Samsung PN58C8000 3D TV

This shot from the Blu Ray of Blood Diamond shows good shadow detail and definition in the hills in the background.

3D TV Buying Guide Feature Overview

Samsung's new line up of plasmas was on display at CES 2010 and the C8000 series is the top of the line. The 1080p panel uses Samsung's Real Black Filter for a rich image. The C8000 series is 3D ready and features a slim design with a brushed titanium Touch of Color for a stylish, modern look.

Samsung's proprietary 3D enabled system allows compatibility with multiple 3D formats to provide access to 3D content from many sources. As we note often, the TV will obviously perform regular two dimensional duties, but is enabled for 3D should you introduce some 3D content.

The C8000 series comes with 4 HDMI inputs, 2 USB ports and a built in ethernet port for access to Samsung's Internet@TV service. Wireless DLNA capability rounds out the connectivity features of this plasma tv. We were very impressed with 2009 Samsung plasmas.

Samsung is expanding their Internet@TV service to add streaming content from Blockbuster, Netflix USA Today and VUDU video on demand as well as access to services such as Twitter, Picasa, AccuWeather, Pandora and more through the built-in ethernet connection or optional WiFi.

-Phil Conner

Review Highlights

Picture Quality: The Samsung PN58C8000 displays wonderfully balanced color information and uniformity. Images are presented in a clean and clear manner devoid of artifacts, with colors properly saturated. Colors may seem a slightly washed out and weak at first but further viewing reveals them to be extremely accurate and realistic while plenty saturated. We recommend leaving the Motion Judder Controller feature off due to unintended consequences in taking out natural background blur. However, with this feature off we did note some judder/jerky effects in side to side panning scenes – common with most all TVs due to difficulty in converting 3:2 pulldown. Motion related content was extremely smooth and the TV presents an incredibly film like experience. See complete PN50C8000 Picture Settings here.

This shot shows excellent detail, clarity, coloration, and contrast from the standard definition DVD of The Big Labowski.

3D TV Viewing: The C8000 and accompanying 3D glasses did a good job of pulling me further into the on screen images. It makes you feel more involved. I thought the picture presentation from the C8000 in 3D was very vibrant and accurate. I did not note out of focus areas near the edges of the screen as I did with the Panasonic VT25. There was some flashing effects from the 3D shutter glasses in situations where lamp light or window light interfered with the glasses receiver (often when turning your head). See our Samsung vs Panasonic 3D TV Shootout.

Design and Appearance: The Samsung PN58C8000 is a beautiful TV with less than a 2" framing bezel and with many design elements including a clear neck on the chrome swiveling table top stand, a matte dark charcoal metallic finish on the bezel frame, sleek 1.4" depth, and a dark black/purple screen. The heavy and attractive accompanying stand swivels to 20 degrees. Samsung calls the bezel a Touch of Color Titanium.

The rechargeable Samsung 3D shutter glasses are charged through the USB out on the TV or a computer.

At around $2600 this TV is a super deal. Hopefully you can get the Blu Ray 3D and 3D glasses in some sort of package with it. I would buy this TV even if I was not planning on using the 3D compatibility.

Key Features

• 58" Screen Size
• 1080p Resolution
• Real Black Filter
• 3D Ready
• 24p Film Playback
• 4 HDMI Inputs
• Ethernet Port
• 2 USB Ports
• USB 2.0 Movie
• All Share (Wireless DLNA)
• 1" Deep, slim design
• Wide Color Enhancer Pro
• Motion Judder Canceller
• Cinema Smooth
• Brushed Titanium Touch of Color
• FilterBright Plus anti glare screen
• Internet@TV
  • Samsung Apps
  • Blockbuster
  • Netflix
  • AccuWeather
  • Pandora
  • Picasa
  • Twitter
  • USA Today
  • And More