Samsung UN65MU8000 4K Ultra HD TV Review

MU8000 120Hz Smart LED TV

Samsung’s UN65MU8000 is part of the company’s mid-tier line of televisions for 2017. The MU8000 is classified as a premium model and replaces last year’s premium SUHD KS8000 model. However, the MU8000 is not in the SUHD class which was last year’s top-tier lineup and has been replaced with the new QLED displays.

With that said, I expected some performance differences between the MU8000 and the KS8000. More on this later.

The MU8000 is available in 49″, 55″, 65″ and 75″ screen sizes.  This review can be applied to all screen sizes, as they should have a very similar picture quality.

Design/Features

The MU8000’s build quality is quite nice and transforms into a beautifully designed television display. The bezel is very thin and features a black border that surrounds the screen and is highlighted with a razor-thin silver accent trim. The screen finish is semi-matte and is illuminated with edge-lit LED backlighting.

The MU8000 has a very thin profile, as well, when viewed from the side and has a maximum thickness of just under 1-3/4 inches.

Samsung uses two “Branch Shape” feet to support the display panel which does provide good support. New for this year – Samsung has added cable management capability through the base of the TV stand for clean and unseen cable routing.

Smart Remote Control: Samsung’s latest OneRemote (TM1750A) automatically detects and controls all connected devices and content with no manual programming required. However, compatible devices are required to use this feature. The remote also supports voice control.

Tizen 3.0 Smart Hub: The TV’s Smart Hub has been redesigned and offers even easier navigation, plus quick access; you can even use these convenient features while still watching TV. The new Smart Hub features easy access to content by displaying your favorite and most used TV applications, as well as recommendations for even more entertainment options. Smart Hub offers unique ways to search and access your favorite and new content from the TV’s tuner and network apps.

Other features include:

• HDR or High Dynamic Range (HDR10) provides increased contrast with a greater range of peak brightness (highlights) and black levels, in addition to better picture detail and more vibrant colors.
• 4K HDR EXTREME for increased contrast range between the darkest darks and lightest lights, plus expanded color and depth.
• The 10-bit panel displays more colors with finer steps of gradation for greater color reproduction with HDR sources.
• Triple Black brings out enhanced detail with deeper blacks, letting you see greater detail even in the shadows of dark scenes
• Precision Black (Local Dimming)
• UHD Remastering Engine optimizes color, contrast and image detail by processing the image characteristics prior to them being displayed on the screen
• UHD Upscaling upconverts high-def and standard-def video to near 4K quality
• Motion Rate 240 for motion blur reduction – native refresh rate is 120Hz
• HDR Plus mode allows you to view non-HDR content with higher brightness, greater color, deeper black levels and better overall contrast for a picture that looks similar to true HDR content
• HEVC/VP9 decoding for watching streamed 4K video sources like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and YouTube.
• DIRECTV 4K Ready – DIRECTV subscribers with the Genie Whole-Home HD DVR can enjoy 4K service and full DVR features without an additional receiver.
• One Connect Mini: All devices are connected to the One Connect Mini box and not to the back of the TV
• Netflix Recommended TV – This certification makes it easier for consumers to know which manufacturers HDTVs work best with its streaming video service.
• Web browsing capability for surfing the internet from the TV
• 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi to connect to your wireless network
• Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones
  

  One Connect Mini

Connection Ports

• 4 HDMI 2.0a inputs (HDCP 2.2 compliant)
• 3 USB 2.0 inputs (one USB port on the back of the TV)
• 1 Ethernet input (back of the TV)
• 1 RF input for antenna/cable/satellite
• 1 Digital optical audio output

Note: There are no component or composite analog inputs available on this TV.

Performance

The UN65MU8000 delivered pretty good overall picture quality. Picture images were generally sharp and detailed, with plenty of clarity and image depth with all HD content including 4K HDR, standard 4K and 1080p sources.

The MU8000 series does not use quantum dot color technology like its predecessor – the KS8000; therefore, the color palette on the MU8000 wasn’t as brilliant or dynamic. Color reproduction on the MU8000 however, was still pleasing to my eyes, yet was somewhat lacking in purity and richness when compared to what the KS8000 was capable of. Furthermore, when displaying HDR content, the MU8000’s color space capability isn’t as wide as some other TVs in its class, which means it is limited on how many colors it can display and their intensity.

Even though the MU8000 has some minor deficiencies with its color reproduction, its overall color performance was quite good and was capable of delivering accurate and natural shades of colors that were solid and thoroughly saturated.

A strong performance characteristic of the UN65MU8000 was its contrast range and black level capabilities; the content I used for evaluating black levels was rendered very well, showing very deep and solid black levels that left me with nothing to gripe about.

As well as the MU8000 did with contrast range and black level performance, I must point out for the record that the KS8000 does have a better contrast ratio when compared to the MU8000, which allows the KS8000 to have increased peak brightness and better black level performance.

Shadow detail on this TV was very good and revealed proper amounts of shadow detail and depth among the objects within the dark and dimly lit scenes I used for evaluation.

Black screen uniformity performance was great on this display. On a completely black screen, I was not able to detect any light bleed coming from the corners or edges of the screen. However, you may experience some slight blooming around white text or white objects when set against a black background.

Motion handling was very good on the MU8000 when viewing regular content that consisted of sporting events and movies with fast-paced action. Additionally, motion judder was not an issue with this TV.

Side angle viewing suffered from what I consider typical amounts of contrast and color saturation loss for an LED TV, but shouldn’t be a major issue unless you are watching this TV from wide angles.

As a side note, I left the TV’s local dimming feature set to “Low” for non-HDR content. When set to the “High” position, I noticed it would make blacks in an image of a starfield (outer space shot) appear lighter. The MU8000 defaults local dimming to the “High” setting for HDR content.

Picture Settings:

I chose the “Movie” picture mode when setting up the MU8000 for evaluation.

Backlight:  12 – defaults to 20 with HDR signal

Brightness: 50

Contrast: 95 – defaults to 100 with HDR signal

Sharpness: 0

Color: 52

Tint: G50  R50

Digital Clean View: Off

Auto Motion Plus: Off – use at your own discretion

Local Dimming: Low

Contrast Enhancer: Off

HDR + Mode: Off – use at your own discretion

Color Tone: Warm 2

Conclusion

Samsung’s mid-tier UN65MU8000 delivers satisfying picture quality that should please consumers who aren’t looking for high-end performance from their 4K TV. It performs well in the key areas of picture performance, including very good contrast range and black levels. Its HDR images and color rendering aren’t the best I’ve seen, yet they still, get the job done.

It has decent peak brightness levels, which makes it a good fit for rooms with natural daytime lighting, and its attractive design fits well with most room decor.

In summation, the UN65MU8000 delivers the basics in performance and features (and more), which add up to a complete and enjoyable home entertainment package.