Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series - 4K UHD HDR Smart TV review

Does it support gaming – Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV ? The Samsung AU8000 is unremarkable for watching HDR content. It has a high native contrast ratio that makes blacks look black, but it doesn’t have a local dimming feature to improve it. The Samsung AU8000 is one of the entry-level models in Samsung’s 2021 lineup, replacing the Samsung TU8000. It’s the only TV in the Crystal UHD lineup in North America, but in Europe, it sits between the AU9000 and AU7000 models. Get details in Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV Review.

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Since it’s a 60Hz TV, it only supports 4k games up to 60fps from the PS5 and Xbox Series X. It has an Auto Low Latency Mode that automatically switches the TV into Game Mode to get the lowest input lag possible when a game from a compatible device is launched. For it to work, set Game Mode to ‘Auto’.

Pros & Cons

PROS

High contrast ratio.
Great reflection handling.
Low input lag in and outside of Game Mode.

CONS

Lacks a local dimming feature.
Doesn’t get very bright in SDR or HDR.
Slow response time that makes motion look blurry.

Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV Review

Build

The Samsung AU8000 has decent build quality. It’s made entirely out of plastic that feels good, and the entire thing is well-built together without any obvious issues. However, the back panel flexes a lot near the center and inputs, and you notice it even when plugging in an HDMI cable. The Samsung AU8000 is much thinner than the Samsung TU8000 and should look great when wall-mounted.

Design

It has a simplistic look with thin bezels all around and should look nice in any setup. The TV is a bit stylish for an entry-level model. It comes with new feet compared to 2020’s Samsung TU8000, and they sit flat against the table. Footprint of the 55 inch stand: 42.6″ x 11.1″. The height of the lower position is 1.78″, and the higher one is 3.08″.

Ports

HDR10: Yes
HDR10+: Yes
Dolby Vision: No
HLG: Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth: Yes (HDMI 1,2,3)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth: No
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3)
USB 3.0: No
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

Viewing angle

Brightness Loss 38°Black Level Raise 24°Gamma Shift 14°

The Samsung AU8000 has narrow viewing angles, which is expected from a VA panel. Colors start to shift, and the image looks darker as you move off-center. If you have a wide seating arrangement, a TV with an IPS panel, like the Hisense A6G or the LG NANO75 2021, might be a better choice.

Brightness – Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV

The SDR brightness is okay. It’s an improvement from the Samsung TU8000 because it doesn’t have any frame dimming in the 2% windows. However, it’s not enough to fight a ton of glare in a well-lit room.

We tested SDR brightness after calibration in the ‘Movie’ Picture Mode with Brightness at its max, Gamma set to ‘2.2’, and Contrast at its default setting with all other image processing disabled. If you want an even brighter image at the cost of accuracy, we hit nearly 400 cd/m² in the 10% window in the ‘Dynamic’ Picture Mode with every other setting at its default.

Color gamut

The Samsung AU8000 has a decent color gamut for HDR content, but it’s not considered a wide color gamut. It has great coverage of the commonly-used DCI P3 color space, but it’s very limited with the wider Rec. 2020 color space. It’s worse than the LG NANO75 2021.

Due to the narrow color gamut, the color volume is mediocre. It displays darker colors fairly well thanks to the high contrast, but it struggles more with brighter colors.

Game support

The Samsung AU8000’s HDR brightness in Game Mode is once again poor. It’s pretty much the same as outside of Game Mode and there’s no visible change; any difference in testing results is normal as brightness can vary a bit between runs.

We tested it with Game Mode enabled, Color Gamut set to ‘Auto’, Color Tone on ‘Warm 2’, and Brightness and Contrast at their max. The EOTF looks the same as outside of Game mode so use the same settings if you want a brighter image.

Refresh rate

The Samsung AU8000 has a basic 60Hz panel without any variable refresh rate support. If you want a budget-friendly TV with VRR support, then check out the Vizio M6 Series Quantum 2021.

Response time

The Samsung AU8000 has an okay response time. There’s visible motion blur behind fast-moving objects, and due to the slow response time with dark transitions, there’s smearing. The 100% response time is quicker than the Samsung TU8000, but motion looks worse because there’s more black smear.

Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV customer Review

75 inch features
The picture is spectacular – sharper and more clear than our 5 year old curved screen Samsung. This is our 4th Samsung TV and is has never disappointed. The built in sound bar allows for accurate control to suit our older adult hearing – even when we are in other rooms and want to listen to news or music.
By b24u at Best Buy

Alternate of Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV

75-inch TCL 6-Series Mini-LED 8K Roku TV

Who it’s for: Those who want to be on the leading edge of TV resolution without arranging for a second mortgage.

Why we picked the 75-inch TCL 6-Series Mini-LED 8K Roku TV:

8K is still very much an emerging corner of the entertainment world, so much so that — with the exception of some 8K videos on YouTube — there isn’t much actual 8K content readily available right now. That hasn’t stopped TV manufacturers from rolling out 8K displays, though, and right now, the TCL 6-Series (2021) R648 is the most affordable way to get a big, 75-inch picture in full 8K resolution.

Given that it shares the same name with TCL’s 6-Series 4K Roku TV (R635), it’s tempting to think that the R648 is simply a carbon copy, but with more pixels. But our reviewer discovered that’s not the whole story. The 8K model has better brightness, contrast, and even better black levels, thanks to its impressive 240 contrast control zones that are used for local dimming of the mini-LED backlight system.

These performance gains are the key to the TV’s awesome HDR and SDR picture quality, which is so good, it compares favorably to OLED TVs, which are still the leaders in this area. “Is the R648 a substitute for OLED in a setting with controlled lighting?” asks our reviewer. “No, not in terms of contrast and color. But in a brighter room, it will offer significantly better performance than most OLEDs on the market.”

Interestingly, unlike some TVs that require substantial settings tweaks to maximize their picture quality, and then require that you repeat the process for each input and streaming app, the 6-Series 8K TV greatly reduces this annoyance by copying your first set of adjustments to every source, while still letting you adjust each one manually if you want to.

That thoughtful ease-of-use carries over into the excellent Roku software. As usual, you get a huge choice of streaming apps, a dead-simple interface, and integration with a wide variety of ecosystems like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. But TCL also includes an improved Roku remote with voice capabilities. Apple device owners can take advantage of Apple AirPlay for streaming local videos, music, and photos from their gadgets to the 6-Series.

Surprisingly for a TV, the 6-Series R648 has an awesome built-in sound system, complete with its own subwoofer, midranges drivers, and dedicated tweeters. You may still prefer to use a soundbar, but you certainly don’t need to. Speaking of sound, Dolby Atmos is supported, and if you connect the TV to a soundbar or an A/V receiver via the HDMI eARC port, you’ll be able to enjoy Atmos via those external devices too.

Gamers will be thrilled with the 75-inch TCL 6-Series Mini-LED 8K Roku TV advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low-latency mode (ALLM), auto game mode, and THX Certified Game Mode, for the ultimate in gaming performance.

Our only critiques of the 6-Series are relatively minor: The TV suffers from poor off-angle viewing (but with a 75-inch TV that may not matter as much) and there’s no built-in support for ATSC 3.0 (or NextGen TV as it’s also known).

Samsung 75-Inch Class Crystal UHD AU8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV review