Samsung TU8000 Review: Crystal Clear 4K Smart TV for Every Home

I’ve never owned a more complicated piece of equipment than this SAMSUNG Class Crystal 4K UHD HDR Smart TV UN55TU8000FXZA, and when I first started buying A/V toys, JFK was president. Yeah, I’m old. Set up was a joke. And you need to create an account with Samsung just to watch tv?? And the personal questions they had to ask?? Just to watch tv?? Gimme a break.

In my opinion the remote sucks. Plain and simple. You have to scroll all over the place to get to anywhere. Whoever designed it obviously never tried to actually use the thing. Compared to all the remotes I’ve ever used, this one is by far the most complicated thing I’ve ever seen.

And I’ve had a ton of remotes over the years. I have to use 4 remotes right now to run the tv, BluRay, Firestick and Denon receiver. I tried unsuccessfully three times last night to set it up to where I’d only have to use 3 remotes, but I’m back to having to use 4. smdh

Using Samsung tu8000 with Apps

Where I’m located Windstream is my only source, so I have Kinetic TV ran through the Firestick. I’ve got two Vizio tv’s that have no problems at all using the Firestick, so it could be that Samsung just makes it difficult for those of us stuck with an HDMI cable and a chuck of plastic attached to it. When I went looking for the KineticTV app, I was sure it wasn’t even listed.

I finally found it after scrolling about 200 apps down. Now I have it loaded on my home screen, and only have to scroll through 10 others just to get to it. I’m hoping it’s something I’m doing wrong and it could be. If someone out there knows if apps can be situated in a different order, please enlighten me.

Samsung  TU8000 Quality TV

Having said all that, the picture quality of this tv is great. I’ve owned Samsung in the past, and there’s something about a Samsung picture you just know when you see it. I was more than impressed with the picture. The thin bezel running around the perimeter is also a nice touch. And the tv sound is better than one might expect.

Since the picture is the most important aspect of television, I’ll live with the complaints I made above and just deal with it. Not of my choosing, but really, it’s not very user friendly at all. I’m sure over time I’ll get more adjusted to it, and possibly learn a few tricks to simplify things. I’ve only had it 48 hours. Probably should’ve waited to write a review.

The coolest part is when you turn it off or on. Buy one. You’ll see what I mean.

First, off I did not purchase this SAMSUNG Class Crystal 4K UHD HDR Smart TV UN55TU8000FXZA TU-8000 Series here. Got a better deal through some credit card (Amex) offers. Now, I have more than a few Amazon reviews that you can peruse in case you think this review is in any way tainted.

That said i was VERY disappointed when I got this set. The Tizen OS is just a nightmare. Difficult to use, non-intuitive and so intrusive. The remote is so sensitive that merely brushing it with your hands will make the smart hub kick in and that is a huge issue for me (YMMV). The apps were slow and try as I might I was simply not getting the color I expected. Heck my 75 inch TCL had a better pic and it was a 2018 model!

I was googling ways to get the most out of this tv and came across a forum post about pairing it to a ROKU Ultra. Well, all the other TVs I have 75, 65 and 55 are all Roku so I knew I would love the interface.

What I was NOT expecting was just how better the color processing is on the ROKU vs the 4K UHD HDR Smart TV UN55TU8000FXZA.

The apps are faster, the color is more vibrant and overall I simply enjoy it much better than the out of the box experience.

I now feel that this TV suits my needs, the screen size is impressive and now the screen image matches my expectations.

Funny what software and hardware change can do. Now before you go complaining about having to spend another hundred on the Roku, I already spent 1500+ just to get the TV what is another 100 to get 85 inches of real estate pumping out an amazing picture for that price.

Seriously, in my experience, everything looks better through the ROKU Ultra vs the Tizen interface.

Connecting the Samsung UN55TU8000FXZA TU-8000 Series

Now let’s talk about connecting a PC to it. I have a NUC8i7HVK and that little powerhouse with it AMD Vega M chip makes this TV scream! Even the less than impressive HDR shines.

So in my opinion the limitation of this SAMSUNG Class Crystal 4K UHD HDR Smart TV UN55TU8000FXZA TU-8000 Series is not the Panel itself as I have seen the difference a quality input provides.

All in all, now that I found the solution I can rate this PC 4 stars. If I wasn’t petty I would rate it 5 because with a few minor and non costly adjustments this 4K UHD HDR Smart TV UN55TU8000FXZA  stands out. But I am so it gets 4 from me.