[ใหม่] Just what I was after..., Samsung PN63C8000

I have been waiting a while to get a decent high end TV, and have browsed for a good while to select this one. It goes in a room with a fair degree of ambient light, and I thought a TV design that pays the most attention to decent blacks would be a good way to go.

This was a bundle at a special price (BD player, glasses, 3D movie, and TV). The first one arrived with a cracked screen after waiting 6 weeks. Amazon customer service was all over it, but a new set was going to take 4 more weeks. It ended up coming little sooner. They offered me many other deals - substituting a 7000, etc., but I held out for what I originally ordered, and it was worth it. The set arrived in early October, and it was manufactured in September.

So, under those limited conditions, these are my thoughts.

Picture:
The settings out of the box seem fine to me. At some point I might play with it, but outside of having it calibrated, I am quite satisfied with how it looks. Details in shadow is good. Color is rich, and not over bright like in a store. I'm in the process of getting the cable hooked back up, so our watching has been via antenna, WiFi, and the bundle included DVD player (BD6800).

Live HD TV looks awesome, and digital SD TV looks way better than I expected. colors are rich, detail is crisp. Complex patterns on things like sweaters or telephone lines do not moire (although depending upon the signal, can have a few issues if you watch for it). One anecdote: watching an old Seinfeld episode (the 1990s were before HD), there was one character who required a makeup appliance to their face for part of the story (a large nose). The station was transmitting in HD, via antenna. Closeups on this person were practically unwatchable, as the makeup was woefully bad. I'm sure this was not an issue on SD analog broadcasts, so they probably didn't even worry about it, but it was shockingly bad when we saw it. I guess old shows that were filmed (as opposed to video taped) convert well to HD, because this makeup job was hideous.

The picture just blows everyone who sees it away. It's so much better than I'm used to, so I'm probably too biased, but I thought it was noticeably better than everything in the store when I auditioned it except the new Panasonic 3D 65" (TC-P65VT25). It's hard to tell, because brightness is so over driven in stores.

Tuner:
This tuner is more sensitive than a 2 year old Sharp Aquos 32" TV we had in the same spot (using an amplified Radio Shack loop and rabbit ears). We are in a decent signal area between two cities, and get a fair amount of signals. On a weaker signal just above the threshold for pixelization, artifacts pop in every so often, but are not distracting.

On Line Content:
I have not tested the on line content direct from the TV because I don't have the proprietary WiFi accessory nor a CAT 5 connection, so I have been using Samsung's on line content via the BD player, which has WiFi built in. Why they didn't do this with the TV I don't know.

On line content (assuming it the same as the TV offers when connected directly) leaves something to be desired. Haven't spent much time on the games. They provide some mild amusement, but we're not video gamers. I would suspect if you are, these won't satisfy much. Connecting to the network only took a minute or two, including my WEP key (other encryption also supported), but my initial firmware update (on the player) just would not execute. Samsung support suggested I use a flash drive from a PC to download the file, unzip it, and then plug the flash drive into the player. That worked like a charm, and subsequent firmware updates have not required that process.

We haven't used the trial for VOD via NetFlix or Blockbuster yet, so can't comment on that. Standard internet content (Youtube)is interesting, but resolution is low, so the experience is more for convenience. Google maps: It's a little eerie to be looking at your house from space on your TV. On a computer it's something you take for granted. On a large screen TV from your family room, it "feels" a little intrusive. You can also watch media from a USB flash drive or the network, and you can even play music via the same.

Any on line content requiring alpha numeric text to navigate can be somewhat maddening. As great as the remote is, the interface is not always intuitive. I say always, because while trying to do alpha numeric on a Google map search we could not figure out how to navigate the Samsung on screen interface, but on youtube it was less complicated, just slow to maneuver. It didn't make sense to me that the options on screen for selecting text were different for one than the other. I tend to avoid those features for that reason. Maybe a wireless keyboard would solve that issue. At least the response time is fast (not quite immediate), unlike a FiOS cable box, where the lag can drive you crazy.

Remote & GUI:
The remote is simple to use and not busy with a zillion nonesensical buttons. It's layed out extremely well, and clearly marked with large, square buttons, so my wife actually doesn't keep calling me into the room to help her navigate back to where she wants to be, and it's also very attractive (bright silver metal housing), and backlit.

Menus, channel changes, etc. are instantaneous. The GUI is very clean, transparent, and easy to navigate. It doesn't take long to learn it and get good at using it. Most tasks can be accomplished fairly quickly and without drilling too deep, and it's quick to exit.

Audio:
The sound is fairly anemic with built in speakers - adequate for a large open space we have it in, but nothing to look forward to. Hooking up my theater will solve that.

3D:
Going from 2D to 3D is extremely easy (taking a 2D source and simulating 3D), but I don't think anyone is going to really want to do that much. It's an "interesting effect" but not consistent, and frankly the picture is so stunning, not necessary. Watching 2D NCAA/NFL football in 3D, the graphics float in the foreground (pretty interesting), and the game action has a subtle 3D effect, but it doesn't buy you much.

Watching 3D content is kind of cool. The bundle came with a 3D animated feature (Monsters vs Aliens) which was fun, and you can easily switch to 2D on any 3D content if your glasses aren't handy. Watching the World Cup in 3D in a store was pretty wild. At one point there was a guy standing in front of me who was not in the room!

If you're going to watch 3D, it's best in a dark room, and especially where it's dark behind you. My TV is in an open floor plan, where lights from other rooms are behind me. I've noticed it gets distracting to watch 3D when there is light reflecting off the glasses from behind, but the program is much enhanced when that is not the case. At first I thought the 3D was very underwhelming. It's not perfect, but subtle glare from behind has a subliminal effect that really subtracts from the experience, so 3D content is more fun than I originally experienced once I eliminated that.

Other notes:
Aesthetically, the set is gorgeous. Samsung PN63C8000's also razor thin. I should also add I don't get the electrical hum people complain about on earlier large screen Samsung sets.
The BD player has been excellent. Fast to load SD and starts up really quickly. BD content takes a little longer, 3D the longest.