Maybe best 2D choice of 2010 but could be better...

First I just received my second set from Amazon today. The first set had an issue on the inside of the GLOSSY glass screen. I couldn't tell if it was a thread or a small crack in the screen. It obviously wasn't supposed to be there and Amazon swapped it out for me. I'm on my first couple hours on the second set but I haven't see the same issue with the second set yet. This does support a couple other reviewers suggesting quality control may be an issue with these sets. This contradicts the weight of the TV suggesting it should be very well built.



The TV is stunningly simple to look at. There isn't a lot of extra bezel or showy manufacturer's name plates. I love this as I'm usually driven nuts at having to look at a constant advertisment of a product I've already purchased. The "LG" that lights up at the bottom when the TV is turned on can be set to be off when the set is on. This effectively means in a dark room (as mine is) the ONLY thing you see on this TV is the picture...exactly as it should be. The only exception is a small set of lights along the bottom that are only powered during power on and off to inform the viewer of this.



My general impression on the picture quality is mostly very impressed. I'm not a display expert so I'll only state what I notice as a slightly more "techy" than average viewer. These sets do seem to have a screen uniformity issue. Large and bright white or very light colored sections of the screen will show light horizontal bands. These bands are light but can be distracting depending on the viewer. It seemed to get better with more hours on the first set but it could have been the firmware issue. Either way know that if you watch a lot of content containing mostly white screens you may want to look at another TV. Some people claim to not be able to see this. Others state they see even more of it during panning scenes. Perhaps there is some difference from one panel to the next. Either way I have seen it on two sets so anyone looking at purchasing the set should expect it unless there is an update (software or hardware) to the set at some time.



I looked at a backlit/local dimmed set like this for one big reason though...CONTRAST. Buying this set to watch solid bright screens would seem to be a waste. Where this particular set really shows it stuff is in the black level it can achieve. Movies are beautiful. I thought my old RPTV had a nice picture but the sharpness and clarity of the 55LE8500 really put my old set to shame. As mentioned above when you turn off the LG logo all you see is the picture. Even if there is letterboxing you will only see the picture. The rest of the screen will be as black as the bezel and in a dark room you won't notice it as letterboxing at all.



Colors are vivid and natural looking. The settings from the factory are pretty decent but count on using the two extra ISF settings that can be customized to your liking. Having a knowledgable Tech to come over to properly set up the TV would be wise if you can afford it but it's not neccesary to achieve a nice picture. There is even a built-in menu system to aid you in doing so.



Summing it up

Pros:

Awesome blacklevel

Sharp picture

Great colors

No flashy labels or lights to be bothersome

Automatic updates if you connect it to the internet

Tons of access to change viewing settings

discrete codes for most anything you might want for a customized remote.



Cons:

screen has uniformity issues

possible quality control issues

maybe a bit too heavy

screen is a bit too glossy

no 3D support



Overall this is probably the best 2D TV released in 2010. If you can control the lighting in your room and you don't watch lots of source material with large patches of very light scenes this is the TV for you. Amazon is a great source for the set but know the wireless media kit was offered free with the set last week and the price has been changing dramatically (down and up and back down again). I gave it 4 stars because it could have been a bit better and probably should have been.More detail ...

WOW. Amazing LED set!!

First off I want to be clear about the kind of review this is intended to be. I am not a profession TV rater. I am not a videophile. I am a regular Joe and I am reviewing this for the regular Joe who is thinking about spending more than usual on a good quality television. During the next few months I'm sure you can find a more professional review from the usual places... But for now this is my impressions.



CORNER LIGHT: After reading many reviews on last years B8000 and this year's C7000 I was worried about the light that emits from the corners. I've seen displays of last year's B8000 and this year's C7000 and have VERY easily seen what people are talking about. I took a big gamble in purchasing this TV before I read if people were having issues with this C8000. So let me say... After watching this TV for about 5 hours per day for 3 days... I have NOT seen the light coming from the edges as seen on other sets. And believe me I've been looking. I tried to find it watching the HD feed on Time Warner Cable Blu-ray's from the PS3 Blu-Ray's from the Samsung 3D Blu-Ray player watching at night during the day... Nothing. I just do not see it!



LOOKS: This TV looks just amazing. It has a VERY dark black screen. It looks as beautiful turned off as it does on. I was nervous about the brush metal look but it actually looks very nice and compliments the new chromed four-legged stand.



PICTURE: The picture clarity looks incredible. It's as if I'm discovering HD for the first time. This set replaces a Samsung DLP set so of course this is a vast improvement. Having said that I have a newer plasma in the bedroom and this set looks much better than that. As with all new LED sets with 240 Hz there is a bit of the Spanish Soap Opera/Home Video look to it. Some people really like this some people don't. I really like it. For those of you that don't you can always turn this feature down or off. To me this makes the picture look very clear and it makes it stand out from the other sets.



3D: Along with this TV I purchased the Samsung 3D Bluray player so I can get the 3D startup kit for free. Turning the 3D feature on and connecting the glasses was easy. The intro to Monsters v. Aliens was very cool. The opening scene in outer space looked incredible. The ball tied to a paddle part was funny and kinda made me jump a little. I haven't spent too much time with 3D but I did notice that there were some scenes in the movie that had a double image while wearing the glasses. It doesn't happen a lot but it is noticeable. You can see this right away during the church scene at the beginning of the movie. It was a little annoying. I'm hoping that this is the kind of stuff that gets ironed out with a firmwear update or as more content is released they learn to fix it.



OnlineTV: This is also a very new area for me. I never understood the need for me to want apps on my TV... But its actually kina cool. I've tried a few apps but my favorite by far is the Pandora app. I'm a big fan of Pandora and this app I actually like better on my TV than online or the iPhone. The only thing I hate is that Samsung did not have Wifi built in. I think pricing this set at the $3000+ mark should be enough to include it with the set and not require me to drop another $80 for the USB adapter. I just hardwired it but that's another wire I don't like dealing with.



USB: I wanted to mention that this set allows you to connect a USB external hard drive and play music photo's and movies directly from the HDD. I have a Western Digital 320GB Passport filled with movies and music and I was able to navigate the files structure in the drive using the remote quite easily. And it played all the files formats I threw at it.





Pros:

No corner light!!!

Very dark screen.

Very clear picture

Pandora Samsung App

3D was surprisingly fun

USB external HDD capable

and... NO CORNER LIGHT!



Cons:

Slight double images on 3D.

Wifi requires an $80 USB adaptor.



Overall I am very satisfied with the UN55C8000. Even with the few CONS this set to this average Joe is a definite 5 star! As I spend more time with the set I'll be sure to update this review if I find something worth mentioning.



Please feel free to ask me questions and I'll try my best to answer them. I know how nerve wrecking buying a big ticket item such as this is... So I would be glad to help as much as I can.

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