The remote is also backlit, with an appealing twist. At the top of the controller is a light sensor that prevents the remote lighting up when there is sufficient ambient light for you to see the buttons. The remote also has a built-in motion sensor, so just picking the controller up will illuminate the controls if necessary. This is terrifically useful if you're watching a movie in the dark, and we'd like to see this feature on more remotes.
Widgets
Older readers will remember the John Smith's bitter adverts from the '90s, which claimed a mysterious 'widget' was placed into the can to give your bitter a 'draught-poured' look and smoothness. The UE46B8000's widgets won't help your movie-night pint, but they will allow you to connect to the Internet and get news, weather and sports results delivered to your screen.
Samsung has also introduced a Twitter app recently, which enables users of the microblogging site to check their updates while they settle in to watch an episode of Big Brother. We're really taken with the Samsung widget engine -- it's aesthetically beautiful and potentially really useful.
Our only concern is that the TV's processing power seems insufficient to properly handle the apps. Loading the system is slow, and navigating around the apps can be a real pain. As good as the Twitter app is for looking at received messages, sending from the TV is a no-no. The interface is just too slow and clunky, and one short message took us more than 10 minutes to enter. We also made a couple of mistakes because it's so hard to use.
Conclusion
We like the Samsung UE46B8000 a great deal. Its picture is almost ludicrously sharp and detailed at times, and, even with Freeview, it can blow your socks off with its fantastic detail and colour. The UE46B8000's styling is nearly perfect, Samsung couldn't have fitted in more useful and enjoyable features if it tried, and, overall, we think it's a terrific piece of kit.
Of course, plasma TVs do away with all backlight issues, and, if you're a movie fan, we'd urge you to consider a Panasonic or Samsung plasma. Also, if you can track one down, the excellent Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX5090 plasma TV is about the same price.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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Raz888 23 March 2010
Good: Picture looked great in store playing HD promotional TV
Bad: Too Many things to list here, auto dimming, very poor sound, cloudy edges
Comment: Thought this new side lit LED was the way to go but its a marmite TV you will love it or hate it. Love is thin screen and sleek looks. or
When I had to live with it I found it unbearable, I am probably quite fussy being an former AV technician (not TV and that was a few years ago). First of all the sound is not bad its terrible, or at least very poor, but to make things worse no ear phone jack socket which could easily be connected to another source, NO phono output (that I could find) so forget connecting it to an amp unless you have an optical input on your music source.
The TV is sluggish to change channels but not terrible, My 9 series Samsung local dimming Tv is slightly slower than this.
Its the autodimming which is the problem I find with these side lit TVs, It appears to me that unlike my 956 Samsung (46inch) which can independently switch off individual LED/LCDs within the panel, using side lit technology means the whole panel has to dim to give you nice dark blacks? I tried to set the TV up so I can get the blacks nice and black but still retaining detail in the shadows, all looks fine until the panel dims and the blacks lose detail so look like a black blob. I understand its not possible to switch the auto dimming off? ( i couldnt see how to) as without the auto dimming it probably cant achieve black blacks? But this problem creates an issue with highlights too, set the tv up with bright highlights but retaining detail in the highlghts and when the Tv dims these no longer look correct? well not to me..
I also found that to get good blacks you need to lower the black dark setting to 3 or lower, however its then very difficult to get detail in the shadows, however lighten the setting up to 6 or 7 and then the blacks look grey and I notice clouding on the edges of the screen which I assume is from the bright LEDs trying to imput light from around the edges? there is also a very slight blueish glow around the edges of the screen which I can only assume is created from these side LEDs? Dont get me wrong this blueish glow is not really noticable in normal use, you need to get close to see this, within a metre or so and have the backlight turned up.
So my real problem is being unable to set up this Tv so its just how I like it, basically due to autodimming> perhaps someone will tell me how to switch this off? I dont think its possible but could be wrong.
I found it very difficult to just watch eg an Football match as watching the team in white when the panel brightens up, means the detail in the shorts is lost and is burnt out, Furthermore the green pitch looks too green and false? Yet when the image is a close up of average colours and the players the picture is very good.
Yes it has some good points, standard Def Tv through is DTV is very good, Much better than my panasonic 32inch Lcd, although certainly not as good as using a freesat Foxsat Humax connected with HDMI to the Samsung 9 series . So far I have found using the Humax and local dimming Samsung to be very good indeed, infact at times I am unsure whether I am watching HD or not, altho this does vary on the program being transmitted and channel (they can vary quite alot) Friends USA NTSC source not great , usually soft, yet BBC4 etc very good indeed, much of standard (UK Pal produced) ITV and Channel 4 the same. The Humax appears able to process an image from standard def Freesat better than any TV I have tried, although I have only tried around half a dozen TVs, I also own a Samsung plasma and Sony LCD. None of these are better using inbuilt tuners than the Humax (in my experience) although I would note maybe this could be due to me being in a weak Freeview area? However I am not in a weak freeview area so ruling that out.
My suggestion to anyone buying the backlight LED TV such as this, is to buy it from a company where you can return it if you dont like it. If you watch SD tv its got a decent tuner, The auto dimming may
manuelcabral 8 March 2010
Good: DESIGN
Bad: ALL THE REST
Comment: AS NO ONE BUYS A TV TO LOOK AK THE DESIGN, CHOOSE ANOTHER BRAND IF YOU WANT TO WATCH TV. DON'T EVER GET AN EDGE-LED SAMSUNG.
gilberto 6 January 2010
Good: Design... picture when watching during day time
Bad: Clouding issues which Samsung says come with TV
Comment: Bad experience with Samsung on this TV. (UE46B8000) Had clouding and backlighting issues off center screen and asked samsung to fix TV. Panel was replaced on first repair but problem was still there. After 2nd repair had same issue. Samsung repair center called before 3rd repair to say clouding is expected on LED TV's and TV was working fine.... problem was my expectation that TV should be perfect (you would hope so paying 1700 for a TV). Did not even come for 3rd repair because could not repair clouding issue and just sent report to Samsung CS. Samsung CS said no replacement was necessary as TV was working fine as reported by repair center. Samsung CS said clouding is normal and expected on such TVs. Totally unacceptable behaviour from Samsung CS, basically ask me to "live with it" because clouding/backlight bleeding is acceptable (even though I explained I cannot see picture where clouding exist). My clouding is not at corners but in just off center.
Word of advice - 1) Test TV with Bluray player in dark environment as soon as out of the box. 2) If you notice clouding - return TV to retailer, do not go for warranty because Samsung CS cannot fix it and will ask you to live with it.
I am still trying to get TV replaced.
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