The 3D HDTV era officially kicked off in Canada on March 26, when Samsung's C7000-series of 3D-capable flat panels arrived on retailers' shelves. Ten days later, one of these TVs arrived in my home theatre, along with a Samsung BD-C6900 3D-capable Blu-ray player and two pairs of 3D glasses.

My review unit was the UN55C7000, a 55-inch 3D-capable high-definition LED-edgelit LCD. Like all Samsung's premium LCDs, this one uses an array of LEDs along the perimeter of the screen, rather than CCFL (fluorescent) illumination behind the screen. Among other benefits, this allows for a very slim design (the TV is only 26.5mm deep), very high contrast ratio, and energy-efficient operation. The C7000 series also includes 40- and 46-inch models for $2,500 and $2,900 respectively.

Samsung sells 3D glasses separately for $250 a pair, or $230 for smaller children's glasses. The company also offers a 3D Starter Kit consisting of two pairs of full-size 3D glasses and a 3D movie (Monsters vs. Aliens on Blu-ray) for $450.

The Player: Priced at $400, the BD-C6900 is a slim, attractive component, with a transparent window on the top left that shows the spinning disc, and touch-sensitive controls on the top right. The supplied remote has large, well-labeled buttons, and is easy to use and understand. But unfortunately the remote is not backlit, making it hard to use in dark environments (especially if you're wearing 3D glasses).

The player's startup and load times are pretty quick. The BD-C6900 powers up in 10 seconds, and loads DVE Basics on Blu-ray (our calibration disc) in 18 seconds.

It has only a single HDMI output (Panasonic's 3D-capable Blu-ray player, previously reviewed on this site, has two). A second HDMI output is useful in many applications, because it lets you send video to a 3D-capable TV and high-resolution digital surround sound to an A/V receiver. With Samsung's 3D Blu-ray player, if you don't have a very current A/V receiver with HDMI 1.4 connectivity (these models are just coming to market), you will have to connect the player direct to a 3D display to get 3D pictures. If you have an older A/V receiver with HDMI 1.3 or earlier, the only way to get multi-channel surround sound will be to use the player's analog-audio outputs.

The player also has an Ethernet jack and built-in wireless networking, for connection to a home network. That allows it to stream content from other devices on your network, and to access Samsung's Internet@TV features. In addition to viewers for YouTube content and Picasa online photo albums, Samsung is offering downloadable apps, such as an Associated Press news feed.

The TV: The UN55C7000 is a drop-dead gorgeous television, featuring Samsung's Touch of Colour cosmetics. The 55-inch screen is surrounded by a narrow bezel that at first looks black, but is actually something Samsung calls "Mystic Brown." As noted above, the TV is very thin - just over an inch deep. It can be wall-mounted, or installed on a supplied X-shaped swiveling pedestal.

The supplied remote is a lovely thing, with large well-labeled membrane keys (rather than the more common chiclet type). It's easy to use in a bright room, and is backlit, so you can use it in a dark home theatre, even if you're wearing 3D glasses.

In addition to being able to play true 3D content from a suitable Blu-ray player (and cable and satellite when available), the TV can generate 3D effects from 2D content. To use this feature, viewers must wear Samsung's 3D glasses. Other features include Auto Motion Plus 240Hz, which generates extra frames of video information to reduce blurring on scenes with motion. This is even more important with 3D than with 2D. Samsung's latest TVs also have network jacks, and a comprehensive suite of Internet and home-networking features similar to that on the Blu-ray player. One of the new apps on the C7000 series is Skype video calling. The TV also features Yahoo! Widgets, small applications that deliver information like news and weather.

Article Tags:  samsung, c7000, UN55C7000, 3D, HDTV, Blu-ray, BD-C6900, LED, LCD, glasses, Monsters vs. Aliens,