Calling all Samsung C8000 series users

[hifianorak]

Hi,

The Samsung C8000 series has generally been getting some very good reviews and in my search for a flatscreen, ticks alot of my particular boxes. A dealer is doing a very good price on the 40 inch model and I am finding it very tempting.

However, I have seen the odd complaint about backlighting issues. Can any of you current C8000 users please let me know your impressions on the range. I am particularly looking at a 40 inch model.

I saw a 40 C8000 against a Philips PFL 9704 and thought the Samsung edged it on Freeview HD. It looked much sharper.

SD is also very important to me, so any observations on SD would be particularly welcome.

Whilst 3D isn't especially important at the moment, I do like the idea of my purchase being future proofed.

Although not currently available, I am also interested in the 42 inch version of the Panasonic 3D TV (VT20) and Philips PFL 9705.

Any feedback would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Rod

 

[hifianorak]

Anybody got one of these and an opinion?

 

[Anonymous]

the philips 9704 doesnt have a built in freeview hd tuner , was it from an external box ?

 

[Anonymous]

I saw the C8000 alongside the 42'' V20 last week. I was very surprised that the V20 was very clearly better (more depth and more realisitc colours). I was surprised because the LCD's have generally bettered the plasmas on this magazine recently. Of course it could have been a set up issue and the V20 was playing on THX mode. The usual advantage of a brighter set on the LCD wasnt obvious either

Will be interesting to see how the two sets fair in the group test in the next edition of this mag

 

[notaclue]

I have the 46" versions and my comments would be:

Not seen an backlight issues at all.

Freeview HD is excellent

SD is fine - but you get used to the HD so that makes it look worse, it has a slightly artificial look to it in SD with the actors in the foreground not looking part of the background, although I have seen this effect on lots of large LCD's so its not a specific problem with this set.

3D is good but a gimmick - all this about cross-talk etc is irrelevant to me, I couldn't sit and watch 3D long enough for that to be a factor - over and above all the other much more obvious issues - needs to be a dark room, silly glasses, expensive glasses, no use if you have more than 1 visitor and oh - no decent content!

My overall view of this TV is that its brilliant, Blu-ray looks amazing and Freeview HD is a revelation, sound is good for such a thin TV and it looks great hung on the wall - using the picture frame fittings. On the downside it's very fiddly to set up - loads of options, which is great if you like tinkering, but you could tinker for ever, the Net TV stuff is fairly rubbish and very unreliable, mine keeps losing itself.

Overall there are one or two better TV's for pure picture - the Panasonic 3D for instance, although What-Hi-Fi don't haven't yet conceeded that, however for style, which was a factor for me and with HD the difference in picture is marginal.

Hope that helps.

 

[hifianorak]

Thanks guy for your replies.

Yes the HD from the Philips 9704 was from an external box - a Humax Fox.

As for the Panasonic VT20, I keep seeing these fantastic reviews everywhere for them, but almost everytime i see the TV in action, I feel very underwhelmed. The picture just looks dull and detail is washed out by the blackness of the picture. I so want to like these as they are meant to be good on SD as well. I managed to see a Bluray on a TV specifically set up in THX mode and that looked much more like it. I am not sure if THX mode would work well for normal SD pictures though? What are Pansonic users using to view their SD pictures - mode wise?

I saw the Samsung UE40C8000 against the V20 side by side in a Sevenoaks store last week in bright daylight and if it's true what they say about plasmas working at their best in a darkened room, well then the plasma picture looked really greyed out and lacking vitality. Whereas the bright and sharp of the Samsung looked superb in that setting. I didn't get to ask the shop what mode the Panasonic was being used in for Bluray - but only one winner for me. As I will not be watching TV in a darkened room all the time, perhaps it's LED for me.

To date on Bluray and Freeview HD, the Samsung looks stunning. Whether it was artifically bright or clinically sharp I can't say, but it looked brilliant to me. And of course in that 40 inch size, the Sammy looks very sexy.

But I still want to see more of the Panny set up properly and forthcoming Philips 9705 and check out some reviews, before I make my final decision.

Thanks again for the replies.

Rod

 

[Anonymous]

plasmas just dont look their best under the very bright lighting in shops , i seen a pioneer kuro 6090 in a shop earlier in the year , and nearly all the lcds looked better , even though the kuro was the best tv in there by a mile ...

the v20/vt20 will look totally different in your lounge believe me , having said that , the samsung is also a very good tv , and maybe it will suit your needs beter ..

this may not be possible in currys etc , but if you could find a smaller store that stock both the panny and sammy , and get them to dim the lights to a more loungelike level , you should then be able to do a more balanced comparism

 

[hifianorak]

Yes I definetly want to check out a properly set up Panny before I make my decision. It's getting blindingly good reviews, so I have got to do it justice.

Just noticed that Philips have details of the new 9000 series on their website at last , so that must be imminent soonish. Just a shame about the need for an external HD box. However, sound quality should be in a league of it's own.

Saw the 9704 properly set up for SD over the weekend, using a dedicated freesat feed in Sevenoaks, but I have to say I was hugely disappointed and it paled against my Toshiba 32 inch CRT - picture frame model.