Magnum’ look may sound a bit Zoolander but we really like it and think the combination of design and function works perfectly. However we can understand why some people may not appreciate how much space will be required to position the display, the fact it can’t be swiveled or where exactly they are going to put their soundbar. However there’s no denying that the all-metal chassis and solid construction is appropriate for a flagship model, as is the inclusion of two remote controls, an IR blaster and two pairs of 3D glasses.

The PS64F8500 uses Samsung's usual menu system, which is clear, concise and easy to navigate. The included calibration controls are excellent as always and the PS64F8500 is capable of a reference performance in terms of both greyscale and colour gamut. The video processing is equally as impressive and the PS64F8500 passed all the usual tests with flying colours. Samsung has included quad-core processing along with the latest version of their reference status Smart Hub platform and whilst the motion and voice controls still have a way to go, we found the built-in camera very useful for making Skype video calls. The rest of the smart platform is absolutely superb, with a bewildering array of apps, including a highly effective remote app.

The 2D picture performance was absolutely superb, with the PS64F8500 producing wonderfully clean and accurate images. Thanks to the excellent video processing, standard definition held up well on the larger screen size, whilst high definition material oozed with detail. Whilst the black levels aren't as good as some of the competition, they were still an improvement on last year and the Super Contrast Panel certainly delivered the goods in terms of brightness. The overall contrast ratio and dynamic range were also excellent, as was shadow detail and the ambient light filter performed its task admirably during the day. The off-axis performance was superb and the motion handling and screen uniformity were equally as good. The PS64F8500's 3D performance was just as accomplished with incredibly bright, accurate and detailed images that were completely free of crosstalk. The sense of depth and the immersive nature of the larger screen size are sure to please fans of 3D.

Whilst perhaps not the all-conquering heavyweight that some had expected, there’s a lot to really like about Samsung’s new PS64F8500. It incorporates a striking design with a cutting edge Smart TV platform and the kind of big and bright images that we never thought possible from a plasma. If you’re looking for some of the best 2D and especially 3D pictures around, then you should definitely check out the PS64F8500.

PICTURE QUALITY (2D) – As anyone who has ever seen one will know, you can’t beat a big TV screen for creating a visceral and enjoyable viewing experience. Even in 2D there is a feeling of being surrounded by the action and, depending on how far away you sit, an ability to fill your field of view. The downside to all this screen acreage is that the display needs to be at the top of its game, any deficiencies will be ruthlessly revealed and any weakness in source content all too obvious. Thankfully the PS64F85000 is more than up to the task, delivering the goods in terms of big screen entertainment.

First of all the reference greyscale and colour gamut meant that the PS64F8500 could fill its 64 inch screen with accurate images, natural colours and realistic flesh tones. This is important when there’s a face filling the screen, as the last thing you want is someone looking like they’ve got sun burn. Another area where Samsung has always been strong is video processing and this is very important when scaling content up to this screen size. Whilst we might enjoy the highest quality Blu-ray from time to time, the reality is that a lot of our content is still standard definition or streamed from the Internet, so the quad-core processing in the PS64F8500 has never been more important. Thanks to a recently acquired addiction to Netflix, we found ourselves watching a lot of compressed content on the PS64F8500 and were impressed with how well shows like House of Cards stood up on the larger screen size. The same was true of all our other streamed content, along with standard definition material watched on Freeview or DVD.

Of course it’s when you move up to high definition content that a big 64 inch screen really comes into its own and here the PS64F8500 could strut its stuff in style. The Samsung was capable of delivering some beautifully clean and detailed high definition images, that were generally free of noise and other artefacts like false contouring. There was some dither in dark areas of the picture that you could see when up close to the screen but it couldn’t be seen at any sensible viewing distance. In addition the Real Black Pro filter worked very well during the day, reducing reflections and maintaining effective black levels despite ambient light. As we would expect from a plasma, there was a wide horizontal viewing angle with a great off-axis performance but perhaps due to the filter the vertical performance wasn’t as good, so bear that in mind if wall mounting at a high angle.

Samsung’s efforts in developing their Super Contrast Panel has certainly paid dividends in terms of screen luminance and even the PS64F8500’s big screen could pump out enough brightness to compete with a lot of ambient light during the day. Screen uniformity was also excellent, with no banding or other artefacts apparent on any of our tests. Where they haven’t been quite so successful is in terms of the native blacks, which don’t come close to the subterranean levels found on the new Panasonics. There’s a reason why we list dynamic range and black levels first in the scoring criteria and that’s because the difference between the blacks and the whites is what gives an image its impact. The deeper the blacks, the brighter the whites and the greater the range between the two, the more effective the overall picture will be. The PS64F8500 still has an impressive dynamic range, thanks to its brightness, but the lack of really deep blacks robs the image of some of its overall impact.

That’s not to say the PS64F85000 couldn’t handle dark scenes well and in fact its ability to show both dark and bright images within the same frame was excellent, as was the level of shadow detail it was capable of. A good test of this is the last 30 minutes of Zero Dark Thirty, where director Katherine Bigelow is brave enough to show much of the assault on Bin Laden’s compound in almost total darkness. It’s a tough test for any TV but the PS64F8500 does a fantastic job of revealing all the detail within the very black shadows and also handling the sudden bursts of light from explosions. In previous years there have been issues with brightness pops and changing black levels, although we experienced neither issue with the PS64E8000 we reviewed in 2012. The same was true with the PS64F8500 and during the time that we were reviewing we didn’t experience any brightness pops or changing blacks levels. The PS64F8500 was also very strong when it came to handling motion, fast moving sports looked fantastic and 24p content retained a lovely film-like quality. We were also glad to see that Samsung’s habit of introducing backdoor noise reduction is a thing of the past. Overall this was an excellent 2D performance, with a bright, detailed and accurate picture that is sure to please anyone who demos it.

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