Skip to main content
  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Smart TV Features

  • Picture Quality

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Contrast

  • Color

  • Other Tests

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Smart TV Features
  • Picture Quality
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Contrast
  • Color
  • Other Tests

Introduction

While Samsung has loaded up on those features in other TVs, the UN40EH6000 shows some nice performance improvements over last year's 6000-series sets. This TV has some excellent black and white detail, some good—but not great—color accuracy, high resolution, and a sleek design, without all the other bells and whistles.

Design

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The EH6000's design is simple and pleasant.

The combination of the screen and the thin bezel make for an elegant and monolithic appearance from the front, while the side view strikes a subtle median between thin and thick. The EH6000 is like the perfect bowl of porridge—it looks just right.

The EH6000 is like the perfect bowl of porridge—it looks just right.

For connectivity, there are three side ports that house two HDMI inputs and one USB port. The EH6000 has a small recessed space on the right side of the back (just beyond its side ports) for a shared component/composite input, an EX-LINK service port, analog audio out, digital audio out, and the antenna/cable input.

{{photo_gallery "Design Landing Page Photo", "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo"}}

Smart TV Features

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

A fast, no-frills menu interface

Following the tradition set forth in its 2011 models, Samsung's gifted the EH6000’s menu system with a simple, all-inclusive, and easy-to-navigate interface. The menus themselves are streamlined and arranged intelligently, though there are still captions that detail what each option does. Between the Menu, Return, Exit, and arrow navigational buttons, even a novice user should know what to do.

The menus themselves are streamlined and arranged intelligently. Even a novice should know what to do.

One drawback to the EH6000’s menu is that some viewing and lighting options are grayed out and only accessible within certain TV modes, but there is no way of discovering this without a little experimentation. On the plus side, the menu load times (compared to Samsung’s 2011 models) are noticeably faster.

{{photo_gallery "Software and Internet Landing Page Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Browser 1 Photo", "Browser 2 Photo", "Browser 3 Photo", "Apps 1 Photo", "Apps 2 Photo", "Apps 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo"}}

Picture Quality

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Contrast was excellent, but color accuracy was mediocre.

Consumers who purchase the Samsung EH6000 will enjoy a very dark black level—impressive for an LCD television. Meanwhile, the white level is quite bright, which lends a great contrast ratio.

While a good contrast ratio will enhance image quality, color accuracy here will not. Reds looked great, but greens were dull and blues strayed into purple territory. Luckily, the colors showed fine gradation, so the transitions are nice and smooth.

There are two motion processing modes and neither of these functions are commendable in any fashion.

There are two motion processing modes on the Samsung EH6000: Auto Motion Plus and LED Motion Plus. Neither of these functions are commendable in any fashion. The Auto Motion Plus feature suffered from the many problems we frequently discuss regarding the Soap Opera Effect. While causing problems for film based content, it also showed significant errors in our motion tests. The smoothness of the motion was excellent, retaining very fine details while in motion, but you would hardly notice this detail for all of the artifacts introduced to the picture.

Conclusion

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

This TV isn't perfect, but it delivers great quality for the price.

The UN40EH6000 (MSRP $779) is a television you can take home, plug in, and enjoy right away. There are probably many consumers looking for a TV just like this— something stripped of all the doodads and geegaws that still offers a great picture. It’s easy on the eyes, too, which never hurts.

There are probably many consumers looking for a TV just like this— something stripped of all the doodads and geegaws that still offers a great picture.

In our performance tests, the UN40EH6000 showed some excellent black and white performance. The contrast ratio was very strong, stemming from a superbly deep black level. We also saw excellent detail retention throughout this expansive range. If you like black and white movies, this will be one of the better televisions out there. The color performance, though, was not great. We put a great deal of emphasis on proper color reproduction, as we believe it gives the picture its lifelike appearance.

Overall, we think the Samsung UN40EH6000 is a good buy for a specific consumer. If you want a very basic television, there are other models out there for a couple hundred dollars less. The extra money you'll spend on the UN40EH6000 gives you the backing of a major brand name and a quality that is hard to match. If quality comes first and fancy features seem unnecessary to you, this television will suit you just fine.

Science Introduction

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Samsung EH6000 produced a great contrast ratio, thanks to its deep blacks and modestly bright whites. The color accuracy was fair, but not impressive, as was the viewing angle.

Contrast

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Blacks this deep are a delight to see on an LCD television.

To begin with, the black value of 0.05 cd/m2 is the real star here: It's dark enough to make some plasma TVs jealous, and makes up for a mediocre peak brightness of just 230 cd/m2 .

Even without a stunning peak brightness, the Samsung UN40EH6000 has a great contrast ratio of over 4500:1. This is a measure of the range of possible light and dark values available to a TV. The more values of light and dark used, the more realistic the picture will look. More on how we test contrast.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 1 Images"}}

Color

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Green and blue values are not that accurate.

If you focus your attention on the green part of the chart, you can see that these values are highly undersaturated compared to the norm. We saw this immediately when calibrating. Also, the greens lacked luster—they were noticeably gray, which is never good. We tried jacking up the Color setting to increase this to some effect, but at a total loss to all blue and red values.

You can also see that the blue values are highly oversaturated. If we increased the color to save the greens, the blues would only be further washed away by over-excitement. More on how we test color performance.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 2 Images"}}

Other Tests

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

If you want more information about this TV's testing results, just browse through the gallery.

{{photo_gallery "Other Tests Images"}}

Meet the tester

Christian Sherden

Christian Sherden

Staff Writer

@

Christian Sherden is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

See all of Christian Sherden's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next