Samsung NU8000 Owners Thread

Which ones better for sports snd motion? I watch a lot of football (soccer)

OLED! :lesson:

To have good motion, you need a TV with a good response time; which is the time it takes for a pixel to change state from one color to another.

This changing of states in LCD panels take a longer time; though some are faster than others, the slower ones will cause a trail to follow the moving object. When the response time is especially bad, a sports or action scene can turn into a blurry mess.

OLED TVs do not have this problem.

Each of the pixels can change state virtually instantly, from 1 to 2.5 milliseconds, so no trail is left behind. For this reason, most review sites and testers consider OLED TVs to have no motion blur. Different LED TVs will vary however, anywhere from 7.5 to 23.8 milliseconds. Making OLEDs between 3 and 7.5 times faster than even the high end LCD TVs.

For reference, the C9 is 4 times faster than the Q90, with times of 2.4ms and 9.6ms respectively on a 100% response time.

Do note though, that for some people, the extraordinarily small amount of motion blur of OLED screens can be a disadvantage. As lower framerate content such as movies may appear stuttery, since to the eye the frames do not blend. Though most OLEDs have motion controls to mitigate this.

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Also, I’m from the UK…I know it’s football! ;)
 
Yes I do on all modes.
The Rtings settings improved it a bit, specially the custom BT709 colorspace. Latest updates also have improved color in general.

But my point it that for some reason I'm the only one that notices it. It's a minor thing but it's there.
Strange indeed...

Unless my eyes are totally mucked up (remotely possible with my getting-worse vision :rolleyes:), I never really experienced poor or "off" color with the NU -- and all my picture modes are in their default color positions ("25" in both Movie and Standard).
 
Could you not use it in another room.

I normally cycle my TVs; lounge TV goes to family room, family room TV goes to bedroom, etc.

I suppose I could -- and we have done that in the past with (mainly) disc players (our first-generation Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player is now doing duty in our bedroom, connected to a 40" LG LCD) -- but it would have to go in the upstairs loft area that we use as a relaxation lounge/hi-fi spot (our two-channel audio system is up there) and which boasts a 60-gallon aquarium (we have to set it up again to house fancy goldfish), and I'm not certain it would be needed up there...

At any rate, I was hoping to actually SELL the NU so we could perhaps have SOME money towards a new FALD or OLED; that was my thinking, anyway...😔

I don’t personally have that perception issue of the screen getting smaller; but if you do, then I can see how that might be an issue. I would still recommend it though, especially since the cost of trying it is so low; I got a kit that will go around the top and both sides of the TV for £12 ($15 approx) from Amazon.

To minimize the level of distraction, I would recommend getting only a D65 white light, as opposed to any other colour or multi-colour solution. D65 white is also proven to be the best light for maximizing the perceived improvement in blacks.

Oh I definitely wouldn't get the multi-colored lights, Andrew; I always thought those were so stupid-looking when I viewed YouTube videos of people using them behind their TVs...I mean, what is the POINT of that? To have a carnival-like kaleidoscope of colors distracting you while watching the screen?

Does anyone you know have a FALD that you could go view? Preferably in a pitch black environment like how you view your content currently.

Unfortunately, no.

Or do you have any specialist stores near you? Most dedicated home theatre stores in the UK will set up demos for viewings.

I'd have to look into this; I don't believe there are such shops.

I’d recommend the saving either way. A few more months of saving for an OLED would be far better for your situation than buying a FALD.

Will take into consideration.

Do you still think OLED will be bright enough in terms of HDR highlights, though?

I doubt you’re off your rocker.

The dimming system on the NU8000 is admittedly not the best, but it is one of the best for edge-lit TVs; with only an older Sony edge-lit model (I forget the exact model now) beating it, but that Sony was so good it could beat some FALD sets in measurement tests.

It is also possible that the people here were lucky and got really good panels, but my friends’ panels perform equally as good as mine, so odds are that these are just the usual panels. Albeit that’s based on a very small sample size, but it is a real world sample size of panels bought from different vendors in different areas.

As discussed, it could also be a region thing, as I do notice far more US customer (I read a lot of AVSforums, though I’m not a member) having issues than those in the EU or Asia. Though why Samsung would make that sort of a choice seems odd as would surely only serve to hinder sales in that region.

No worries either way; I'm dealing with the issues until I can get something else.

To be honest, I've been a bit harsh on my NU with regard to ragging on it here for its black performance....just the other night I pulled Aquaman off the shelf (the 4K Blu-ray) and switched the local dimming back to HIGH for HDR, and I didn't really notice such aggressively horrible black bars (in the non-IMAX sequences; the 1.85:1 screen-filling IMAX scenes were JAW-dropping)...either that, or I am beginning to train my eyes to stop purposely looking at the letterbox areas or for the dimming deficiencies.

And, as I have stated before, SDR isn't really a problem, per se, with the blooming; every once in awhile the black bars light up a bit when bright content within a dark scene gets near them, and while that is annoying, it's not something I can't live with for the time being.

So, I'm gonna stop my "I hate the black levels on this thing!!!!" ranting at this point and just discuss other aspects of the NU8000 series as you chaps bring them up. :nono::cool:

In my experience, projectors are far more stable with the image they produce than TVs are; old rear projection TV sets notwithstanding.

For dark room viewing, I’ve never had a better picture than that produced by my old projector. I still regret the day I sold it.

Either way, it's a moot point in my situation because I don't really have the setup to do a good projection arrangement -- we don't have a dedicated room for it, and to do it the way I'd want (have a drop-down screen installed in front of our entertainment center that's motorized so the screen drops just for serious film viewing) would just be completely out of our budget (I'm just a freelance writer, after all :(:mad:).

That said, they aren’t poor at HDR requirements…they just flat out can’t do it, they have to tone map HDR content instead.

I see; well, I suppose my overall point was that projectors just can't deliver a supreme HDR image like a flat-panel one-piece television system can (assuming the television system is capable of displaying true HDR with a minimum peak brightness requirement; i.e. our NUs representing the minimum example in this scenario).

No, to manufacturers, FALD is still seen very much as a premium feature.

In terms of dimming capabilities, as a general rule, I’d say:

Basic (up to £450/$592)
Direct Lit backlight with no dimming features.
Mid Range (Up to £700/$920)
Edge Lit backlight with no dimming, but a thinner TV, or Direct Lit with only global dimming.
Premium (£700/$920-£1000/$1314)
Edge-lit with local dimming, or FALD with approx. 50 zones.
Flagship (£1000/$1314+)
Either an OLED or FALD with 100+ zones.

Those are obviously very rough guides, with some models concentrating more on “features” than picture quality; with some top end Mid-range TVs for instance having more “features” at the expense of dimming capability, whilst a low end Premium TV might have the dimming capability, but fewer fancy features.

There will also be some overlap or cross-over from one manufacturer to another, due to the fact that some manufacturers just don’t produce some types of TVs at all. The price ranges I have labelled are the general launch prices, and don’t take into consideration sales/discounts or regional pricing ($ values based on today’s exchange rate).

But it is a good rule of thumb IMO.

Yes, I'd agree with that assessment.

I’ve not noticed any difference to the brightness, since the update.
Indeed; I'm not seeing ANY improvement, performance-wise with the update. In fact, it's possible that the brightness has been somewhat REDUCED....???? :confused::eek:

I think these updates are more for improving "tactile" elements for people who use them -- the Freesync performance, perhaps stability using certain inputs, etc.
 
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At any rate, I was hoping to actually SELL the NU so we could perhaps have SOME money towards a new FALD or OLED; that was my thinking, anyway...😔

Ah, ok.

Oh I definitely wouldn't get the multi-colored lights, Andrew; I always thought those were so stupid-looking when I viewed YouTube videos of people using them behind their TVs...I mean, what is the POINT of that? To have a carnival-like kaleidoscope of colors distracting you while watching the screen?

I idea is to minimise the "shrinking screen" effect you mentioned regarding bias lighting.

If you have lights that change colour to match what is on screen, blue light shining on top for a blue sky, green on the bottom for grass, etc.; then the perceived effect is that the screen doesn't end where the bezel is, thus mitigating the appearance of a smaller screen.

Phillips were the first to really push this as a feature in their original line of Ambilight LCD TVs.

Do you still think OLED will be bright enough in terms of HDR highlights, though?

In a dark room, absolutely.

...either that, or I am beginning to train my eyes to stop purposely looking at the letterbox areas or for the dimming deficiencies.

I can't do that, once I've spotted an issue, I find it really hard to ignore it.

I think these updates are more for improving "tactile" elements for people who use them -- the Freesync performance, perhaps stability using certain inputs, etc.

It is mostly just "security updates", patching the OS so that people can't force side-load apps et al, etc.

Because people used to side-load apps onto Samsung TVs and then use those apps to illegally stream copyrighted material. So they now do regular updates to patch the various methods of doing so out.

At this stage in the product life-cycle, they aren't actively supporting it in terms of "performance improvement". Any improvements will be a a side effect of tweaking the areas of the OS that are shared across all models/ranges.
 
I idea is to minimise the "shrinking screen" effect you mentioned regarding bias lighting.

If you have lights that change colour to match what is on screen, blue light shining on top for a blue sky, green on the bottom for grass, etc.; then the perceived effect is that the screen doesn't end where the bezel is, thus mitigating the appearance of a smaller screen.

Phillips were the first to really push this as a feature in their original line of Ambilight LCD TVs.

Oh -- I wasn't aware that the changing colors could actually affect the perception of the size. If that's the case, I may look into them...unless you recommend strictly considering the dimmer white variants...

In a dark room, absolutely.

:smashin:

I can't do that, once I've spotted an issue, I find it really hard to ignore it.

I know what you mean; don't get me wrong -- my eye IMMEDIATELY wants to go to the letterboxing areas when I view scope format films. But I just feel like there are rare moments -- like when I was watching Aquaman the other night -- in which I kind of "force" myself to focus in on the content right in the middle of the screen as to not be distracted by the local dimming inaccuracies.

It is mostly just "security updates", patching the OS so that people can't force side-load apps et al, etc.

Because people used to side-load apps onto Samsung TVs and then use those apps to illegally stream copyrighted material. So they now do regular updates to patch the various methods of doing so out.

At this stage in the product life-cycle, they aren't actively supporting it in terms of "performance improvement". Any improvements will be a a side effect of tweaking the areas of the OS that are shared across all models/ranges.
I suppose that makes sense; after all, it's still an edge-lit panel we have, so it's not like Samsung is going to suddenly roll out a firmware patch that's gonna make these sets magically behave like an OLED or premium FALD screen. I always hold out hope, though, that one of these updates is actually going to perhaps improve the dimming mechanism of the panel so that blooming isn't so noticeable, et al...

Know what I mean? ;)
 
My NU8000 has literally just updated to 1290.4 - Australia tends to lag behind a bit re updates!
 
Oh -- I wasn't aware that the changing colors could actually affect the perception of the size. If that's the case, I may look into them...unless you recommend strictly considering the dimmer white variants...

Depends.

If it is maximum "black perception" improvements you're after, then stick to D65 white light.

If you want to improve blacks a bit, but are worried about the screen being made to appear smaller, then go with variable coloured light.

Most coloured versions can do white anyway; but the initial investment in the coloured version will be more than the pure white version.

I always hold out hope, though, that one of these updates is actually going to perhaps improve the dimming mechanism of the panel so that blooming isn't so noticeable, et al...

Know what I mean? ;)

I know what you mean.

There is a slim chance they stil might, but if they do it will be unintentional. It will just because they improved something generic about the dimming algorithm, that they have then rolled out across all their updates.

They won't make any NU series specific performance updates any more.
 
I don't own an NU8000, but I was considering one because they can do motion interpolation with minimal input lag - I had a plasma (LX5090) and gaming on a LCD at 60 Hz is frustrating without BFI or interpolation hacks.

I now have an OLED (FZ802) with a bias lighting kit from Medialight, and to see how much of a difference it makes, I put up a black screen and raised the black level (Brightness) until the blacks were no longer inky (10% nit surround, which is industry standard). I didn't see a difference until the black level was raised to 0.02 nits, and even then it wasn't that bad.

Just thought I'd share this given the recent discussion on bias lighting, as 0.02 nits is possible with a good VA LCD. Not in HDR of course, you won't find a VA LCD that can simultaneously do 1000 nit peak whites and 0.02 nit blacks, but in SDR I don't think OLEDs and VA LCDs are that far apart with a bit of bias lighting.

And bias lighting is used by the studios that grade your films and shows, so it's less hacky than it feels at first. You see a more correct picture with bias lighting than without.
 
in SDR I don't think OLEDs and VA LCDs are that far apart with a bit of bias lighting.

And bias lighting is used by the studios that grade your films and shows, so it's less hacky than it feels at first. You see a more correct picture with bias lighting than without.
I cannot stress this enough. I'll stop though as I'm starting to come across as preachy 🤣🤣🤣
 
Depends.

If it is maximum "black perception" improvements you're after, then stick to D65 white light.

If you want to improve blacks a bit, but are worried about the screen being made to appear smaller, then go with variable coloured light.

Most coloured versions can do white anyway; but the initial investment in the coloured version will be more than the pure white version.

I guess I'll take it under advisement.

I know what you mean.

There is a slim chance they stil might, but if they do it will be unintentional. It will just because they improved something generic about the dimming algorithm, that they have then rolled out across all their updates.

They won't make any NU series specific performance updates any more.
I see; at any rate, yeah, I'm not seeing any improvements/changes to the actual, physical performance of the NU's algorithm (at least on my panel), and I've watched a plethora of mixed broadcast and film content since that time including cable news and discs such as National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Turbulence, Home Alone, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Batman Returns and Aquaman.
 
Service Menu has anyone else looked in your service menu on your Samsung Nu8000?
To get to the service menu just have your TV on stand by, and click info, menu, 182, power.
I even looked in the service menu to see if there were any setting that would help me letting my Yamaha AV receiver to turn off and turn on my TV. No luck
 
Service Menu has anyone else looked in your service menu on your Samsung Nu8000?
To get to the service menu just have your TV on stand by, and click info, menu, 182, power.
I even looked in the service menu to see if there were any setting that would help me letting my Yamaha AV receiver to turn off and turn on my TV. No luck
?
 
To get to the service menu just have your TV on stand by, and click info, menu, 182, power.


It is the steps for accessing the service menu; but you’d need a candy bar style remote in order to do it.

With TV powered off to standby, press info, settings, mute and then power. When the TV powers on, it will be in the service menu.
 
Service Menu has anyone else looked in your service menu on your Samsung Nu8000?
To get to the service menu just have your TV on stand by, and click info, menu, 182, power.

Yes, been in it a number of times.

I even looked in the service menu to see if there were any setting that would help me letting my Yamaha AV receiver to turn off and turn on my TV. No luck

I can’t think of any settings in the service menu that would help with that issue.
 
Has anyone on here tested Samsung's Game Motion Plus? How well does it work?

Yeah I have tested it; how well it works, depends on what you want it to do.

It attempts to use motion controls to insert additional frames, thus turning a lower frame rate game into a perceived 120Hz game.

I don’t use it, because in reality it isn’t fast enough to keep up with faster paced games and/or the fluctuating frame rates given out by most devices. So it causes the introduction of picture oddities; this IMO far outweighs the benefits of the “increased framerate”.

Plus it introduced additional input lag, thus defeating the main purpose of “Game” mode. Not as much as if "Game" mode wasn't on, but still more either way.
 
It is the steps for accessing the service menu; but you’d need a candy bar style remote in order to do it.

With TV powered off to standby, press info, settings, mute and then power. When the TV powers on, it will be in the service menu.
Oh I see; didn't initially understand the point of the post.
 
Just as an odd curiosity...

I came across these comments over at AVS from owners in that forum's dedicated NU8000 thread:

After updating to 1290.4 my Amazon Prime, which I access thru the TV, seems to have slowed down. Scrolling thru movie lists and stopping/resuming movies is slower.
Anybody else experience this?


And...

Fit to Screen is now disabled on 1290.4 need old version.

Fit to Screen is now disabled on the new firmware. do anyone have one version before 1270.xx
Thanks

if u use less then 60mhz.

Fix It. Can't use the pc preset it make it grey out. all other ones works.


And...

Yes, I have the same experience but not only that. The splash screen logo is now huge, monochromatic and looks terrible, the busy animation is bigger and not as polished as before; and worst of all, the 1080p next to HD is gone from the info bar now, 720p and 1080p are both displayed as HD now. The amazon prime app feels like a significant downgrade overall. Shame.

I personally have not experienced the slower movement, loss of Fit to Screen or a bigger, more "obnoxious" splash screen, as these folks are reporting since the 1290 update...

Has anyone here?
 
Just as an odd curiosity...

I came across these comments over at AVS from owners in that forum's dedicated NU8000 thread:

After updating to 1290.4 my Amazon Prime, which I access thru the TV, seems to have slowed down. Scrolling thru movie lists and stopping/resuming movies is slower.
Anybody else experience this?


And...

Fit to Screen is now disabled on 1290.4 need old version.

Fit to Screen is now disabled on the new firmware. do anyone have one version before 1270.xx
Thanks

if u use less then 60mhz.

Fix It. Can't use the pc preset it make it grey out. all other ones works.


And...

Yes, I have the same experience but not only that. The splash screen logo is now huge, monochromatic and looks terrible, the busy animation is bigger and not as polished as before; and worst of all, the 1080p next to HD is gone from the info bar now, 720p and 1080p are both displayed as HD now. The amazon prime app feels like a significant downgrade overall. Shame.

I personally have not experienced the slower movement, loss of Fit to Screen or a bigger, more "obnoxious" splash screen, as these folks are reporting since the 1290 update...

Has anyone here?

No issues with a bigger splash screen, slower movement or "HD" display.

But on certain things I notice that "Fit to Screen" is now greyed out; seems to be on the internal apps only, as still available for HDMI devices.
 
No issues with a bigger splash screen, slower movement or "HD" display.

But on certain things I notice that "Fit to Screen" is now greyed out; seems to be on the internal apps only, as still available for HDMI devices.
Thanks for the feedback, Foster; indeed, I'm not using the internal apps, so perhaps that's why I didn't experience the Fit to Screen thing...

Interestingly, I DID notice that once my panel started receiving 2160 incoming resolution (from the Cambridge), the Fit to Screen's AUTO selection disappeared as an option, where it was once there before (when previously receiving 1080p resolution from my older Oppo BD player)...

Someone at Blu-ray.com had told me that it was probably because the television just won't provide the option of "Auto" with full 4K signals as they're "not really supposed to be overscanned," or something to that effect....
 
Where a source handles the majority of the processing the tv is essentially a monitor and just does as it’s told.
 
Where a source handles the majority of the processing the tv is essentially a monitor and just does as it’s told.
But here's the thing: This ONLY happened when my source went from a 1080p one (the old Blu-ray player, outputting 1080p to the Samsung) or a 1080i one (my cable box) to a 2160p variant (the new Blu-ray player) -- in other words, I HAD the Fit to Screen: AUTO option when feeding these lower resolutions (and still do with the cable box; it's actually what I use for that source) but I don't since the panel has been receiving 2160 resolution (evidenced when I go into the settings menu while the Blu-ray source is activated and the only Fit to Screen options available are OFF and ON)...
 

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