Tour & Design
The Samsung UN55C9000 is all screen in the front. It's so minimalist that there aren't even any on-board controls, like on the step-down C8000 series.
We should note that the models on the CES show floor are not necessarily what the final product will look like.
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Back**
Again, we're not sure if this is what the final version will look like, but we can hope. There's not a damn thing to mar the back of the UN55C9000 except the areas where screw holes connect to a wall mount. Of course, the TV needs to stand up some how, so that 0.3-inch thickness does not take the stand into account. Even so, the designers clearly took some time to deliver a base that matched the elegance of the TV.
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Sides**
We mentioned it's thin, right? Really thin, at 0.3 inches. There are obviously no ports or controls on the side.
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Stand/Mount**
The stand is not final at this time. The models on the show floor had a brushed metal rectangle that matched the body. But other Samsung's announced at CES had a 4-legged stand that looked more like furniture. See the tour of the C8000 series for pics.
**
Aesthetics**
The Samsung UN55C9000 is a beautiful TV to look at, and that's no small feat. Most TVs are either plain and ugly or garish and ugly, but Samsung has put a lot of effort into designing TVs that you don't want to hide in a cabinet. We should emphasize that the version of the UN55C9000 seen in these photos is not necessarily the one that will ship, but we hope it doesn't change much. The models on the display at CES had a brushed metal finish that wrapped seamlessly around from front to back, giving it the essence of a 55-inch iPhone. The 0.3-inch thickness is something to behold. It's the same width as a pencil. It's thinner than a finger. Good job, Samsung. 'Touch of Color' didn't win everyone over, but this one will.
Performance Features
a) Quite simple.
b) Complex and proprietary.
These two companies were a) Toshiba and b) Samsung, which are also the two companies that announced the 2D-to-3D upconversion feature. The difference between upconverted 3D and native 3D content on Blu-Ray has yet to be reviewed in a thorough manner on consumer TVs. From what we could see and gather in conversation, upconverted 3D can make objects separate from their background. The effect reminded us of Doom, or other early first-person shooters: it looked like 2D objects in a 3D field. Native 3D makes objects actually pop out of the screen and into the room, creating a more immersive experience.
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Formats & Resolution**
The Samsung UN55C9000 is a native 1080p display, which used to be the highest resolution, until Toshiba announced their Cell TV with a 4K (3840 x 2160). Since no one is going to be offering any content exceeding 1080p any time soon, however, the UN55C9000's measily 1920 x 1080 resolution should be more than sufficient for the foreseeable future.
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Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio**
There was little mentioned about traditional specs like black level, contrast, and color, because everyone was too excited about 3D and touch screen remote controls to create a spec sheet.
**
Color**
There was no mention of color improvements over last year's models. We have been impressed edge-lit LED TVs from Samsung in the past.
**
Motion & Refresh Rate**
The Samsung UN55C9000 has a 240Hz refresh rate. When displaying 3D content, the refresh rate is 120Hz for each eye. Motion performance was all but impossible to determine, as Samsung was only displaying 3D content.
** Viewing Angle**
The viewing angle on previous Samsung LED TVs has been around 35-40 degrees, which is about average for an LCD. One of the benefits of plasma is a far wider viewing angle.
Connectivity & Media
Audio & Video Ports
The port selections and the location of those ports on the Samsung UN55C9000 have not been finalized. The models on the show floor had a large black box that was either stashed under the base or screwed into the back. The booth workers did their best to hide them, but we snuck a few shots anyway.
** Media & Other Connectivity**
The Samsung UN55C9000 will feature integrated WiFi HD, which runs on 802.11n, as well as an Ethernet port. Through these, Samsung hopes to entice you with its newly announced App Store, which will include services from Netflix, Picassa, Travel Channel, Twitter, USA Today, and more. Some of these apps are even promised to work cross-platform on Samsung cell phones, Blu-Ray players, and other Samsung-branded devices.
We can only hope that the 'internet@TV' suite of streaming content features is an improvement over last year's disaster. We thought reviewing the Samsung UN46B8500's online content made the TV one of the more frustrating reviews of 2009, due to the pitifully slow and awkward interface.
**
Placement**
The port placements have not been finalized. We're not even sure if the ports will be located on the TV or on a separate jack pack.
**
Audio**
We weren't able to gauge the TV's audio performance on the show floor.
Controls, Menu & Remote
Remote
This remote control is ridiculous. Ridiculous!
As you can see from the photos, the remote control has a sizable LCD screen. The specs are not final, and this ultimately may not be what the product looks like, but Samsung did have a number of details to share. First of all, it's a touch screen control, and each push gives you a strong buzz of haptic feedback. For the most basic functions: volume, channel up/down, and power, there are physical buttons that don't require the screen. There's also a 'home' similar to the iPhone button that calls up the main menu onscreen. The remote felt comfortable in the hand, and the touch screen was fast and responsive. Not all the functions were working on this pre-production model, but we were rather impressed by what we saw.
And just what can you do with this new wonder remote? The remote control is linked to the TV via 802.11n WiFi. With the embedded LCD screen, you can preview other channels without changing the screen on the TV, thus not interrupting your spouse's viewing choice. The remote can operate about 30 feet from the TV, so you can take it into the other room (we believe they were implying the bathroom).
The necessary power consumption for WiFi, an LCD screen, and haptic feedback must be demanding, and does some a cause for concern. On the show floor, Samsung reps couldn't leave the remote detached from a power cord for more than a few minutes at a time. Nevertheless, this is an exciting new development for home theater, especially considering that it comes included with UN55C9000. Derivative models will be available as a separate purchase for the C7000 and C8000 series. If Samsung can make it catch on, expect similar products to join the market by the end of the year.
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Controls**
We're not sure if the Samsung UN55C9000 will have any on-board controls, due to the ultra-thin design. The show floor model at CES did not, but we can't assume the final product will look the same. However, do you really care about on-board controls when you have the world's coolest remote control?
**
Menu**
The menu for the Samsung UN55C9000 has not been specified or viewable to the public at CES.
Conclusion
Series Comparison
UNxxC8000 Series
The models in this series have yet to be named. There will at least be the 55-inch model reviewed here.
Meet the tester
David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.
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