Hi everybody and welcome to the review of Samsung 40MU6400 in 40-inch screen size.
This is Samsung's mainstream flat screen LED LCD TV with support for HDR-10 content either
via HDMI, USB or streaming.
Tizen 3.0 platform is implemented, together with all connection options you would expect
from a mainstream TV this year.
TV currently goes for 544 pounds on Amazon UK.
All Samsung TVs in 2017 are based on LCD technology with LED backlight.
The top of the line is the Q-series that was globally launched in Paris in March and is
using the latest generation of Quantum dots.
Just like with SUHD TVs last year, all Q-models have UHD Premium certificate which defines
minimum requirements for impressive UHD HDR picture.
A step down is the MU series which does not use Quantum dots but still offers Ultra HD
resolution and HDR-10 support.
Finally, we have the entry level M series which includes Full HD models without HDR
support.
Tizen OS is implemented on all Q and MU series and on some M-series TVs.
From the overview it is clear that MU6400 is a true „mainstream“ TV that many will
consider to buy this year.
That is the reason why I was so excited when guys from Croatian retailer Ronis called me
and offered me to test it.
Thank you guys so much!
MU6400 does not offer anything new in terms of design compared to what we have seen last
year.
Thin silver bezel surrounds the semi-glossy flat screen – it is only 10 milimeters thick
and is made of metal which is always a plus.
The entire bezel is clean except for the Samsung's logo without backlight and on the bottom is
one LED that is red when TV is in stand-by.
Silver stand with familiar V-shape holds TV firmly on the surface and if you do not want
to use it there is an option for wall-mounting.
A look from the side reveals uniform thickness that is up to the 55 milimeters in the bottom
area.
The thickness is getting smaller as we come closer to the edges - down to just 15 milimeters.
All connectors are arranged to look to the side, including 3 HDMIs with support for UHD
HDR, 2 USBs, Toslink, Ethernet, antenna and satellite inputs and analog connections which
you can use with supplied adapters.
There is also a Common Interface connector and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connection
options.
Because of 360 design that Samsung introduced last year, TV looks nice from every angle.
However, you will not find cover for the area where connectors are as is the case with more
expensive models.
On the other hand, there is a cover that hides holes for fastening of the stand which is
a nice detail.
Last year there were complaints about build quality of Samsung TVs, more precisely about
the joining of the backplate and the bezel.
After some hours of usage, plastic backplate would separate from the bezel so that you
could even see the inside of the TV through the gap.
MU6400 is using similar design so I checked in detail if such gap would appear.
Even though the backplate slightly moves when pushed with fingers, the gap did not emerge
until the end of the test, which might indicate that Samsung has made improvements on its
2017 TVs.
This is just my first observation – I will continue on to inspect this point with new
Samsung TVs as they arrive.
Supplied remote control is slighly refreshed version of Smart remote from 2016.
The layout and the shape are the same, but some buttons are now changed.
Now each button is individual instead of being integrated in the top surface as it was before.
This makes it easier to find the right control in the dark environment and overall experience
is more pleasant.
The remote is easy to use and allows quick navigation.
You can also use Samsung's SmartView app or connect USB keyboard or mouse.
Tizen 3.0 continues on Samsung's mission to provide unifying experience regardless of
the origin of the content you want to watch.
Home menu combines video on demand apps with digital tuner sources, inputs and other apps.
You can quickly jump to certain content inside an app such as Google Play Movies or Netflix
without first opening the app and then selecting the content.
The platform works really fast and it takes just a few seconds to bring it up from the
stand-by.
If you want to see how the platform works in reality and which options are available,
check my separate video.
Coming to picture quality, MU6400 performs the same as last year's KU6000 series in both
standard and high definition as well as for SDR and HDR content.
ANSI contrast and black level are the same as before, same goes for peak luminance and
there are no new features such as LED local dimming.
Picture quality in Movie mode is almost calibrated out of the box, but you will have to switch
it manually from highly inaccurate Standard mode that is on by default.
You can learn more about how to adjust picture for different types of content by watching
video linked below.
MU6400 covers over 98% or Rec.709 in default Movie mode and 85.9% of DCI-P3.
This means that TV can show accurate colors for content like the one on Blu-ray discs
or TV programming but also more saturated colors in case of wide color gamut sources.
In reality this means that you will be able to see a bit more colors when watching UHD
HDR content, but the result will not be as impressive as on higher end TVs.
Same goes for HDR effects.
In terms of picture processing, MU6400 does not bring anything new to the table – it
is a solid performer, but without improvements compared to last year.
TV uses a 60 Hz panel and performs as expected for a LCD with VA panel technology in terms
of motion sharpness.
I measured 250 out of maximum 1080 lines on the Monoscope test, with visible blurry traces
behind the objects and those traces becoming bigger as the luminance falls.
The only way to improve motion resolution is to use LED Clear Motion function but instead
of an improvement it made picture look too dim and flickering, together with very strong
doubling effect.
It is interesting to note that last year's KU series performed better in this regard,
but I am pretty sure Samsung will improve this through software updates.
For those who like super smooth soap opera effect in movies, there is an option for that
as well.
Viewing angle is the same as before, limited with drop of color saturation as the angle
increases.
In other words, for the best result sit directly in front of the screen.
In terms of gaming, MU6400 performs well, though you need to tweak both Game and PC
modes for the optimum but not perfect result.
Input lag in SDR 1080p is around 21 ms which is great and in PC mode only 18.7 ms.
For more details on how to adjust Samsung 2017 TVs for gaming, check my separate video.
TV has stereo speakers with average sound quality, on the same level as last year.
For not demanding users they will be fine, but for the better result I recommend investing
in at least a soundbar or a soundbase system.
To conclude, except for the new Tizen OS and refreshed remote control, Samsung MU6400 series
TV does not offer anything new compared to last year's models in this price category.
Overall it is a solid performer for all kinds of content except for the HDR for which it
lacks more advanced LED backlight system, same as it was last year with mainstream TVs.
That is why I would recommend getting a 2016 KU series which will offer the same performance
but for a lower price.
Thanks for watching this video.
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Till next video, bye!