For console gamers one of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of gaming is the screen where all the 1080p goodness (or 900p goodness for those gamers) appears. But really how much difference does a good TV make?
Unfortunately we are all at the mercy of the almighty Rand ($) and when we are looking at saving a bit of cash it is really tempting to opt for the no name brand TV that can spit out 1080p with no problem and, as the guy in the store always tells you, the screen comes from the same factory anyway. I’ve gone through most of my adult life in that manner and never really been disappointed with my house brand Soniq or D:Sign TVs. they work perfectly and if you don’t know much better then it doesn’t hurt.
And how wrong I was.
Picture Quality
Samsung sent over one of their Smart TVs for review, the Series 6 H6200 40” to be exact and from the moment I turned it on I was addicted.The H6200 is an LED TV which Geoff informs me is the same as an LCD TV really (with LED backlighting) but if, like me, you previously hated the LCD look then don’t worry. It’s got none of those weird fake colour issues that I always found plagued LCD TV’s and the colours and crispness were totally off the chart.
During the review period I played a ton of different games, watched a couple of Blu-Rays and most importantly watched some HD sport which was always the bane of previous LCD TVs. Absolutely everything shone on this TV; the sport was crystal clear with no ghosting or pixellation whatsoever. Blu-Rays have finally become something that not only videophiles can drool over. I mean let’s be honest. The layman out there never really understood why certain people went nuts over Blu-Ray and that’s because most TV’s just didn’t give them the kick tey deserve.
A prime example is we were watching The Great Gatsby when family arrived and they were convinced this TV was a new 3D TV where you didn’t need to use 3D glasses because the picture just appeared to have real depth. But it was simply the great clarity of the picture. The TV can handle 3D with a pair of optional active glasses and I’m sure it’s wonderful, but I have a running hatred with 3D glasses and the whole 3D fad so I’m not marking it up or down for that. I just hate it – and the 3D here isn’t particularly good, with far too much motion blur for anything to really “pop.”
Featuring a 200Hz Clear Motion Rate , which is Samsung’s software driven method of fluffing up the screen’s refresh rate. As is typical, leaving this option on leads to a bit of blur as it’s really just a 100hz screen. It has excellent colour reproduction and rather wide viewing angles. I’m happy to report that the blacks aren’t crushed, and that colours are still vibrant even in dark scenes, particularly if you disable the dynamic contrast. One of the reasons for the excellent black levels is the relative lack of backlight clouding, which is something you’d usually see in what’s essentially a mid-range screen.
Important for gaming folk, input lag is barely distinguishable, provided you’ve turned off all of that post-processing nonsense by switching to game mode. It’s also worth noting that the speakers on this – as is usual for thin screens these days – are pretty poor, so you’re better off grabbing a soundbar or external surround speakers if you can.
Look and Feel
TVs, thankfully, have moved away from trying to be design objects that people obsess over to rather being windows into the entertainment world, and this one is no different. If you can’t mount it they give you a pretty standard stand that looks nice and elegant and is easily ignored but the TV works best mounted where the exceptionally thin frame can melt into the background and the window into the world simply blends into your wall.
Smart TV
The H6200 is yet another Smart TV which comes packed full of applications and a dashboard to navigate to watch YouTube and if you live in supported countries then also Netflix, Hulu and the like. Personally I found the dashboard to still be clunky and slow compared to what I experience on iPad or laptops so I’m not sold on that entire idea and when I was told I had to upgrade the software it definitely irritated me. You can use it for Skyping, showing photo galleries and streaming from your supported media centre but to be honest I’ve never felt the need for any of that and it just feels like extra gimmicks on the side.
As far as connectivity goes though, you’ve got the entire gamut; built in wifi and ethernet, plus wif-fi direct for transferring your videos and pictures to the big screen.
Give us the Stats
So the last time I reviewed hardware I was told it was too bloggy with not enough stats, so here you go.
- Resolution – 1920 * 1080
- Picture Engine – 3D HyperReal Engine
- Clear Motion Rate – 200
- Dolby MS10
- DTS Studio Sound
- Auto Volume Leveller
- Sound Output – 10Wx2
- Twitter, Facebook, Skype
- Web Browser – And Lazygamer.net looks beautiful in it
- Face Recognition and Motion Control enabled
- LAN and Wifi included
- HDMI 1.4
- Picture in Picture
- 8Kg without stand
Last Updated: November 18, 2014
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So it’s got a great picture some extra little goodies and it looks sexy. Is that really enough to pay an extra few grand over the cheaper options out there? Absolutely 100% yes, this is easily the best TV I’ve personally experienced and while 40” is a bit small for my personal taste I’m definitely going with the Series 6 or 7 as my next TV purchase without a shadow of a doubt.
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Admiral Chief Wang
November 18, 2014 at 13:05
Ok so in article you mention CMR of 200, but the tech specs below you say 100?
I suspect it may be 200?
RedRover
November 18, 2014 at 13:29
http://www.rtings.com/info/fake-refresh-rates-samsung-clear-motion-rate-vs-sony-motionflow-vs-lg-trumotion Hope this helps explain the issue
Admiral Chief Wang
November 18, 2014 at 13:47
Interesting….
Tx for the link
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 13:05
brand makes a huge difference, ive got a 50″ Hisense LCD at home, which is fine for watching movies, but for games, it is horseshit.
even just compared to whats running on my 24″ at the same time, a much inferior image.
when i plugged my PS3/PC into the samsung 40″ LED at a place i was house sitting, it was amazing.
also convinced im going to get a legit brand for my next tv.
./care about smart TVs though.
Admiral Chief Wang
November 18, 2014 at 13:07
Well I have a 40” Hisense LED at home and games look a LOT better on it that on my old Samsung LCD 24” monitor I have in the study.
But I do agree, on these “other” brands that they are crapola
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 14:58
might be that its just the difference between LCD and LED, seeing as thats what we have in common.
theres a difference between LED generations aswell, or something i dunno, my older 23″ LED isnt as crisp as my newer 24″
pixel density or something or whatever, i dunno, newer is better apparently.
DrKiller
November 18, 2014 at 13:56
I can convince you otherwise… Install Plex on your TV and GG
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:01
i use my tv as a second/duplicate screen for my PC, with a wireless keyboard with touchpad /xbox controller when i sit on the couch.
i dont see the point in a media server when the tv is connected to the media directly.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e80/BenDover_za/WP_20141115_006_zps3731611d.jpg~original
DrKiller
November 18, 2014 at 15:05
This picture will look so much better with an Xbox next to the TV 🙂
Also speaking of media… how do you know which series and movies you’ve watched?
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:11
theres a ps3 on the first shelf underneath, but you cannot see it because I am the night.
been considering getting the xbone though, my conscience has been disagreeing with me about it though. dat monay.
in response to question:
I has a brain and a really odd memory that catalogues everything i have and havent watched.
Spaffy
November 18, 2014 at 15:36
So much for surround sound 😀
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:41
such lazy
too effort
wow
Spaffy
November 18, 2014 at 15:45
I know. It took me 2yrs to install mine. Now one of them is dead. Has been for six months
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:48
il just tell everyone that the curved wall reflects sound around, so its BASICALLY the same thing.
the curved wall + my desk = crazy bass, keep subs away from curved walls. turned the under side of my desk into a sub box, BASS POWAR
Spaffy
November 18, 2014 at 15:49
That’s where my base is at 😀
Say, nice decorations…
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 16:14
they arent bongs, just incase i needed to clarify.
hubbly / shisha / hookah, whatever you call it.
my collection used to be a bit more impressive, but as always, friends tend to break things when they get drunk, ive lost a few soldiers along the way. RIP
Spaffy
November 18, 2014 at 16:16
No need to explain 😀
Admiral Chief Wang
November 18, 2014 at 13:05
THOSE gamers
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 13:15
I keep my PS4 hooked up to my monitor and it barely moves from there. I got a very nice Asus VG248QE monitor and wouldn’t change it for anything.
I’ll play single player games like Dragon Age or Shadows of Mordor on my 40″ Sony Bravia LED TV but for FPS multiplayer games like cod, the TV has too much input and device lag and a terrible refresh rate.
PestControl
November 18, 2014 at 14:48
I love my 40″ Sony Bravia. Have you tried manually changing the scene to Games? I leave mine on automatic and sometimes (for e.g. when playing windowed full-screen) it won’t automatically change the scene and thus keeps it on what i like to call the “Look very pretty” mode which results in a better looking image however this also increases the input lag.
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 14:55
Yip, the games setting is the best for when I use the TV. You don’t really notice the input lag playing single player games. It’s very small but playing online games like cod you can definitely feel it. It’s better to use a monitor with a high refresh rate.
Kikmi
November 18, 2014 at 13:16
I got the 7 series 46″ at home. Fucking sick television. Wish I had more time to enjoy it though.
ToshZA
November 18, 2014 at 13:18
I use a 39″ Samsung LED FH5000 – and for Blu-Ray movies and gaming it’s amazing. No visible input lag, and the colours are amazing. I seriously would never go back.
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN39FH5000FXZA
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 13:36
I find it interesting that people argue over the 30fps and 60fps issue between consoles and PC but when it comes to displays either your TV or monitor, people don’t see the difference there. The Samsung you mentioned has a 30ms input lag which just wouldn’t work if you were playing online matches. The monitor I’m using has a 1ms input lag which is a big difference. I’ve heard people complaining about network lag but they don’t think about their display as maybe the issue.
ToshZA
November 18, 2014 at 13:43
I play online on my pc, not my console. Never once have I complained about frame rate or network lag. Further to this – I don’t notice any input lag. I touch the controller, and it happens on screen immediately. So what exactly is your point?
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 14:04
Sorry Tosh, I didn’t say you specifically complained about frame rate or network lag. I think you misunderstood me.
I was mentioning input lag and that people don’t notice it but if the game is 30fps or 60fps they all jump up and down because that seems to be the big thing at the moment with consoles and PC versions. Basically building on that not many people know or look into the input lag when playing online with their consoles
Admiral Chief Wang
November 18, 2014 at 14:08
Dammit you broke another thing!
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 14:09
lol 😛
FoxOneZA
November 18, 2014 at 14:21
You are comparing ms with seconds. Big difference there.
Admiral Chief Wang
November 18, 2014 at 14:22
As long as it is not sloppy seconds
FoxOneZA
November 18, 2014 at 14:45
Ewwwww….
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 14:27
True. In the end it all makes a difference and we want it running as smooth as possible. Just dunno why people don’t look into their input lag as well.
Response Time
November 18, 2014 at 15:23
I could be wrong but I think the 1ms you mention is the response time. The time it takes for greys to turn white or something like that.
The monitor I have has a 2ms response time and about 12ms input lag.
Guild
November 18, 2014 at 15:32
You right, its a 1ms response time grey to grey.
Fnuik
November 18, 2014 at 13:19
I bought a 7 series 46″ about a year ago, hated every moment I spend with the tv. Motion blur was really bad, and when watching movies or sport it would get this weird stutter, as if the tv was buffering ever so slightly. Returned the tv after a month and bought myself a Sony 50″ and have never been happier.
Gerhard Davids
November 18, 2014 at 13:56
That is weird man.
I have the 55″ series 7.
Set to game mode for consoles. TV is super responsive. The built in upscaing is insanely good! no problems ever.
DrKiller
November 18, 2014 at 13:58
+1, he is drunk 😛
I have Game Mode on for everything
FoxOneZA
November 18, 2014 at 14:22
You know that TV comes with a warranty and Samsung will happily replace it from your doorstep? Ask me how I know this.
Rags
November 18, 2014 at 18:25
How do you know this?
DrKiller
November 19, 2014 at 11:30
How do you know this?
Lupus
November 18, 2014 at 13:26
Three years ago I moved from a 42″ Sinotec to a 46″ Series 5 Samsung and the jump was amazing, even to this day the TV still performs admirably that I only once cried when I saw my buddies 65″ Sony and it wasn’t cause of the picture quality but cause it’s 65″ baby.
Those crap brands are okay at watching TV on it, but to really see HD you need a decent brand and I’ve seen Hisenses, Sinotecs, Logiks and and they all fall short.
Mossel
November 18, 2014 at 13:37
This weekend I moved from a borrowed 42″ plasma (forgot the brand name, possibly Sansui) to a LG 42″ LED smart 3d tv….the difference is astounding! I can now actually see what’s going on! Cant wait to hook up my pc through steam streaming to test some games. My Wi-Fi router sucks, so that was super laggy, will need an Ethernet cable. Also that magic remote is freaking awesome!
Aries
November 18, 2014 at 17:25
Yep got the 50″ one think it 120hz, thing makes my sony bravia seem old and weird looking
Spathi
November 18, 2014 at 13:39
Nice review. I actually understood what you were talking about, which is rare when it comes to TVs for me 🙂
Then, some positive criticism regarding the technology reviews. I know you don’t necessarily (or very rarely) buy the things you review, but it would be nice to have a ballpark figure of what the applicable tech costs. Secondly, I don’t like your rating system. I would prefer, or even suggest, that you use a 5 star rating system or something for tech, i.e:
* – “If you have a choice between Ebola and this tech, rather go for Ebola”
** – “There is better out there in the same price range; Not worth your money”
*** – “Not bad, but not great. Buy only if you are a fanboy”
**** – “Great piece of tech that ticks all the right boxes. Well worth your money.”
***** – “The only thing better than this is sex. Not that any of you would know. So just buy it.”
Or otherwise just something like “Bad”; “Average”; “Great”; “Exceptional”. I get that people are supposed to actually read the review to know how good the tech actually is, but TL;DR!!11!!3!!!!!!
ToshZA
November 18, 2014 at 13:44
What’s wrong with “Red = bad, Yellow = maybe, Green = buy.”?
Spathi
November 18, 2014 at 13:48
I wasn’t aware of the yellow. Yeah that works then I suppose. But so far I’ve seen so many “Greens” that doesn’t really say anything. Just need something to differentiate between something “good” and something “great”.
ToshZA
November 18, 2014 at 13:53
Fair enough then 🙂 Perhaps a gold star for something that’s a must-have, and just green for good?
Anon A Mouse
November 18, 2014 at 14:15
An editor’s choice list sort of thing then?
ToshZA
November 18, 2014 at 14:41
Yeah, exactly. 🙂
Rags
November 18, 2014 at 18:23
I don’t like it either. There was a review earlier praising the product but it only got a yellow. It makes judging how good a product is much harder. It would probably be better to leave the blocks out imo.
Besides I don’t think its in their interest to have the blocks because you can’t place in your marketing material ‘my product got a green block from lazygamer’. Usually its gold, silver, bronze awards, recommended, highly recommended, editors choice awards just covering the upper categories of hardware on other sites. Just 3 categories? Tells me boggerol tbh.
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:07
i was in the tl;dr group.
i read the first few comments and assumed i already knew everythign else, because internet.
Morne Nell
November 18, 2014 at 13:42
Price?
Reid
November 18, 2014 at 13:46
http://www.pricecheck.co.za/search?search=Samsung+48%2522+H6200+3d+Smart+Fhd+Led+Tv
R7K+
Brady miaau
November 18, 2014 at 14:00
Not so bad, is it?
Joe Black
November 18, 2014 at 13:50
PAL or NTSC?
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:05
apparently that doesnt matter anymore.
my 3 year old LCD works 100% on both formats.
ordered a NTSC or whatever the one thats not supposed to work here, format bluray and havent had any problems.
Joe Black
November 18, 2014 at 15:08
It might work, but the screen will still just display what it can. I think. I have a Spyder colorimeter to calibrate my led screen and it only ever detects the PAL subset of colors.
Matthew Holliday
November 18, 2014 at 15:21
havnt been able to tell the difference tbh.
Joe Black
November 18, 2014 at 16:49
Probably depends heavily on the media. I was mostly curious tbh. If it can at all be helped I want to ensure that my next screen (not anytime soon now) will have all the bells.
Reid
November 18, 2014 at 13:53
I’m currently looking for a large monitor/display screen. I don’t watch tv so I don’t even want to bother with a tv and that whole annoying license thing. This would be purely for console gaming. Anyone have any good suggestions on a 40″+ screen. I’m mostly just getting results for Mecer display screens (50″), but no reviews.
DrKiller
November 18, 2014 at 14:01
I was told that if you buy it on takealot and you have to enter a number for your TV license, and number works… Just close your eyes and type something in…
Samsung TV, its not getting better than this 😉
Reid
November 18, 2014 at 14:07
I’ll see if that works thanks.
Quentin Huggett
November 18, 2014 at 13:59
i have 46″ version. Best tv ever!
RedRover
November 18, 2014 at 15:39
You also discovered the joys of Plex with your TV?
HairyEwok
November 18, 2014 at 14:01
This is my TV and i have to say it’s oh just so yummy to play games on and its pc hdmi friendly so xbox control and there you have it. I do wish i did buy this Sony though, nice and sleek with those hertz refresh rate, would have been great.
http://www.groupon.co.za/deals/national-deals/Groupon-Goods-NUW/28272557
Anon A Mouse
November 18, 2014 at 14:25
I have a proline 46″ LED TV, more than happy with it. But probably because I don’t know any better.
Hammersteyn
November 18, 2014 at 14:40
I have two 43″ Samsung LED TVs in the living room. One for games and one for TV. Seemed like a logical decision really
ToshZA
November 18, 2014 at 14:41
You have space for that? O_O
Hammersteyn
November 18, 2014 at 14:49
No, not really. lol
Rock789
November 18, 2014 at 14:58
I may have to make this, or a newer generation series, my next tv purchase… If I don’t, a certain Killer, who happens to be a Dr, will probably live up to his name with me… o_O
DrKiller
November 19, 2014 at 11:32
Especially if he knows where you live 😉
Will be a good Xmas present though, will go well with the Xbone 🙂
Input Lag
November 18, 2014 at 15:02
When it comes to gaming and TV’s and what Lazygamer forgot to mention, is input lag. The time it takes your TV to register what you did on the controller.
The Samsung Series 6 H6200 has an input lag of about 40ms. Which should be fine for gaming.
The lowest input lag TV to date, the last I checked was a year ago, was Sony W6 and Sony W9 range.
Sony W6 has 15ms input lag.
Sony W9 has 19ms input lag.
Perfect for gaming.
DrKiller
November 19, 2014 at 11:33
Game mode reduces the amount of input lag. I have it on for everything and you dont lose any quality on these TVs.
I’ve tested with a game like UT3, works perfectly.
Jonah Cash
November 19, 2014 at 07:07
I went from a 40″ Samsung Series 4 to a 55″ Samsung Series 6 6400….. After a month and a half I am still in heaven!! I have always bought the Samsung TV’s, they are just stunning!!
Paulo
August 6, 2015 at 17:18
Greetings from Portugal. Do you think this model is still a good buy? I have the chance to buy the 48J6200 for 600€. What do you think?