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Samsung JS9000 TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
Samsung JS9000 Picture
7.9
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.9
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.6
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.6
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.3
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.1
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.2
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.0
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
This TV was replaced by the Samsung KS9500

The Samsung JS9000 SUHD 4k TV has excellent picture quality both in a dark and a bright room. If you don't mind the loss of color at an angle and it is within your budget, get this TV.

Our Verdict

7.9 Mixed Usage

The Samsung JS9000 is our overall top rated TV this year. It has picture quality very similar to the cheaper JS8500, which is really great both in a dark and bright room. It outranked the JS8500 in our test suite, thanks to the lower input lag. If you don't care about the input lag, the curve, or the full OneConnect box, you get the same excellent picture quality with the cheaper JS8500.

Pros
  • Wider color gamut
  • Good uniformity
  • Great gaming TV (low input lag and motion blur)
  • Great overall picture quality in both a dark and a bright room
Cons
  • Limited viewing angle.
  • 7.9 Mixed Usage
  • 7.9 Movies
  • 7.6 TV Shows
  • 7.6 Sports
  • 8.3 Video Games
  • 8.1 HDR Movies
  • 8.2 HDR Gaming
  • 7.0 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated Jul 20, 2015: Our testers have started testing this product.
  3. Updated Apr 10, 2015: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Test Results

Design
8.5
Design
Style
Curved Yes

The Samsung JS9000 is pretty eye-catching, thanks to its curved screen and gray back, and its stand is nice and stable. The bezel is not the thinnest, though.

While this TV did outperform all the others this year, the Sansungs JS8500 is a similar option that comes for a good deal cheaper. You pay a lot for a curved screen, so if that's not a 'must' for you, consider saving money with a flat TV.

Design
Stand

Dimensions for 55" TV stand: 35.5" by 13.5".

Design
Borders
Borders 0.75" (1.9 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.83" (7.2 cm)
Picture Quality
8.2
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
3,695 : 1

The native contrast ratio of this TV is good. Turning on 'Smart LED' doesn't change the measurement on our checkboard pattern.

3.5
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
Yes
Backlight
Edge

The edge-lit local dimming's zones are big, because the LEDs are located on the left and right sides of the TV.

6.7
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Peak 2% Window
449 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
347 cd/m²

The maximum luminosity of a 2% white window is not really impressive, even with 'Smart LED' set to 'High'.

7.8
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
2.638%
50% DSE
0.158%

As with the JS8500, the JS9000's edge-lighting backlight is really great at getting rid of the dirty screen effect (small darker patches). The top and bottom center edges are slightly darker, but it shouldn't be an issue.

4.2
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
VA
Color Shift
20°
Brightness
30°
Black Level
16°

The picture quality when you view at an angle is not as great as what you get from directly in front.

Update 01/06/2017: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results from 2016 TVs.

9.3
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
0.792%

It has a few clouding spots, but nothing major. If you get one with major black uniformity issues, don't forget to apply slight pressure and massage the area with a dry cloth, and then let the TV sit for a few days. This often solves uniformity issues.

9.0
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit
8.7
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
2.8
Color dE
2.0134
Gamma
2.21

Movie mode has a good preset in terms of white balance and colors.

9.8
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.28
Color dE
0.4526
Gamma
2.19

Achieving a great calibration was easy on this TV. See the third page of our review for the full settings.

8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

DVDs and SD channels looks as good as they can on this TV.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV also looks good once upscaled.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

As with all Samsung TVs, the 1080p upscaling doesn't produce a soft picture.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

4k Material looks great on this TV.

8.2
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
89.86%
DCI P3 uv
95.37%
Rec 2020 xy
67.13%
Rec 2020 uv
75.57%

Like all Samsung JS series TVs, setting the colorspace to 'Native' increases the color gamut. For normal content, we don't recommend this, because it will produce over-saturated colors.

9.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
0.7%
Screen Finish
Glossy

Samsung's glossy finish is great at reducing the ambient reflections, and thus increasing the perceived contrast ratio when you have a few lights on. There is a little bit of rainbow glare around bright objects.
This TV can get very bright, but its glossy screen finish won't be ideal if you have windows directly opposite the TV. Your eyes will tend to focus on those outlines.

9.0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
Yes
3D Type
Active

The 3D is good, with no major crosstalk.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Motion
9.0
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 120 Hz
Response Time
11.1 ms
Overshoot
0.2 ms

It handles fast motion really well, thanks to its very fast response time.

4.8
Motion
Image Flicker
PWM Dimming Frequency
120 Hz
BFI
Yes
BFI Frequency
60 Hz
BFI In Game Mode
No
7.1
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-free 24p via 60i
No

Movies don't have judder when using a 24p source (like a Blu-ray player). However, it doesn't always do the reverse 3:2 pulldown, so you might see a little bit of judder in movies when watching over a 60p or 60i source (like on cable, or some streaming boxes). Of course, turning on 'Auto Motion Plus' solves this, but it adds the soap opera effect.

10
Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes
Inputs
7.5
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
23.6 ms
1080p With Interpolation
131.6 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
139.1 ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
55.8 ms

In game mode, the input lag is very low (23.6 ms). In PC mode, the lag is a bit higher, at 55.8 ms.

8.0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes

It doesn't support an input of 1080p @ 120fps, but handles 4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 well. For 4:4:4, turn on UHD Color and use PC mode.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 1 (incl. adapter, shared)
Composite In 1 (incl. adapter, shared)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 1
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth Yes
ARC Yes (HDMI 4)
USB 3 Yes (1)
HDCP 2.2 Yes
CEC Yes
MHL Yes (HDMI 3)
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Sound Quality
6.9
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
5.2 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
5.52 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
7.33 dB SPL
Max
92.6 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
63 Hz

The loudness and low-end cut off are very good for a TV, but the frequency response is poor. There seems to be pumping present at higher volumes.

5.6
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.022
Distortion @ 80
0.108
Distortion @ Max
0.132

The distortion isn't bad at 75 dB SPL. At higher volumes the distortion increases to noticeable amounts, but not as much as some other TVs.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

Major Apps Available

  • Netflix
  • YouTube
  • Vudu
  • HBO Go
  • Hulu Plus
  • CinemaNow
  • Crackle
  • Amazon Video
  • Pandora

    Check out our full review of Samsung's smart features.

  • 8.5
    Smart Features
    Interface
    Smart OS Tizen

    The remote is really good. It would be better if it came with more buttons - you have to use an onscreen keypad to input channels - but the motion and voice features are great ways to navigate quickly. The smart platform itself is likewise really good.

    The One Connect box houses the processor and the inputs. Your TV won't be usable if it is not connected, and it's an unfortunate extra bit of clutter. Having this separate does mean, though, that you'll be able to upgrade some of the TV's 'guts' in the future, should you wish to do so.

    0
    Smart Features
    Ads
    Ad-free
    No
    Opt-out
    No
    Smart Features
    Remote
    Remote Smart

    The included Bluetooth smart remote is great for using the smart features. However, there is no number pad present directly on it, which makes switching channels a bit more cumbersome.

    Smart Features
    Misc
    Power Consumption 101 W
    Power Consumption (Max) 206 W
    Firmware 1217