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It could be argued that now is not the best time to buy a TV, but I needed one and my requirments were relatively simple, I wanted a large 55″+ TV for less than £1k. Ideally I wanted 60″ or 4k but these too requirements appear to be unreasonably based on my budget. After researching for a while I settled on the UE55H6400.
As with many Samsung TVs at the moment the UE55H6400 is 3D-compatible, uses a quad core chips, comes with S Recommendation with Voice Interaction which let you discover more of the TV you love by suggesting what’s new to watch based on what you like.
The Samsung smart hub includes a full range of on demand service including ITV Player (exclusive to Samsung), BBC iPlayer, 4oD, Demand 5 & BBC Sports as well as Netflix.
The TV also has screen mirroring which lets you wirelessly share what’s on your Smartphone & tablet screen with your Samsung Smart TV. Browse the internet, watch online videos, or play mobile games on the biggest screen in your home.
Design wise the TV is attractive, if a little bit plain, the screen is obviously a traditional flat unlike newer more expensive models opting for a curved screen. There’s a transparent acrylic surround to a very narrow black bezel, which features a fairly small company logo bottom-centre.
On the rear you have 4 HDMI ports, two of which are positioned at the side, legacy Scart, Component & Composite inputs, audio outputs for a set of headphones and an amp/soundbar plus a wired LAN port. The H6400 does have WiFi built-in should you not have the TV near your router and there’s also a terminal for the Freeview HD capable aerial antennae. Also at the back is a jack for the bundled IR extender that will allow you to use the new smart remote as a controller for your set-top-box.
You get 2 remote controls with the TV, a traditional styled one, and an small air mouse style one or Smart Control as Samsung likes to call it. The control works well and is nicely sized, the mouse is nice and responsive and is very accurate. Personally I would have preferred a controller with a keyboard and a track pad, but this controller works well too.
Browsing around the TV menus is pretty straigh forward, Samsung have nice clean intuative designs and you should be able to tweak the TV to your preferences quite easily.
The smart TV functionality on this TV and all Samsungs is absolutely fantastic and is probably one of the main selling points of the brand as a whole. You have all the on demand TV channels which no other TV offers plus Netflix and other applications such as Plex. You can effectively get rid of any HTPC or media streamer just by using the TV itself.
For the price of the TV picture quality is superb and it appears to offer consistent screen uniformity as well as good quality black levels. The TV performs excellently with both SD and HD content and I have encountered no issues from multiple sources. Unsurprisingly the TV really shone when it displayed HD content, 1080p really comes into play at this screen size.
I found the UE55H6400 to be more than adequate for my needs but there is a little bit of lag that some serious players may not appreciate. Av Forums reports a input lag of 40.6 milliseconds.
As is usual with Samsung televisions, the H6400 comes with active 3D (2 pairs of glasses included). This means the glasses have built-in electronics, which makes them heavier, but image definition is maintained. And unlike passive 3D, the image isn’t split in two.
The 3D image is therefore very good. Pop-out effects and depth are displayed well.
The sound performance of the TV is a little bit of a letdown but this is almost a universal problem with modern TVs.
Overall this is a superb TV for the money, both Currys and Richer sounds have it on sale at £800 which I think is an absolute bargain. Of course if you can hold on another year or 2 then 4k will probably be reasonable at this price point but until then I think this is one of the best TVs for the money.
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.