Samsung UE32D5000 LED LCD TV Review

Ever wondered how Samsung’s entry-level 1080p LED LCD TV performs? Wonder no longer, because we have a UE32D5000 here for review. This is the Korean manufacturer’s cheapest 1080p LED-based LCD television this year, and features 4 HDMI inputs, some basic media/networking features (but not Samsung’s top-end “Smart Hub”), and somewhat disappointingly, no Freeview HD (DVB-T2) support. At this price point, there’s also no 100hz/200hz motion processing, so users will have to contend with the LCD panel’s native motion clarity without any blur-defeating processing aiding the picture. The model we reviewed also featured a video processor chip from MStar, rather than Samsung’s own (slightly more capable) processor which is featured in the more expensive panels. The Samsung UE32D5000 is priced at around £350-400 in the UK market, so let’s find out if this pared-down LED-sidelit LCD display can put out a great image for this price.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Samsung UE32D5000PWXXU, which is the 3-pin-plug United Kingdom version. While we did not review the larger 40-inch Samsung UE40D5000, there shouldn’t be any significant difference in picture performance given similar specifications within the D5000 series.

Design

Once known for hard edges and uninspiring plastic, Samsung shook up their own HDTV designs some time ago, and others have been following ever since. The UE32D5000 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to aesthetics: small bezel surrounding the screen, use of glass-like transparency around the outer edge, and of course, being an edge LED TV, an almost unfathomably thin panel. As usual, the gloss black used on the TV is highly prone to scratches – our review unit already had several which showed up in brighter rooms. Other than this, the only fault we noticed on our particular sample related to the transparent edge, which had some visible bubbles near the bottom. Obviously, this will vary from unit to unit, but it suggests that manufacturing tolerances in the more affordable models aren’t quite as tight.

Samsung UE32D5000

The table-top stand (supplied) is styled in much the same way as the television, and attaches fairly easily.

Connections

Despite its cheaper price point, there’s no real connectivity shortage on the Samsung UE32D5000, except for the omission of a Freeview HD-capable DVB-T2 tuner. There are four HDMI inputs, and Component, Composite, and SCART connectivity is given via supplied break-out adapter cables. Two USB ports and a LAN/ethernet terminal also feature.

Rear connections
Rear: 4 x HDMI, Component, SCART, aerial, ethernet & audio outs

Operation

The UE32D5000 doesn’t feature the new 2011-style Samsung menus, but that’s no problem, because the old ones look just as good (if not better), and respond quickly to user input. As an entry-level model, it’s not surprising that some of the more advanced picture calibration controls have been left out. More expensive Samsung HDTVs feature a three-axis colour management system (CMS) and 10-point Greyscale correction screens, for squeezing every last drop of performance from the panel. Hopefully, we won’t miss these controls much – we’ll see how the Samsung D5000 manages without them during the Calibration section.

[Picture] menu
[Picture] menu
[Picture] menus

 

24 comments

  1. Hi David,
    Thanks for the Review, Could you please post the Calibrated settings ?,
    Many thanks
    Martin.

  2. Great review David, been looking for a tv for my mothers bedroom this one could fit the bill.

  3. Nice review as always.

    My folks have this TV in the bedroom. I was very impressed with it for a low priced full HD TV from a big brand.

    I haven’t noticed any motion blur while watching sports on it.

  4. I have just ordered a Samsung UE40D5000 LED TV from Germany. Is there any chance that there will be an MStar video processor in my TV as well?
    Also the specs mention a 100hz clear motion technology. Will it be better than the UE32D500 you reviewed?

    Thank you!

  5. David, thanks for VERY MUCH reviewing this set. I had given up of finding a LCD TV released in 2011 with low input lag. Like Peter I would like to know whether the 40 inch version of the D5000 also contains the Mstar video processor.

    How did you determine the video processor of the 32 inch version ?

  6. Did you notice much/any inverse ghosting on the image? Thats what I found offputting on my LE40c530. 16ms is a very nice input lag result – would a 40 inch version be the same if it uses the same processor?

  7. Calibrated settings are here:
    http://forums.hdtvtest.co.uk/index.php/topic,6920.new.html

    @Peter:
    Good question – I don’t know. There have been regional variations in the past.

    @Lonny
    You can tell by the quality of the noise reduction if you’ve looked at enough Samsung TVs. Or, an easier way is to just go into the service menu (which will wipe your picture settings). The processor is displayed on the first page.

    @Lenny
    I didn’t notice inverse ghosting on the 32″ version I reviewed (although I did notice some static dithering in dark areas). The 40″ version might lag more, but it’s hard to say. Maybe we can hear from some 40″ owners?

  8. Great review as always,much appriciated! Samsungs D5000 series looks like a great and cheap option for gamers. I hope the 40 inch version is as good as the 32 inch one (especially in terms of input lag).

    Any chance that you’ll be reviewing the rather new Toshiba TL868? I currently have the 40 inch version (german model) at home but I have some issues with it and would really appriciate your professional opinion :-)

    The TL868 seems to have serious inverse ghosting (as far as I can tell), black smearing on dark backgrounds but also light green trails which look almost exactly like phosphor trails on older Panasonic plasmas, to which I’m really sensitive and can’t stand one bit :-(

    Sadly the Toshiba is one of the few TVs right now that are guaranteed to contain a S-PVA panel as I haven’t had any luck with Sonys and Samsungs in the past (all AUO A-MVA) but maybe I will give the 40D5000 a try.

    Oh and the TL868 doesn’t have a 2p Whitebalance instead they just included RGB-Level controls which act like a global control as far as I can tell. Also no manual gamma control either and the TV has software issues in that it fails to correctly detect the RGB Range that is put in by the PS3 once there’s achange in resolution (manual TV restart required to display correct RGB range) which is rather annoying because again Toshiba scrapped manual control over the RGB range in the settings menu :-(

    Cheers

  9. I hear this set is a panellottery. Samsung or CMO.

  10. @Paulus

    Yeah, I already thought so. Apparently in Germany the chances of getting a Samsung panel in a Samsung or Sony TV are somewhat slim, at least if you order from Amazon (personal experience).

    A salesman in one of the biggest electronic stores here (Saturn) tried to tell me that Samsung is only using their own panels in every single TV they sell! Yeah, right….

    Update on the Toshiba TL868: the green trails (probably caused by inverse ghosting; I used pixperan’s flag test, visible on the white flags on black background) are only green if you use colour temperature warm (too warm ~6000K) or if you try to calibrate the natural preset (which measures at roughly 8000K with an excess of blue) when you decrease the blue-level or increase the red-level.

    Picture quality is still decent though, contrast and black level is excellent!

  11. If you guys would like to comment further about this review or anything else please come and join us at the HDTVtest Forum by clicking the Forum button at the top of this page.

    Regards
    tele1962.
    Global Moderator.

  12. Will movie mode always offer the best picture quality,in particular for HSU programmes, and should I use this setting all the time when viewing HS?

  13. These power consumption measurements look bogus to me. The TV is rated to have a max power consumption of 80 watts, yet you manage to get 99 watts.

  14. I went and got one of these last week on the strength of the HDTV review, and have to say im very impressed with the PQ. For gaming, i’d say the set is unbeatable, cannot feel any input lag whatsoever.

    One thing I have noticed is that when the screen completely dims there is a faint high pitched ‘squealing’ sound. Its not intrusive just noticabe in quiet conditions. Did the reviewers or any other owners notice this? Is it normal?

  15. @ Kenny. Can’t say I’ve noticed any squealing noise from my tv. I tend to sit about 10 feet from the set. Maybe far enough away not to notice. Be interested to know which picture settings you use. Check out the forum to compare

  16. I ended up returning the TV as faulty for an exchange. No squealing sound on this set, however when viewing in a dark room (ie at night) you can see light coming through the the actual bezel on both bottom corners, like there is something wrong with the coating on the material so its transparent. Very shoddy if you ask me, so looks like I will be going for a refund. Shame as its a really good gaming set.

  17. I reckon you’ve been unlucky as I’ve had no problem(touch wood) with my Tv. You could try the 5520 which is almost the same set but with smart features and HD freeview. The slightly higher price might result in a better ‘quality controlled’ set

  18. Hi, I looked at that set but I think the input lag is higher. Yeah I think I have been unlucky, Saying that tho, I googled the problem (light patches shining through bezel) and found someone else with the same problem so Im thinking Samsungs quality control is not all that to be honest. It is a shame as the PQ is very good, I liked the design and 4 HDMI is very nice on a 32″.

  19. You mind explaining to me how it is acceptable to recommend this set when you have to go to such extremes just to get a decent picture quality? Is everyone supposed to have a colorimeter lying around?

    This TV has given me nothing but trouble, I’ve had 4 in my house, 2 with burnt pixels, 2 with vertical banding, 3 with a horrible red tint and 3 with what i would say is pretty bad back light bleeding/clouding. I’ve also had similar problems with another Samsung model, especially with defective pixels.

    The thing is, the first D5000 i had did not have the red color tint. It also had a different firmware version, it was designated “T-MST4DEUC” while all the others with the tint were “T-MSV4DEUC”.

    My point is, this red tint issue is totally unacceptable. It is so bad that i literally see some shades of black as red. Blindly fiddling about with the white level controls is no solution and it only leads to different issues like green trails appearing in dark fast moving images.

  20. Using this as a pc monitor for some rgp/mmo gaming anyone got any calibrated settings for this using hdmi1 lableled PC thanks

  21. Which panel is in this review tv? Samsung or CMo or something else?

  22. I have a the same model of tv is that it is a 22 inch, can someone give me the optimum settings to play the PS3? Thanks

  23. I am going to buy this set but there are some worrying information from forums that depending on panel version this TV could NOT have 1:1 pixel mapping. Are you aware of this issue?

  24. How is the sound quality? I’ve read through, no mention that I can see.. thanks.

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