Samsung UN50HU6950 50-Inch 4K Ultra HD 60Hz Smart LED TV (2014 Model)
Samsung UN50HU6950 50-Inch 4K Ultra HD 60Hz Smart LED TV (2014 Model)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz (Native); 240 Clear Motion Rate (Effective)
- Backlight: LED (Edge-Lit)
- Smart Functionality: Yes – Voice Control & Motion Control (camera accessory sold separately)
- Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 44.4” x 24.3” x 2”, TV with stand: 44.4” x 27.6” x 10.8”
- Inputs: 4 HDMI, 3 USB, 1 Component In, 1 Composite AV In
- Accessories Included: Smart Touch Remote
Samsung UN50HU6950
List Price: $ 1,499.99
Price:
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Does not support full-resolution chroma (4K 4:4:4): only does 4K 4:2:0 via HDMI2,
On the one hand, it’s a relatively sharp, saturated display (not that I can rate color reproduction with any expertise) at a good price. It nominally supports 4K@60Hz, unlike the Seiki (the only other contender in the 40″, sub-1000 space).
The SmartHub software is very featureful and the remote is fancy, although like most Samsung products, the UI is pretty convoluted. In particular, depending on the display mode and context, the menus will have random items disabled without any explanation why (“Item not available”). You have to unplug HDMI devices in order to enable/disable Game Mode. Who knew? The UI and manual didn’t provide any hints. Along that vein, there seems to be no way to fully disable dynamic contrast: even with everything seemingly off, filling your screen 95% with black will make everything else on the screen suddenly dim, which is unfortunate but somewhat forgivable.
The main reason I’m writing this 2-star review, and the point of contention where I feel the product description here and on Samsung’s webpage is disingenuous and misleading, is that the display is not really 4K@60Hz in the way a consumer would expect, and certainly not “4 times full HD”. From my testing (and confirmed by a Samsung tech support rep), the display itself is only physically capable of 4:4:0 subsampling. You can look up the “Chroma subsampling” page on Wikipedia for some background, but it basically means that for every two vertical pixels, the display can only present one color (but different brightnesses). Unfortunately, HDMI2 does not define 4:4:0 subsampling as a valid subsampling, so when not in SmartHub the display is further downgraded to 4:2:0 subsampling, which is one color (but four brightnesses) for every block of 2×2 pixels. That means that while the display is 4K in luminance (brightness), it’s really only 1080p in chroma (color). In fact, an HDMI2 device can support 4:2:0 without actually supporting the higher bandwidth provided by the spec, so these “HDMI2” ports are only so in the most minimal way possible.
What this means is that the display is fine for TV, and probably fine for gaming (60Hz and general color reproduction is the only thing in this area setting it apart from the Seiki, which at time of writing is a third the cost). It is not good for displaying colored text or sharp drawings. To be clear, it is fine for displaying black-and-white text, since that’s purely luminance.
Frankly, I’m disappointed in Samsung for carefully omitting such a critical spec from their product listings, manuals, and website. It’s disingenuous of Samsung to highlight the HDMI2 advertising point when they don’t support its single most critical consumer-facing feature (4K @60 Hz with no subsampling).
Time to wait for round three of the sub-1000 40″ 4K displays…
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|UPDATE 3 – 11/27/2014 – 4k 4:4:4 – still only at 30hz despite user manual specs and in-tv menu text that says 4:4:4 at 60hz,
I apologize for past mis-information. I am researching heavily and correcting as I go.
To Enable true 4:4:4 Chroma / Color Sampling at, follow the steps below. My graphics card only supports 30hz at 4k. The in-TV menu says explicitly that enabling UHC color is for “4:4:4 at 50p & 60p”
Also, the user manual explicitly states 4:4:4 4k at 60 hz will work on page 217:
http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/201407/20140728125214922/ENGNUDVBEUH-1.108-0616.pdf
This is a long thread on the nVidia forum that indicates some troubles with Samsung sets. It appears that several sets are receiving firmware updates that are fixing the issue, this enabling 4k 4:4:4 at 60hz:
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/776523/geforce-900-series/gtx-980-can-t-get-4k-at-60p-on-samsung-tv-/5/
So far, the rough consensus is that 4k 4:4:4 at 60hz is still not working for this exact set.
Below are the steps for enabling 4:4:4 color:
1. Use the first HDMI port – “HDMI 1” is the name of the top most “first” port. Don’t confuse this with version 1 or 2 of the HDMI technology.
2. Update the latest firmware. If your TV is connected to the internet, the option to update the firmware will eventually light up, though it will appear grayed out initially. Give it a few minutes (like 30). I’m on version 1052 after the update.
3. Enable UHC Color from the TV menu under “Picture Options” on that first HDMI port – remove any cables plugged in before enabling.
4. Rename the 1st HDMI Port to “PC” from the source menu by tapping and holding the remote control direction pad button on the HDMI1 source. When you let go, a sub menu will appear to rename the source. Select PC.
4:4:4 will not work until you rename the source to PC (what an awful UI requirement, but at least it works). You will also experience really bad mouse input lag until you rename the source to PC.
If you have a Kepler nVidia video card (which is not new anymore), then it will suport 4k 4:4:4 at 30 hz. I run a GTX 680 and it’s great. This is just fine (no flicker) for windows usage, but you will want 60hz for gaming. I hope a firmware update enables this.
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|A photographer’s review,
Here is my experience:
**IMAGE QUALITY**
4/5 This was the main reason for me buying the TV and so far I’ve been happy with it. Predictably, images look breathtakingly sharp and beautifully clear and saturated on this TV. The panel does not distort color when viewing off-axis, but it does lose some contrast fairly quickly if not looking directly at it. There are MANY different color and picture adjustments and with some fiddling, you will be able to get close to the ideal image with this TV. There is some color inaccuracy in the saturation of some subtle greens and reds, but I consider this a minor issue. Overall the picture will not compare to a calibrated IPS computer monitor, but is still excellent for a TV and sufficient for professional image slide shows.
**BUILD/DESIGN**
5/5 The TV is slimly designed with beautiful touches all around. The screen has a non reflective matte finish, the bezels are thin, and the inputs are easily accessible from the righthand side of the TV. It is also pleasantly light for a 50″ 4K television.
**SOFTWARE/CONTROLS**
4/5 The controller for the TV functions in two different ways – with traditional buttons and via a built-in IR pointer. You can point at the screen and click on things similar to how you would a computer mouse, but I find the accuracy of the pointer to be lacking. Maybe it needs calibration or maybe I just need more practice. However I find the pointer fairly tedious to use. The buttons, however, are top notch and very responsive.
The TV also has a slew of built-in smart features with many apps for content viewing and gaming. Though I don’t intend on using this part of the feature set, I was very impressed with the content and functionality relative to our other smart TV here at home (which is a Vizio).
The TV allows for media (video, photo) via inputs on the back of the TV. It has two USB 2.0 inputs, one USB 3.0 input, and several others. I use a USB 3.0 flash drive for viewing photo and video on the TV. Video playback is exceptional and just as smooth/streamlined as any smart phone or tablet you will find. Photo slideshows are good, but not great – the downfall is in the software. With a photo slideshow you can hit “play” and let the TV scroll through the images at a fixed rate (slow, med, fast), or you can manually scroll through them with the remote. My biggest complaint is that the maximum speed of the slideshow is too slow. Even on “fast” mode, the TV displays each image for 5 seconds. If you choose to manually advance the images, the fastest you can scroll through them is one image every two seconds. I can press the forward button 5x on the remote, but I’ll only get one image advance every two seconds. This makes it awkward and tedious to get through large numbers of images. One work around would be to use a laptop and video-in to the TV, but I would lose the beautiful 4K resolution that way.
In summary, I find this to be a fantastic smart TV with a picture which is great for general viewing though slightly sub-par for color critical display work. However my usage is fairly specialized. Given the exceptional design and price of the TV, I really find it hard to fault as-is.
As a side note, I bought mine used through “Amazon Warehouse deals” for about $300 less than retail. If you choose to go this route, get a TV with original packaging. I ordered a repackaged TV the first time around and it came badly damaged due to poor packing by Amazon. The original Samsung packaging of my second TV was much better.
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