Samsung UN55C7000 3D LED LCD HDTV Review - 3D

3D Summary
Editorial Note: This is a review of the Samsung UN55C7000. Test results are for this model, but should indicate the general performance of other sizes in the C7000 series. The C7000 series includes the following models: UN40C7000, UN46C7000, UN55C7000.  Read here for more details on series differences.
• Comes without 3D glasses. The price of these glasses has not yet been determined • Because of the missing glasses, we can't yet fully test the 3D features of this display
	Motion	Page 5 of 18	Viewing Effects

3D Glasses

The Samsung UN55C7000 is a 3D HDTV, but it doesn't come with any 3D glasses. To start enjoying 3D, you will need to buy the glasses separately at a cost of $150 each, or $350 for a 3D Starter Kit that includes 2 sets and a 3D Blu-ray disc of Monsters Vs Aliens. The glasses themselves (model number SSG-2100AB) are active shutter ones: each eye is covered by an LCD panel that flickers between on and off in response to a signal sent by an IR emitter on the front of the screen.

The 3D glasses on our model

The glasses are smaller than the ones that come with the Panasonic TC-P50VT20, and they feel a little more comfortable to wear, pressing down less on the nose. They also cover less of the face, but you definitely don't forget that you are wearing them. Unlike the Panasonic 3D glasses, they are not adjustable. The glasses are powered by a single CR3 watch battery located under a panel on the left arm. You switch them on by pressing a button on the top of the right arm: the glasses then start looking for the signal sent by the TV. If they don't detect it within a few minutes, they turn themselves off.

3D Effect

To test the 3D effect that this combination of 3D video, TV and glasses can produce, we spent some time with a test disc full of 3D test footage and a copy of Monsters Vs Aliens. We found that the 3D effect worked well; both the real and animated content on the discs had a smooth, lifelike 3D feel with good depth. However, we did notice some glitching; the glasses seemed to sometimes loose the signal, and the effect broke down for a few seconds.

We also noticed a slight ghosting effect, where  some of the image destined for the left eye can be seen in the right eye, and vice versa (the technical term is cross talk). This shows up as a slight shadow to the left and right of objects, especially bright ones that stand against a dark background. This issue can be somewhat distracting, as again it breaks the 3D effect.

Without the 3D glasses: you see both frames

What the left eye sees through the 3D glasses

The image above shows what the left eye sees through the glasses, and you can see how there is a slight shadow to the right of the statue, which is part of the other frame that is still visible.

What the right eye sees through the 3D glasses

With the view through the right side of the 3D glasses, you can see a more pronounced shadow, which is part of the left frame that is showing through. We tried two pairs of glasses, and the same effect was viewable in both, and it looked pretty much the same, with the right eye seeming to get a quite significant chunk of the frame intended for the left eye, and the left getting a small amount of the right eye's frame. So, it seems that this might be an endemic problem to this display, which could be caused by either the display not being able to switch between the two images fast enough, or the LCD panels in the glasses not switching at the correct time. We did see a similar issue with the Panasonic TC-P50VT20, but it was much less pronounced: that display seemed to do a much better job of seperating the frames for a more convincing 3D effect. We are continuing to investigate.

The 3D control menu provides access to the 3D controls

3D Modes & Controls

The UN55C7000 does not give you much control over the 3D viewing process when using a 3D Blu-ray as a signal source: you only get the choice of two picture modes (Standard and Movie), and the ability to use the Picture Correction control to swap the frames over (so the left and right eye frames are reversed). This latter control isn't used most of the time, but might help if you are using the glasses lying down or from a sharp angle. If you are using a different signal source (such as a 2D Blu-ray disc, satellite box or computer), you do get a fair amount of control.

2D > 3D Conversion -  With this enabled, the UN55C7000 tries to convert standard 2D images into 3D by processing the images and creating the alternate left and right eye images that 3D uses. We found that this produced mixed results: the effect was pretty minimal on normal TV, with the only thing that got any real 3D feel was the overlays used on news channels and the like. Other video didn't seem to benefit much; sports, movies and other content did not generate much of a 3D feel.  One area that did work well was still photos: we found that the display did a pretty decent job of converting a range of test photos to 3D. The effect was not completely convincing, but it did produce a believable 3D effect from a range of 2D photos.

The 2D > 3D conversion mode in action

Other 3D modes - Support is also offered for the side-by-side, top & bottom, line by line, vertical strip, checker board and frequency 3D formats that some broadcasters are going to use to send 3D broadcasts over the air.  These formats are not used when watching a 3D signal from a 3D Blu-ray player: in this case, the display detects the signal and enables the 3D effect.

If you enable the above & below 3D format with a TV signal that does not contain the right information, this is what you get

3D Motion

We found that using the glasses did not adversely affect the quality of motion on this display; we found that 3D motion in a movie playing from a 3D Blu-ray disc was as smooth and artifact free as the 2D version. We are currently working on expanding our motion testing to cover motion in 3D more fully: we will update this review as we expand our tests.

3D Vs 2D
Compared to the other 3D HDTV that we have in for review (the Panasonic TC-P50VT20), we found that the advantages of this LCD display over the Panasonic plasma were evident in 3D viewing as well as 2D. The image was brighter and had significantly better detail at the high end of the brightness range: details on bright objects were much  better represented on the Samsung LCD screen than the Panasonic Plasma. However, the Samsung LCD screen had weaker blacks, with the blacks looking much brighter than the Panasonic Plasma.  This meant that more dramatic sequences lacked the impact of the plasma screen. Plus, the LCD screen also had some issues with handling deep blacks.  On one section of footage where a title box was overlaid on a black screen, the edges of the box were clearly visible, an effect that was not visible on the Panasonic. We'll be doing more testing in the next few days, but from our initial testing, it looks like the advantages of LCD screens are carrying over into the 3D world from the 2D one. 

How 3D HDTV Works

This HDTV can show 3D video because it includes the 3D glasses, and because we played back a 3D Blu-ray disc from a player that supports the new format. It works by showing two different frames, one for each eye. Your brain them combines them to create a 3D effect. Below are a series of images that show how this works.

What you see without 3D glasses: there are two images superimposed on each other


What the left eye sees when looking through the glasses


What the right eye sees when looking through the glasses

Your brain uses the differences between the images to create depth, and that's what happens with a 3D HDTV: the glasses help the eyes and the brain create the 3D effect. In the example above, the balls in the performers hand appear to be closer, while the performer in red looks further away.

NOTE: our 3D HDTV testing is still under development, which is why these sections have no scores. Please check back for our full tests, scores and more extensive testing in the near future.

Other Models in the C7000 Series
This is a review of the Samsung UN55C7000. The other sizes of HDTVs in this series should be similar in terms of performance and usability. For details about any differences, click on the image to jump to the Series Comparison page.
Samsung UN40C7000 40 inches	Samsung UN46C7000 46 inches	Samsung UN55C7000 55 inches