Samsung UE48HU7500 UHD TV Review

Samsung is really hitting the ultra high-definition (UHD) TV market hard this year, having released no less than four different 4K Ultra HD series (HU6900, HU7500, HU8200 and HU8500), with more expected to be on the way post-IFA. In for review today is the Samsung UE48HU7500: we’ve previously tested its larger 55-inch sibling, but figured that we’d take a look at this 48-incher too for a couple of reasons.

Samsung UE48HU7500

The 48HU7500 is the first television with a screen size of 48 inches to be reviewed by us; it’s also the smallest-sized 4K TV to pass through our test room. So many questions, let’s see if we can provide some answers.

Note: The physical design, on-screen menu, connection ports and remote controls on the Samsung UE-48HU7500 is identical to those found on the larger UE55HU7500, so please refer to that review if you need more details or a refresher.

Calibration

As is the case with most Samsung TVs these days, the UE48HU7500 calibrates like a dream, chiefly due to well-implemented calibration controls which work as they should. Using our Klein K10-A meter, DVDO AVLab TPG 4K signal generator and CalMAN 5.3 video calibration software, we obtained D65 greyscale, 2.4 gamma and accurate Rec.709 colours very quickly on our Samsung UE48HU7500TXXU review sample.

Greyscale

Pre-calibration RGB Tracking
Pre-calibration Delta errors
Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)
Post-calibration RGB Tracking
Post-calibration Delta errors
Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [Movie] mode

Gamma

Pre-calibrated Gamma tracking in [Movie] mode Post-calibrated Gamma tracking in [Movie] mode
Pre-calibration gamma tracking (2.17) Post-calibration gamma tracking (2.38)

Colour

Post-calibration Colour saturation tracking in [Movie] mode
Post-calibration colour saturation tracking
Post-calibration colour errors in [Movie] mode
Post-calibration colour errors (<3 not appreciable to the eye)

Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels None
Screen uniformity Very good for edge LED LCD
Overscanning on HDMI Defeatable with 1080p and 2160p (UHD) content
Blacker than black Passed
Calibrated black level (black screen) 0 cd/m2 (LEDs shut off)
Calibrated black level (ANSI checkerboard) 0.057 cd/m2
Black level retention Auto-dimming with full black screen
Primary chromaticity Excellent
Scaling Excellent
Video mode deinterlacing Very effective jaggies reduction
Film mode deinterlacing Passed 2:2 PAL and 3:2 NTSC tests in SD and HD
Viewing angle Decent – blacks & colours wash out beyond 40° off-axis
Motion resolution 1080 lines (and likely higher) with [LED Clear Motion] on
Digital noise reduction Optional; effective when engaged
Sharpness Defeatable edge enhancement
Luma/Chroma bandwidth (2D Blu-ray) Full Luma; Chroma vertically softened
1080p/24 capability No judder in 2D; mild judder in 3D
Input lag (Leo Bodnar tester) 41ms in [PC] mode
Full 4:4:4 reproduction (PC) Yes, with [PC] input label

Power Consumption

Default [Standard] mode 67 watts*
Calibrated [Movie] mode 87 watts
Standby 1 watt

*Note: [Eco Sensor] is enabled by default in [Standard] mode, which explains why energy usage was lower before calibration than after.

Picture Quality

The onboard VA-type panel provided a deep shade of black by LED LCD standards, measuring 0.057 cd/m2 natively once peak white luminance was fixed to 120 cd/m2. Engaging the [Smart LED] pseudo-local dimming system did not improve black level substantially on a 4×4 ANSI chequerboard pattern, but proved more useful on predominantly dark scene – our preferred setting was “Low” which introduced the least black level fluctuation.

Subpixel structure
Subpixel structure indicating SPVA + PSA matrix

After calibration, colours looked wonderfully balanced, with no undue tinting to spoil proceedings. The supplied [Flesh Tone] control allowed us to dial skin tones to a highly accurate level, injecting authenticity to the entire picture. Accessing Netflix 4K streaming was straightforward, though we didn’t think it superior to well-mastered 1080p Blu-rays from normal viewing distance. A subtle fan noise could be heard from the rear of the panel where the connection inputs resided – fortunately this was easily masked by normal television volume.

As expected from a properly designed active-shutter glasses (ASG) system, the Samsung 48HU7500 resolved full HD 3D resolution (and possibly higher) to deliver a tri-dimensional image that’s brimming with texture and depth. Crosstalk was impressively low. As with all Samsung LCD-based 3D TVs we’ve tested to date, the 48in HU7500 did not support native 1080p/24 playback in 3-D mode, which means that slow panning shots in 3D Blu-rays will display with mild telecine judder, unless [Motion Plus] was set to “Standard” or “Smooth” which would in turn introduce unwanted soap opera effect or interpolation artefacts.

Input lag

Perhaps owing to updated firmware, we managed to extract lower input lag from the Samsung UE48HU7500 than its 55in sibling we reviewed some time ago. By renaming the HDMI input label to [PC], our Leo Bodnar input lag tester returned a figure of 41ms which is as good as it gets for UHD televisions due to the 1080p-to-2160p upconversion involved. This trick did not work on the UE55HU7500 when we tried it three months ago.

Verdict

While the effectiveness of 4K Ultra HD resolution at such a screen size remains debatable, there’s no doubting that the UE48HU7500 is yet another superb LED LCD product from Samsung.

Highly Recommended

8 comments

  1. Will you review the Sony Bravia KD49X8505 ?

    Thanks

  2. @Ben: If Sony sends us a sample, yes sure, we’ll review it.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  3. The sony is awful in the dark

  4. With UHD TV reviews can you look at PC usage in addition to gaming, the resolution and size of the screens are better than what is available in the monitor space for the price, I am tempted to take a punt on one but not sure if it will be any good up close for traditional PC stuff?

  5. During testing was any issues with lip sync noticed either using the inbuilt tuner or from an external source ? Samsung seems to have a number of issues with this especially on the lower end h6400 and h6700, it can’t be dialled out with any amp settings either as it varies from source to source and channel to channel. I would of bought a vt65 display model but it has over 5000 hours on it and hardly any reduction in price, 3d is important so that has ruled out the half resolution active sets from Sony which have no lip sync issues. Any ideas guys ?

  6. You mention that a newer firmware on this model (the 48inch) allowed the input lag to be dropped to 41ms, does anyone know if this also applies to the 55 inch?

    Thanks in advance.

  7. how about the hu7000 ?
    any size would be good for reference (i’m personally looking for the 40″ one)

  8. This tv support ? Full 4:4:4 reproduction (PC) for both 1920×1080 and 3840×2160@60Hz ?

calibration

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