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Haier U55H7000 is a modern TV, with definition up to 4K and smart content for those like us who have understood that TV today is (much) more than simple television channels, designed for those who want visual quality at a low budget.
The design is basic but the visual quality is important for this range and the complementary features do not miss anything: in our opinion the TV gives the best if accompanied with an external player such as Apple TV or NVIDIA SHIELD, but also on its own it offers capabilities of absolute importance for the user for which it is designed.
U55H7000, a feather in a box
The first surprise comes from the box: very light, just 34 kg gross between packaging and TV are very few for a panel of at 55 “which will make both couriers happy and those who have to carry the TV through stairs, elevators and narrow corridors, a phase that is never talked about and is very delicate.
The assembly phase of the TV, which basically concerns only the feet
Once opened, the assembly phase lasts about twenty minutes: the instructions are (too much) minute, but luckily everything is resolved only in the assembly of the feet, in plastic, and in the installation of the TV with consequent wiring, discovering that the TV, alone, can weigh only about 10 KG.
For the initial configuration it is necessary to follow the instructions on the screen, quite simple, both for the installation of all the channels and for the Smart part, which can use a wired network or via Wi-Fi.
Aesthetics
The TV is entirely made of plastic black, including the front panel, while the back is quite thick: laudable the presen za of a very small frame, a few millimeters, which when the TV is on offers a feeling of extreme lightness, especially for full screen content.
The plastic construction had worried us a little at beginning, especially for the feet, but to tell the truth a bit the lightness of the whole and a bit the elasticity of the structure offer a sense of extreme solidity when, for example, we move the TV to watch it from the table (instead of from the sofa).
The TV, here while watching Annihilation, an introverted Netflix movie: in the lower part there is room for the remote control and other accessories, such as a wireless charging accessory
The TV is obviously not designed to be in the center of a room, since the back is not inclined to design, but close to a wall or hung by means of special brackets, offering an interesting front glance.
Finally, the lower part is characterized by only two feet, the ch and leaves room for a dedicated speaker or the presence of accessories, such as a smart player, the support of the remote control or, as in our case, a charging base for the iPhone.
A About the remote control: the dimensions are very generous, both of the case and of the buttons: those who have small children or elderly people will be happy, for whom small objects represent a problem, for others there remains the consolation that it is practically impossible to lose it.
The front panel of the U55H7000 is made of plastic, which is less beautiful to look at than a glass panel but does not preclude the signal quality
4K but not only
Once the initial configuration was finished, we immediately started trying some content in 4K to verify its actual yield of the panel. We evaluated both fairly common content such as movies or TV series, and ad hoc content (but we will talk about these in particular in a bit).
The specific rendering of the panel seemed good to us, and We also liked the use of HDR, likely there is better in the market, but definitely not at this price.
The remote control, beautifully important, is not among the things that get lost in the sofa
The images have a tendency to be a bit cold (specific controls are missing) but in essence it is not a defect so serious, if we consider that to date, however, the presence of adequate contents to make the most of such a panel are not so many.
The definition is very beautiful, both with native 4K content and the 'upscaling from content in FullHD or even in HD. Those lucky enough to see the next world championships on this TV will surely have a wonderful experience, even if unfortunately not very patriotic.
The audio, on the other hand, is nothing exceptional: it does its own job without praise glory, and we recommend the purchase of an external soundbar for this TV, for those who appreciate the musical and sound part of the movies.
Not only Netflix and YouTube, among the pre-installed apps there is also RakutenTV
Connectors and connections
The part relating to the connectors is all concentrated in the back: a square more or less in the center of the panel shows the main ones, from the antenna to the digital audio, from the three HDMI connectors to the Ethernet socket.
Unexpected and in our opinion redundant the VGA socket, which on a 4K display will feel completely disoriented, but it could be interesting if the TV is used in hotels or conference rooms (mode also provided by the internal software).
The side panel, where there are two USB sockets and the regulator for OSD control
Other connectors such as the USB-A sockets and the (manual) command for the OSD controls are located on the side, in a recessed panel that is not too easy to reach especially if you have a TV on the wall.
Frontally absolutely nothing appears, except a small red light that indicates the Stop status of the panel, and that turns off when we turn on the TV.
On the rear panel, the three HDMI sockets accompany an unusual VGA, which is only useful in conference rooms
Smart with help
To date, a TV without a Smart part is not a real TV. Haier's choice for U55H7000 is a bit counter-current compared to the market average: no Android TV and completely proprietary software are a good bet.
And in fact the smart part is probably the one that more needs time to grow in the right direction: among the important apps we mention Netflix and YouTube, which also offer dedicated buttons on the remote control, while for example other channels such as Rakuten TV and interesting apps such as the weather ones can be found by exploring the store.
But substantially all of them, including Facebook and Twitter that make a good view in the home, are only web Apps or references to the respective web pages that the preloaded browser, Opera, opens on request.
Among the delicacies we mention CineTrailer, an App to easily view all the trailers coming out, even in Italian, in a well-made and easy-to-consult interface.
The smart part of U55H7000: the vision of the TV, smaller, accompanies the App icons and some widgets
However, there is the possibility of using the USB ports to load content locally from a USB stick (only FAT32 or NTFS), since compatibility with codecs is very wide, H.264, H.265 4K 10-bit and VP9, in MP4 or MKV format obviously up to 4K, as well as photographic content even at high resolution.
In all honesty, however, we would like to advise readers to consider an external support such as Apple TV 4K or SHIELD TV, which offer much better experience, or consoles such as Playstation 4 or Xbox One, whose performance on this display is really important, even if some games are still in FullHD format.
The AccuWeather.com App, perhaps the coolest to see
Considerations
U55H7000 is a TV that looks great in the living room or in a conference room, certainly due to its ability to correctly render a signal in 4K gr thanks above all to HDR support.
The shape is basic but still interesting thanks to the reduced frame, and despite an audio department without praise or glory and an elementary smart part that can grow, we are calm in considering this model is one of the most interesting on the market, especially for the quality / price ratio, where to have a model with similar characteristics of more famous brands you need to go (at least) to double the price.
With a a little more effort, and the purchase of a more modern smart device and / or a better audio system, the result suddenly becomes important, with a budget that is well below a thousand euros, a result that is practically impossible up to a few month ago.
Pro :
Against :
Price : 499.00 Euro (55 “) Or 399.00 Euro (49”)
The 49-inch model is discounted at 360 euros.
The version with 55-inch screen is discounted at 431 euros.
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