Best 3D TV Samsung UE55C8000
Samsung's svelte 55-inch C8000 LED 3D TV
• Type: active shutter LED
• Size: 55-inch
• Price: £3000
• Extra glasses: £60 to £100 a pair
3D Pros: Sharp, detailed and colourful 3D images with very little picture noise
3D Cons: Some ghosting, motion sequences could be smoother
Samsung’s top-of-the-range 55-inch LED TV comes with a big reputation and a price tag to match. The sleek C8000 certainly looks the part. Its impossibly slim, brushed-metal finish gives it an air of extravagance, matched only by a hefty £3,000 price tag. It put on a good 3D show in our test, but a few minor flaws mean it can’t quite match the Panasonic and Sony 3D TVs. For full 2D test results of the C8000 click here.
3D picture
The 3D picture delivers a fine sense of depth, matched by a bright, detailed and sharp finish. The vivid, bold colours remain bright even in well-lit surroundings and we didn’t spot much in the way of picture noise.
However, 3D football and tennis reveal some motion limitations. The slightly jerky movement isn’t quite up to the silky smooth standard of the Panasonic VT20 (but still much better than the LG Infinia).
Our testers also spotted the odd ghost image (caused by ‘crosstalk’, an overlap of the images flashed rapidly to each eye). It’s not a huge problem, but once you notice, it becomes harder and harder to ignore.
3D Glasses
This TV uses active shutter glasses which synchronise the TV via an infra-red signal and rapidly blink on and off, playing back full 1080p images to the right eye and left eye at a rate of 50 frames per second.
Of the active shutter 3D glasses we tried, the pair from Samsung proved the most comfortable to wear – but still felt heavy and uncomfortable next to the cheap and cheerful passive glasses supplied with the LG LD920.
You can adjust the settings while in 3D mode (an advantage over the LG models) and the TV automatically ups the brightness and contrast levels to compensate for the dimness caused by the glasses.
Full test
Click here for full test results (standard definition and HD picture, audio performance, ease of use and power use) of the Samsung C8000.
