Samsung 8500-series LED LCD TV. (Click to enlarge.) [Photo courtesy of Samsung]

Samsung's latest entry into the LED LCD TV sweepstakes is a new premium line of 8500-series TVs, in 46- and 55-inch screen sizes, that will be available starting in September. The 240Hz sets—priced at $3,600 and $4,500, respectively—are ultra-thin models (just 1.6-inches deep) that include Samsung’s Medi@2.0 Internet service, with access to online content via Yahoo’s Internet widget platform.

Unlike some TVs that try to achieve a 240Hz effect by combining a scanning (flashing) backlight with 120Hz technology, 8500-series models are true 240Hz sets that use frame-interpolation technology (called Auto Motion Plus) to actually quadruple the TV's frame rate. One thing we liked in some previous Samsung sets, included on these newer models, is the ability for users to adjust the levels of judder and motion-blur reduction individually, which can help reduce motion blur without adding so much smoothing that film starts to look like video.

Unlike most new models we're seeing, these sets use full-array LED backlights, rather than edge LEDs. Full-array backlights allow for local dimming—something the 8500-series sets include—where some segments of the screen can remain dark while others are illuminated. In previous full-array sets, such as Samsung's A950 series, we saw significant improvements in black-level performance. We hope to test a set in this series when they become available to see how black levels compare to both to the A950 set we have in house, as well as newer edge-lit models.

Samsung’s Medi@2.0 online service offers access to Web-based content—including photos from Flickr, YouTube videos, sports news from USA Today, and Twitter feeds—via onscreen widgets. In the fall, the sets will be able to receive streaming movies from Blockbuster, per a previously announced deal. The sets also come with 2GB of flash memory preloaded with content such as artwork, games and recipes.

The new TVs can be wall-mounted using Samsung’s ultra-slim wall mount, which leaves a gap of just over a half-inch between the set and the wall. —James K. Willcox