My previous Samsung, a 600-series 46" LCD was great, but it lasted just under 4 years. Though its capacitor problem was handled twice by Samsung repair (at no charge), in December 2011 we learned the "screen was failing." The picture took about a half hour to "snap in," and during that time curtains of black and brown seemed to roll across the screen. Thing is, when the picture DID snap in, it was still absolutely fantastic. Still the best TV picture I'd ever had, after a series of many brands. So the news that it was failing was disappointing, as I feel a TV should last longer than 4 years. It took about 3-4 months, and the picture no longer snapped in, so watching it became more or less impossible -- doable in a pinch, but distracting! The tech said our cost for a repair would probably top $1K, and we opted to hunt for a new TV.
So it must seem strange that I ended up with another Samsung, but the fact is -- for the money, it's hard to find a better picture! I looked at Sony, LG, Panasonic, Sharp, and some off-brands, and did not see ANY picture that dollar for dollar matched this one. So I switched from LCD to LED and jumped up a size to 55" (it still doesn't hang off the sides of my stand, so why not?). For more or less the same money I spent 4 years ago on the 46", I have a larger screen, a thinner and sleeker TV, with a great picture, better sound (I plan to stick with factory, for now, maybe add a sound bar later). It also recognized my wi-fi immediately (though I don't have a use for it right now - I stream with a Roku box, but I might transition). I don't hang my TVs on the wall, so I don't have an opinion on that aspect, and the stand had to be screwed in (the 46" model did not), which the agreeable delivery guys did for me. It was easier as a two-person job, so I appreciated the extra ten minutes of their time.
After a couple weeks of use, I can say I love the TV. I'm still tinkering with the color and settings, but on an HD telecast it's great. I will say that when a news program shows tape or non-HD source material, those insets looks terrible... but that's normal with older media. There are more fine tuning settings than the previous TV. So far, everything has worked perfectly. The remote is about the same as the last one, fairly acceptable. If/when I use the Smart feature, I'll update my review. For all uses so far, the set has exceeded my expectations and the picture continues Samsung's streak quality-wise. I do hope there will not be some technical flaw, such as that other set's capacitor issue, and I hope it will give me more than 4 years of use. Delivery was fine, except the TV was promised on Good Friday and was said to be in town the day before, but a call to the freight company contradicted the tracking info and a new delivery appointment was made for the following Monday, a minor annoyance. Besides that, I am a happy owner and still a Samsung advocate.
Added note: Chose this model over the lower-priced, lower series version because that one has only 2 HDMI ports. This model has 3, which I need for my set-up as it stands. Did note that my previous Samsung LCD had almost all its ports dead center of the rear panel, which allowed bundling the cords to make them mostly disappear behind the stand's stem. This star-shaped stand hides less, but it's irrelevant because the port panel is now behind the right-hand side of the TV (as you look at it), and slightly recessed so the HDMI ports plug in sideways - which would be great if there was more space for the stiff cables to curve naturally. This port placement also makes it nearly impossible to get every cord gathered up and centered to hide it behind the stem, especially if some of your existing cables are a little too short. There is a cord gathering hook you can attach using its adhesive backing, so you can determine where you want the cords gathered, but you may not be able to get them all wrangled (easily). The changing of the port panel location seems arbitrary, and in my case makes all the cords more visible when you enter my front door! That's not their fault, the cords have to go somewhere, but I preferred the previous placement. As others have mentioned, the different mounting options may cause a problem... in my case, it's why I never wanted to mount on the wall. Too likely to have to change mounting hardware and location with new models, and I'm vindicated in my paranoia. I much prefer a stand, though it does take up more floor space (but holds a lot of media) and of course the TV is set almost a foot from the wall and isn't as "neat" as it could be. For my situation, it works, but it may give you pause depending on your space.
| Brand Name | SAMSUNG |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 32.4 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 52 x 5.6 x 28.9 inches |
| Item model number | UN46ES6100 |
| Color Name | Black |
| Number of Component Outputs | Optical |
| Specification Met | Energy Star |
| Special Features | Flat |
| Item Weight | 32.4 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 46 Inches |
