From the moment you open the box you realize that you have not only purchased a cutting edge television, you have also purchased an elegant decoration that will surely garner no small amount of jealousy from friends and family who come over to visit.
The television breaks away from the all too common styling of black shiny plastic exteriors with smooth rounded edges. Instead it features a brushed aluminum front panel with clear glass protruding from the set’s square, sharp edges.
Also, the TV is thin. With a total depth of 26.5 millimeters, the C8000 is one of the thinnest 55 inch LED TVs available. While the 3D technology is far more of a selling point, the sleek design unquestionably adds to the appeal for potential buyers. Also, did I mention that your friends and family will be immediately jealous of your new toy?
There are, however, some downsides to the styling of this television. One might be disappointed to find that in order to use anything other than the HDMI or USB inputs, you have to use breakout cables that plug into small outlets on the bottom of the TV. Using these awkward cables subtracts a little bit from the elegance of the C8000, but if you only use HDMI it will not be any issue.
Another new feature of the C8000 is that it uses an updated HDMI v1.4 input, which allows for the heavier load needed for a 3D signal. This may come in handy in the same way that USB 2.0 replaced the prior USB. Anyone who has tried to use a USB 2.0 device with a USB input on a computer knows that having the better input can save a lot of time and frustration.
Let’s move on to the core features of the device.
First off, the 55 inch display is breathtaking. The screen is lit from the top and the bottom edges. This provides for a much sharper image than previous back lit LED TVs, and does not have the distracting effect of having all four sides lit. When lighting from all four sides, the result is uneven brightness around the corners, where the LED lighting paths cross over each other. This distracts from the viewing experience and leaves you with the feeling that you have purchased a lower quality TV. Fortunately this television is designed to prevent that effect.
I found that you are provided with an amazing amount of control over the TVs image quality as well. You can adjust the more traditional settings such as the color balance, but you can also adjust the more complicated algorithms that the TV uses for its refresh rate, as well as the white balance and the amount of processor power that gets devoted to blur and judder reduction algorithms.
The TV also features a new LED Motion Plus system, which reduces lag time during quick moving scenes.
Now let’s talk about compatibility; a major consideration of any major home electronics purchase. This TV boasts DLNA connectivity, so you can connect the unit to your home media network. That is not to mention, however, that in order to connect to your network you need to purchase a separate wifi dongle. (While not expensive, it is always irritating to have to go out and buy a separate device just to use the core features of your ₤3000 set). The upside, once you purchase a dongle and connect the TV to your home network, is that you can not only stream videos, music and photos from your home library, but you can also use a number of online services like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube (if you have never spent hours watching youtube videos on your wide screen TV, you may be in for a treat, given you have nowhere to go for the next ten hours). You can also access your online Picasa albums,
Skype is available as well, but it requires purchasing a separate video camera to hook up to the TV. It adds yet another thing that you need to purchase to appreciate all the aspects of this set.
Which brings me to another issue I have with this TV; it is advertized with, at most, 1 pair of their proprietary active shutter 3D glasses included in the box. Additional pairs will run you just about ₤100 per set. I should add that the glasses themselves feel rather flimsy. A broken pair would be a rather large issue as well, as they are so costly to replace. The active shutter glasses do, however, function quite well. The system used is quite impressive; the glasses sync with the television and will polarize the left and right lens in an alternating fashion, blocking the image on the TV from the right eye while the image passes through to the left eye, alternating each frame between the left and right eyes. At 120 frames per second this process deserves some recognition. Just be sure not to leave them on the floor or where you may sit on them!
The TV features a built in Freeview HD Tuner. The tuner can be used with a portable USB hard drive or memory stick to record live TV in HD. The recorded videos can only be played back on the set from which they were recorded from, which is a little discouraging, but it is to be expected. Having the ability to record live TV without needing a DVR cable box is a big plus, so the DRM aspect can be overlooked. Another plus is the fact that this TV is compatible with the majority of USB 2.0 storage devices, whereas previous TVs making the same claims were only compatible with a handful of USB 2.0 devices.
The actual interface that you use to access all of these features is much easier to navigate than the recent attempts by TV makers to integrate television and internet. You have a clear menu and easy access to the online content (provided you have a wifi dongle), and an easy to learn remote control.
One added bit of comfort is the fact that, with internet connectivity, the TV’s firmware can be updated much in the same way that the iPhone or iPad has capitalized on. This leaves the opportunity for endless improvements and bug fixes in the coming years.
The C8000 features 4 HDMI v1.4 ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports.
Now let’s talk about the reason that this TV is such a sensation in the first place. 3D technology. As I mentioned earlier, the active shutter glasses sync with the TV so that the images that were taken with a camera that was meant to simulate the perspective of the right eye are delivered only to the right eye, and same with the left eye with an alternate camera. This effect is quite brilliant on the 3D Blue Ray release of Monstors vs. Aliens. The TV’s technology differs greatly from the method used in movie theaters for 3D, where every other line of pixels in the image is coded for one of the two eyes, and the polarizing analogue glasses block the other eye’s image leaving you with what seems like a three dimensional image. The active shutter system creates a much sharper 3D world.
A constant downside, however, was the ghosting effect that occurred. Crosstalk (or ghosting) basically makes it look like you are seeing a second image of an item where it should not be. When looking at a building, you see the edge of the building, sort of out of focus, just a little to the left of where the stronger part of the image makes the building out to be. This effect depends highly on the viewer’s own perception, and is still very subjective as far as problems go, but it has been an issue for many customers who have purchased this TV.
The C8000 also comes with a feature to convert 2D to 3D. This effect didn’t do very much to actually make a 2D show into 3D, although it did alter the depth slightly. It also depends highly on how good of quality you are receiving your HD broadcasts. If the program you are watching is standard definition, the effect will more likely be detrimental to the experience rather than adding anything, as you are left with a blurry image. The effect is more effective in gaming, and may add quite a bit to your experience with games on Xbox or Playstation 3, and it can be expected that it will perform nicely with games in the future that have sharper graphics.
Overall this television is quite impressive. The appearance alone is enough to make you feel good about your purchase, and the quality of viewing 3D Blue Ray releases (as they become more widely available) is something to be desired. The price tag for this unit is quite steep though; as a result of being one of the forerunners on the 3D TV scene. It may be wise to wait another year for 3D technology to develop and become a bit cheaper before spending such a large amount on one of the first TVs on the scene.
