If you want to buy a 60 inch LED TV you are shopping at the top end of the market. There are many 55 inch LED TV models from the big TV manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, and Panasonic, but the choice of available 60 inch LED TVs is limited. There is no such thing as a cheap 60 inch LED TV and you are going to have to have deep pockets if you want one because they cost upwards of $3000.
Samsung 6400 60 inch 3D LED TV
With the third most expensive price tag in the Samsung LED TV range you would expect this particular Samsung 60 inch LED TV to be in amongst the very best TVs available. It is certainly packed with the latest technical features which we will take a look at.
Samsung are the masters of marketing and terminology. And they have come up with a new term as a way of measuring the performance of their LED TVs, which they have labelled ‘Clear Motion Rate’. CMR is said to be a measure of the all-round picture performance of their TVs. The Samsung 6400, is said to have ‘Clear Motion Rate 480’, which doesn’t mean much to the average consumer. This ‘rating’ can only be compared to other Samsung models with a CMR rating also and not other manufacturers TVs, so there seems little point with it? Samsung will rightly argue that the usual measurements of refresh rates and resolutions don’t fully reflect the capabilities of a particular TV because it doesn’t take in to consideration other factors such as image processing and backlight technology. However having Clear Motion Rate 480 seems to be an even less informative piece of jargon that the marketers have dreamt up.
Any way, the specifications for this TV are that it has a 60 inch 3D LED 1080p display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The picture quality is very good especially in when viewing HD as opposed to standard definition which is good to average. It has a wide color gamut and considering it is a super large edge lit 60 inch LED TV the black levels are very good. The Samsung 6400 also has better than average picture adjustments and settings for both 3D and 2D formats.
Also worth mentioning is that this Samsung LED 60 inch TV comes equipped with two pairs of Samsungs improved active 3D glasses. They are lighter and more comfortable than the 2010 models. They also use Bluetooth and so they are more effective at remaining in sync with the TV for smoother 3D viewing.
If there can be one criticism with the picture quality it is that the brightness levels sometimes appear slightly uneven across the full area of the screen. This would be improved if it included local dimming of the back light, but this feature is only present in Samsungs most expensive models. Sound capabilities of the Samsung 6400 can be described as adequate. This typical across the board for TVs with such slim designs where the lack of space restricts the inclusion of a more robust set of speakers.
The area which this TV excels is with its internet capabilities, it gets the full range of apps in its Smart Hub interface which performs far better than the Yahoo widgets method which they have replaced in the former 2010 models. As well as being the center of the web connectivity Samsung Smart Hub also provides access to all the local media that is connected through DNLA and USB. The using DNLA the TV can seamlessly connect to other DNLA compatible devices such as digital cameras and PCs to stream digital media (photos, music and movies) direct to the TV. There is a wide range of optional apps available in the Samsung store and the inclusion of a cool new feature called the Social TV which displays a side-bar that provides updates from your Facebook, Twitter and Google Talk accounts. Two things missing are an integrated web browser and Wi-Fi which some other TVs in this class include (Wi-Fi is supported but only by using an optional adaptor)
Sony Bravia NX720 60 inch 3D LED TV
Like the Samsung this Sony 60 inch LED TV has a 120 Hz 1080p panel. The difference here is that is has a dynamic edge light with local dimming for better contrast control. As with the Samsung it is capable of producing full HD 3D TV picture quality. The TV uses Bravia Internet TV and Wi-Fi connectivity is included as standard.
The picture quality of the Sony NX720 60 inch LED display compares favourably with the Samsung. The local dimming provides better all round contrast levels with especially deep blacks and bright whites. Where the Samsung had a small but noticeable amount of uneven lighting the same can’t be said about the Sony. Sony’s 3D glasses are of a similar design to the new Samsung specs, they are lightweight and have side-panels to block out unwanted light.
The Sony NX720 has good connectivity options with DNLA networking for streaming local media using the ethernet port or the wireless connectivity which comes as standard. There is a decent enough range of internet apps and services including Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, Twitter, Skype and Facebook, but over all the slick menus and endless range of downloadable apps of the Samsung edge it when it comes to internet performance.
In terms of being kind to the environment, both brands of 60 inch LED TVs are inherently energy efficient due to using LED lighting along with all the additional power saving features that they use including ambient light detection and auto idle power off.
Summary
It is really difficult to separate these two models and say what is the best 60 inch LED TV? The difference in their list price is only $200 since the Sony dropped the price of the Sony NX720 by $300, but as you can typically get better discounts when buying Samsung TVs online then you can probably save yourself closer to $500 if you opt for the Samsung 6400. As the Sony NX720 has local dimming, you are paying the extra amount for this feature really. However, if internet capabilities are high on your list of priorities then the Samsung edges it. The same is also true if aesthetics are of great importance to you because the sleek almost bezel-less design of the Samsung 60 inch LED TV profile are unrivalled by any other brand including Sony.
