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Review: Samsung D7000 Smart TV
Thu, 1st Dec 2011
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Thanks to Samsung, we got some quality time over the last month with their latest Smart TV, the Samsung D7000. The D7000 is a 46 Inch, 3D, LED LCD Screen that also offers a wide range of Internet based features available via both wired network connection and built in wireless.

As a high definition TV, the Samsung D7000 absolutely shines, providing all the expected high definition inputs you would expect and an accompanying wide range of viewing modes to tweak the screen settings to deliver the optimum picture. The unit also features the ability to not only play 3D content, but also convert standard 2D content into 3D. The quality of the conversion varies with the quality of the source material, with high definition live 2D footage converting almost as well as footage shot specifically in 3D. Of course to view the 3D, active glasses are still required, and while the Samsung glasses are not uncomfortable by any means it will depend on how much you enjoy watching content in 3D as to how often you will want to use this mode.

The other big feature of the D7000 is that it is a Smart TV, offering internet connectivity and a wide range of apps built into the set that you can access with the push of a button. While it is amusing to bring up YouTube videos on the big screen and watch the internet’s most epic fail videos from the comfort of your own couch, there are a few drawbacks. Firstly, most content on the internet (particularly YouTube) is generally a low resolution, which means that while it looks fine on a smaller computer or tablet screen, it doesn’t look that amazing on a larger TV screen. Secondly, an internet capable TV requires a good Internet connection to stream video in particular (especially anything Hi Definition), which in NZ can be problematic at best.

Navigating the internet also poses its own unique challenges, and the freedom that we generally expect from a keyboard and mouse is difficult to translate down into a standard television remote. Apparently there is a special QWERTY keyboard remote available for the D7000, however it was not included with our review unit, so you might want to look into this as an extra purchase.

Pros 

Excellent picture quality

Built in 2D - 3D conversion

internet connectivity and apps

Cons 

internet navigation tricky with conventional remote

Some apps quite basic

3D requires active (battery powered) glasses

Higher price point for added smart functionality

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the Samsung D7000 is an outstanding television, one which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a high definition - 3D Smart TV.