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. Slim chassis, great spec and very agreeable picture performance is all well and good – but when it comes to audio performance, the Samsung BU8500 sounds like an affordable flatscreen TV of the old school. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. The Samsung BU8500 is on sale now, though at the time of writing this particular model is available in Europe and some other countries, but hasn't been announced for North America or Australia (though it is available in New Zealand).

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 Here, too, the 50AU8000 flatters to deceive. At first listen it seems to produce a pleasingly wide soundstage, filled busily by lots of subtle detail. Certainly things feel more ‘hi-fi’ than you might typically expect from an affordable 50-inch TV. While some colours look beautifully vivid on the 50AU8000, others, especially ‘nature’ greens, can look a touch subdued, resulting in bright HDR footage sometimes looking uneven and inconsistent.Discover Samsung’s Crystal UHD display on the UE50BU8000KXXU. With four times more clarity than Full HD TVs, you’ll enjoy image quality so real it will feel like you’re actually there. The Samsung BU8500's ports are largely easy to access. (Image credit: Future) Samsung BU8500 review: Features Q-Symphony synchronises sound from your TV and your compatible Samsung Q-Series Home Theater Soundbar for a truly immersive surround sound experience that immerses you in the action. Percentage Luminance drop at 35 degree horizontal angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output

There are limits to the amount of ‘designing’ that can be done to a TV at the best of times, and ‘the best of times’ most certainly does not include a mainstream range of aggressively priced televisions designed to appeal to as many folk as possible. So the BU8500 is an unremarkable looker. The 50AU8000 also excels with its upscaling of sub-4K content. It adds a seriously impressive amount of detail and sharpness to HD sources, producing much more ‘4K-like’ results than most affordable 4K TVs muster. What’s more, it delivers its excellent upscaling results without exaggerating noise or causing distracting side effects. Samsung has included a range of connection ports including three HDMI and two USB ports. Why not link up a games console or soundbar to help you make the most of the UHD screen? You can even connect to the television via Bluetooth. And, you can control your TV with your voice using Bixby, Google Assistant or Alexa. Percentage luminance drop at 35 degree horizontal angle from the centre of the screen with 100% white output 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).

Percentage luminance drop at 20 degree vertical angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output Percentage luminance drop at 20 degree vertical angle from the centre of the screen with 100% white output Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying a live scene and white square taking up 60% of the screen (measured in Nits)

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. Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying a live scene and white square taking up 10% of the screen (measured in Nits)

UE50BU8000KXXU

The Samsung BU8500 is impressively slim, but this does limit what its speakers can do. (Image credit: Future) Samsung BU8500 review: Sound quality You may use your voice to ask Bixby, Alexa, or Google Assistant to play your favourite music, get answers, and even manage your TV and other compatible connected devices. Accessibility (Enlarge / High Contrast / Multi-output Audio / Color Inversion / Grayscale / Sign Language Zoom / Slow Button Repeat) Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying small white square taking up 10% of the screen (measured in Nits)

Motion looks reasonably natural too, once you’ve swapped the over-enthusiastic, noisy-looking Auto Picture Clarity setting for a calmer Custom mode where Judder Reduction is set to around three or four. There does seem to be a little more residual resolution loss in areas of fine detail during camera pans than we’d typically expect from a Samsung TV, but overall it’s still a good effort. Many countries receive market-specific variations of television, of course, due to differences in broadcast standards and so on – so at present there’s no confirmation of what the equivalent Samsung screen will be in other territories. What we can be certain of, though, is that both the United States and Australia will be getting a range of competitively priced, competitively specified Samsung 4K LED TVs that are more than a little reminiscent of the BU8500 series. Samsung Smart Connectivity provides a straightforward but effective smart TV experience. Connect compatible devices or use compatible apps and services to access your favourite games, apps, and services. Keep watching what you're watching or see what's new and on right now. Everything you need is right on your home screen. Subtitles and audio description information displayed on electronic programme guide programme banner 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.

Samsung delivers another affordable 4K TV hit

Subtitle and audio description information spoken on the electronic programme guide more info panel Featuring Dynamic Crystal Colour, all your favourite content will be displayed in crystal clear, lifelike colour. 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.