Samsung UN60F7100 60-in. LED HDTV

Product: Samsung UN60F7100 60-in. LED HDTV
Provided By: Samsung Canada
Price: ~$1,999 Online at Time of Publication

Introduction:

I like nice TVs.  I don't actually spend a lot of time watching TV, but it's nice to have a great unit for those moments when I get a chance to sit down and relax with a movie, watch a game or even play some Xbox.  There is a lot of competition in the TV market and the truth is there is also a big "Spec War" that is designed to try and get you to buy a new TV.  Things like contrast ratio, refresh rates and more are all designed to create unrest in the consumer and make him buy a new TV.  That being said, some of the features are significant improvements over older technology and today we are looking at a mid-high end TV from Samsung that has a lot of "Smart" features and promises good performance as well as all of the 3D features we really don't want, but often get anyhow.  The UN60F7100 is a 60" 3D HDTV that is backlit by LEDs and has a great couple of remotes with touch pads that make navigation and all the multimedia features of the TV very intuitive.

At 60 inches, this is not the largest TV we've looked at but it's pretty darn close and it will take a fair bit of space in your living room.  If you're looking for a new TV, make sure you check out this review to find out if the dual-core processor in the TV and the Smart features add up to a good value or if you could actually save some money and go with a different model.  Perhaps you'll actually want to step things up and go with a 7500 series TV and get everything while you're upgrading.

First Impressions:

As you can see above, this TV is flashy starting from the box and going deeper.  Samsung has opted for an extra $10 on the box to print off all the graphics in order to get you to notice this TV at the store and pick one up.  Once you pull it out of the box things just keep getting better and better.  The TV itself is very classy.  It has a nice narrow chrome trimmed bezel around the outside of the screen and the minimalistic stand seems stable enough.  That being said, when you wall-mount a TV like this it looks even better.

This TV is a small step down from the 8000-Series TV we looked at a while back, but the looks and curb appeal are still top-notch.  It is classy and elegant and that's a nice thing.  It will look good in pretty much any room that there is space for a monster that measures five feet from corner to corner.  Wowzers.

Bundled Goodies:

Most of the time a TV bundle includes a remote and maybe an HDMI cable if you're really lucky.  The TV we're looking at today came with a few extra goodies - including two remotes and (not pictured) four pairs of 3D glasses.  These glasses are active shutter glasses but are the cheaper variety and are identical to the ones that came with the 8000-Series TV we reviewed.

I find it interesting that Samsung has once again included a couple of remotes with this TV.  As you can see above, the remote on the right is the same as we've seen with the 8000-Series, and the one on the left is a new model to us.  Both of these remotes have a voice button and a microphone for voice commands.  They also have a touch-sensitive area that allows you to navigate menus and at times move a mouse pointer around the screen.  They also have buttons that will take you quickly to the SmartHub.  I really like the new remote on the left and have used it almost exclusively through the duration of this review.  I am a fan.

On the next page we'll take a closer look at the TV and cover the features before we post up the specifications and get into testing.