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Craig's Reviews
 
Samsung J5500 Series UN32J5500AFXZA LED Smart HDTV: Turn your bedroom or small entertainment room into a home theater. With stunning 1080p picture quality and a world of streaming apps, you can enjoy TV and movies without needing a set-top cable box. Plus, you can wirelessly connect with smartphones and tablets to play videos and other content on the big screen.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Is it worth more than Samsung J5205?
on November 29, 2015
Posted by: Craig
I did a lot of research and made many visits to various big-box stores. 32" LEDs on display typically are budget models. Unfortunately, I'm picky and I'm replacing a high-spec'd [at the time] Sony Bravia XBR LCD with a failing panel I keep in my small study. I want more than 'pretty good.'
The cheapest 32" units are 720P which on such a modest screen size have do-able video quality but are visibly inferior to 1080P units, though the differences are minor. In the Samsung line the 720P units are pretty much represented by the 4-series. The 5-series are the low-end 1080P units. The 6-series, which isn't carried in Best Buy stores, is the high-end. This unit, the J5500, is a Best Buy exclusive offering a couple of key features over the nearly identical and widely available J5205 making it a unique mid-range 32" Samsung TV.
Video Quality
Samsung makes a J5500 series in a wide range of sizes but the 32" is exclusive to Best Buy. While I can't prove it because documentation on this model is skimpy, all the other J5500s have the Micro Dimming function which offers a little more dynamic range to bring out details in shadows. When I viewed this unit side-by-side to the other Samsung [and other brands like Visio] models in the store it had a slightly better picture. Sure, this is not a great test but I did make sure this and the J5205 both were set to standard mode and I set them on the same channel.
Now that I've got it at home I've got good news and bad news which both refer to the same set of control setting features. The J5500 [and I assume all the 32" Samsung LED TVs] have a dizzying array of things you can adjust beyond the basic brightness, tint, contrast, color, sharpness and gamma I'm used to. You can adjust skin tones, set warmness, dynamic contrast, black tones, color space, backlight, and even individually adjust colors singularly [e.g., blue, cyan, magenta, etc.]. The good news obviously is you have fine control. The bad news is it's confusing as you drill down making adjustments to figure out what is causing something to get out of whack. Also, each individual function isn't as powerful as they sound because I found they don't often make that much of a difference or behave as you expect. You can easily reset any mess you make and start all over.
Bottom line? After 2 days of fiddling I have a really nice picture. Great clarity and sharpness. Accurate color. Solid blacks. Excellent contrast and dynamic range. A nice upgrade from my Sony LCD which was no slouch!
Build Quality
A key difference between the J5500 and the J5205 most will consider merely aesthetic but I considered important is the J5205 has 2 boring black plastic legs on each end for support while the J5500 uses a better looking faux chrome center pedestal mount. My set-up is on a stand where the monitor hangs about 2"-3" over its edge so only a pedestal mount works for me without lots of reconfiguration of my study.
The downside of the pedestal mount is the assembly poses a problem. The pedestal is connected to the monitor via an L-shaped piece. It requires 7 screws be screwed into pre-drilled holes. Unfortunately, the 3 holes in the monitor don't quite line up and I found using a screwdriver impossible to complete the task. Screwing them in with a power drill is extremely easy but for those who don't have a power drill sitting around this unit probably isn't for you unless you're already in the market for one.
Sound
All 32" Samsungs appear to use the same speakers. How do they sound? Passable but far more tinny than the Sony mine replaced. I bought an inexpensive [$147] Samsung HW-J450 sound bar. It's highly recommend. Both units support SoundConnect so they work from your Samsung TV controller. Also, you can use the supplied digital optical cable to connect the two so you don't use up an HDMI port.
Smart TV
The J5500 and the J5305 are both Smart TVs. My needs are modest in this respect: Amazon Prime. The interface to Prime is robust and the 1 movie I've watched on it was smooth and glitch free. My Wi-Fi unit is on a separate floor and not the greatest but I get good signal to the J5500. I should add setting up the Wi-Fi was a cinch and equally glitch free. The J5500 also supports wired Ethernet.
I think - but can't prove it - another benefit of this unit being in the 5500 line is it comes with a better quad core processor than the dual core in the J5205.
My Best Buy number: 3505238794
I would recommend this to a friend!
+492points
526of 560voted this as helpful.
 
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Samsung J5500 Series UN32J5500AFXZA LED Smart HDTV: Turn your bedroom or small entertainment room into a home theater. With stunning 1080p picture quality and a world of streaming apps, you can enjoy TV and movies without needing a set-top cable box. Plus, you can wirelessly connect with smartphones and tablets to play videos and other content on the big screen.
 

Does it have Wi-Fi?

Yes, it has both Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port for a wired connection.
8 years, 3 months ago
by
Craig