including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, NOW TV and BT Sport apps** – all in one place at the touch of a button. Discover our easy-to-use and to-customise Smart Hub platform and spend less time searching, more time watching what you love, with tailored recommendations. During setup, the adjustment to color balance is on a bit of a hair-trigger – it’ll tip from ‘just slightly understated’ to ‘rather too lively’ in no time. But play around a bit to find the optimum balance and the color palette is naturalistic, convincing and wide-ranging. Skin-tones, in particular, are detailed and varied. So not for the first time (and almost certainly not for the last), Samsung has managed to hit a price-point without too many obvious compromises. It's absolutely one of the best Samsung TVs available today for those on a budget. Samsung BU8500 review: Price and release date

The Samsung BU8500 isn’t the greatest choice as a gaming TV, in part because the 50Hz panel precludes support for 4K/120Hz high-frame-rate gaming, along with VRR (variable refresh rate), Freesync and the Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro technology found on other Samsung TVs.

Designed with your family in mind, this Samsung TV comes with three HDMI and two USB ports so you can link up a soundbar or games console to make the most of the crystal display. Plus, you can stream from your PC to enjoy even more content on the big screen. Percentage Luminance drop at 35 degree horizontal angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying a live scene and white square taking up 10% of the screen (measured in Nits) The BU8500 ships in the Standard mode, which as usual is too bright, has colours that are oversaturated and introduces an excess of blue into the grayscale. Thankfully, switching to the Filmmaker mode immediately produces greater accuracy, with a greyscale that measures an average Delta E (error) of 1.6, which is well below the visible threshold of three. Featuring Dynamic Crystal Colour, all your favourite content will be displayed in crystal clear, lifelike colours. With over one billion shades, which is 64 times more than conventional UHD TVs, you’ll get rich, vibrant pictures for your complete viewing pleasure.

A sense of value is absolutely critical to the Samsung BU8500. It exists to make sure that you can get lots of the latest features for a low price, or to give you the chance to upgrade to a larger screen while still keeping within your budget. Percentage luminance drop at 20 degree vertical angle from the centre of the screen with 100% white output Samsung Smart TV powered by Tizen provides easy access to the widest range of catch-up services and VoD services, including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Now TV, and BT Sport apps (subscriptions may be required). The Samsung BU8500 might be an impressive TV when handling SDR, but its limitations become apparent when moving on to HDR. This is especially true in terms of peak brightness, which only hits 330cd/m² on both a 10% window and full-field pattern in Dynamic mode, and drops to around 285cd/m² on both a 10% and a full-field pattern with the more accurate Filmmaker mode.

Out of Bundle Charges

The Samsung BU8500's ports are largely easy to access. (Image credit: Future) Samsung BU8500 review: Features Elevate your experience to epic 4K with the captivating Samsung UE65BU86500KXXU. This breathtaking 65” screen delivers rich, lifelike colours and detail like you’ve never seen before. Powered by the Samsung Crystal Processor 4K, this TV delivers powerful 4K upscaling and deep learning algorithms that help adjust the screen settings to the optimal options. So everything you watch is in the best possible quality. The Samsung Crystal Processor 4K also adapts the sound, so you can enjoy a more immersive audio experience that brings you closer to your favourite series, films, and sports. The Samsung BU8500 is impressively slim, but this does limit what its speakers can do. (Image credit: Future) Samsung BU8500 review: Sound quality This is a 4K LED screen, powered by Samsung’s ‘Crystal 4K’ processor and with support for HLG and HDR10+ standards of HDR (we’re used to Samsung refusing to offer support for Dolby Vision, but it never stops being galling). Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying small white square taking up 60% of the screen (measured in Nits)

Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying small white square taking up 10% of the screen (measured in Nits) To test the Samsung BU8500 we used Portrait Displays Calman colour calibration software. Samsung BU8500 review: Sound quality There’s a choice of a standard Samsung controller or a SolarCell remote that recharges using solar energy, and offers a stripped-down set of keys including basic navigation controls, volume and channel up/down, plus direct access buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and TV Plus. Samsung BU8500 review: Smart TV platform There’s a degree of low-end extension, but none of the really deep bass that gives movie audio greater impact, and the mid-range sometimes feels a little flat. However, dialogue is presented in a clear and focused fashion, and the overall delivery is reasonably balanced. Unfortunately, the treble can feel harsh and sibilant, and the 20W of amplification struggles at higher volumes.Percentage luminance drop at 20 degree vertical angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output Of course, we don’t all live on a diet of brand-new cutting-edge content - and when it comes to upscaling, the Samsung (mostly) continues its good work. Certainly an HD broadcast of some elite-level tennis suffers hardly at all – colors are confidently described, on-screen movement is stable in almost all circumstances, and detail levels stay high. There’s a little coarsening of skin-tones and a hint of jaggedness to the more difficult edges, but by and large the BU8500 remains eminently watchable.