Samsung UN46C8000

3D Effect & Experience

We thought the UN46C8000’s 3D effect was better than the average 3D HDTV. It had the same general problems we see in just about every other 3D set—jittery action, minor flashing from active shutter glasses, etc.—just not nearly as bad. The 3D did drop out from time to time, especially when objects were in the foreground or “popping out” of the screen, but we have yet to see a 3D set that handles “close” objects well.

3D Calibration

Since the active shutter glasses change how you view the screen, we calibrate the TV for 3D performance separately.

Setting	Default	Calibrated
Picture Mode:	Movie
Backlight	10	20
Brightness	45	37
Sharpness	20	0
Contrast	100	93

3D Modes & Controls

The UN46C8000 doesn’t give users many controls for tweaking the 3D settings of a Blu-ray source. You’re limited to just the Standard and Movie picture modes, and your only real option is swapping the frames that show up in the left and right eye. With a non-Blu-ray source, you have far more options.

2D to 3D Conversion

When this feature is on, the TV uses its sorcery to try and convert 2D video to 3D, via fancy processing. The effect was hit or miss. We barely saw any 3D effect on normal TV; news channels and other content that uses overlaid information will get a bit of a pop to it. Still photos were able to hold a mild 3D effect, but that’s a really short-lived novelty.

Other 3D modes

The TV also supports side by side, top & bottom, line by line, vertical strip, checker board and frequency 3D formats. These formats wouldn’t be used when you’re watching a 3D Blu-ray disc, but some broadcasters might use them for sending 3D signals over the air.

3D Black & White

When the 3D is engaged, the TV loses a significant portion of its luminance, due both to differences in screen output and, more significantly, the 3D glasses. The TV’s peak brightness fell from 362.2 to 34.47 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), which is a pretty significant drop. The black level also fell, to a very deep 0.04 cd/m2. The resulting contrast ratio is 861:1. This is a pretty big drop, but it’s to be expected from any TV’s 3D performance.

3D Color

The TVs color temperature was all over the place: the lowest color temperature was a nigh-ideal 6650K (ideal would be 6500), but toward the dark end shot up off our graph, peaking at 19,399K. For much of the spectrum, however, the color temperature bounced between 6800K and 7000K: this is a bit on the cool side, but not obnoxiously so.

3D Crosstalk

We found the TV did suffer from a fair amount of crosstalk, which is when the images meant for your left eye aren’t totally separated from the images intended for your right eye and vice versa. This can help lead to a breakdown in the 3D effect and can also have a negative effect on color representation and luminance.

The UN46C8000 had some significant issues with crosstalk, especially when one eye is supposed to get black and the other eye is supposed to get something that’s non-black. The result is a dramatic drop in the luminance of the non-black color, which can make that object seem out of place in its current position or lighting. It can also create some false ‘ghost images’ next to where an object is supposed to be. This TV had significantly more crosstalk than the Panasonic TC-P50VT20.

3D Glasses

We didn’t think the 3D glasses were particularly comfortable, but they certainly weren’t prohibitively uncomfortable. They felt like a cheap pair of sunglasses: they were big and not necessarily heavy, but we were definitely aware they were on our nose. We tried the 3D glasses on with and without a set of prescription glasses, but it didn’t seem to affect comfort level.

As with all 3D glasses we’ve tested, the active shutter effect can be somewhat disorienting, cause eye strain, or just flat-out make you feel uncomfortable. They take some getting used to.

NOTE: Our 3D HDTV testing is under development, which is why these sections have no scores. You caught us mid-rubric. We can collect data and share it with you, but the results in this section have no bearing on the overall score of the television. For more about how we score, read our How We Test article.

Other Models in the UNxxC8000 Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Samsung UN55C8000 55 in.