Samsung has spent the last 5 years changing the rules of what a TV looks like and what it does. The manufacturer has pushed the bounds of size and scope and most importantly for streaming fans, spent a lot of time and energy on an apps ecosystem that stands up well in the marketplace by offering the top services and some homegrown services that can allow users to set up a TV with a great picture and not have to rely on a separate media player for anything else.
Sansung’s Tizen operating system is a Linux-based system that has proven as Linux fans usually attest, to be a very stable and versatile system since Samsung made the changeover from Android-based options. It is unique to Samsung products.
Samsung’s apps are broken down into easy-to-digest categories so that users know what they will find in each group. They include Music and Radio, Video, Sports, Game, Lifestyle, Information and Education.
Within these categories are the big guns like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu/julu with live TV, YouTube, YouTube TV, SLing TV, HBO Max, Disney+, ESPN.
Where Samsung has always shined is it in its picture quality. Samsung is constantly making upgrades to the capability of its higher end sets but even the intro level TV’s hold up incredibly well against similar priced sets. The 55″ Class TU8000 Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV (2020) is over a year old yet delivers a sharp 4k picture and has the latest operating system on board with the ability to support AirPlay, TV+ and the other standard features you will find on other much more expensive sets.
If you are looking to stay under 1,000 dollars as a lot of us are, that is a good place to start.
Samsung offers wonderful on screen support for those says when you have just simply messed things up. The TV’s are built with the ability to run software that can allow a support tech to log into the TV and help reconfigure your settings so that you do not have to bounce in and out of menus on your own. This is a very helpful feature for anyone who gets frustrated with settings and menus and such when you are trying to turn on Blutooth or set up speakers etc.
Do Samsung TV’s have every feature you would find on every smart TV operating system when it comes to apps? That is a revolving door to tell you the truth and what is a fact today could change in a week. Most people buy a TV based on the picture. And as far as bang for your buck whether we are talking $550.00 or 4,000 dollars we think you get what you pay for.
