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Samsung proffers 3D-compatible LED-based LCD

The Samsung UNC7000 series is the company's least expensive to feature 3D compatibility.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
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David Katzmaier
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The Samsung UNC7000 series is the company's least expensive to feature 3D compatibility. Samsung

Update February 25, 2010: The UNC7000 series is now available for sale at select online retailers, making it the first of the new 3D compatible TVs. It is available in 40-inch ($1999), 46-inch ($$2599) and 55-inch ($3299) sizes. More info.

Samsung has endowed three LCD lines and one plasma line of its 2010 models with 3D compatibility, and the least expensive of the bunch is the UNC7000 series of LED-based LCDs. The company says the series, which should be among the first on the market to feature 3D-readiness, can work with optional 3D glasses to create the 3D effect. An emitter to send such information to the glasses is included on the TV.

The set is compatible with multiple 3D standards, including both half- and full-resolution 3D, as well as the Blu-ray Disc Association's "Blu-ray 3D" standard. But such content is destined to be rare during the nascent launch of the new format, so Samsung also added a 2D-to-3D conversion system. It takes standard 2D content from the TV or other video sources and adds a dimension of depth. The best 3D experience will doubtless be had with actual 3D content, but we suppose having the option to add another faux dimension to 2D content will appeal to some viewers.

Aside from 3D, the UNC7000 series offers edge-lit LED backlighting, much like many of Samsung's 2008 models. The company's press material also mentions a new kind of backlight technology said to combine the benefits of local dimming with the thinness of edge-lighting. We asked Samsung's reps repeatedly to elaborate but got nothing more than that. When we get more information we'll update this section.

The UNC7000 is also the least-expensive 2010 Samsung LED model with 240Hz processing, so it should exhibit similar motion resolution performance to the company's UNB8000 series from 2009.

Like most other Samsung models in 2010, the UNC7000 will also offer the company's interactive feature suite, anchored by Internet @ TV (i.e. Yahoo widgets) and Samsung Apps. The widgets should operate similarly to last year's models' (although hopefully they're less sluggish now), while the Apps are Samsung's new proprietary content portal. As of now, it's not perfectly clear exactly how it will work; Samsung says that the first free apps will launch in the spring, with premium apps following in the summer. We talked to Samsung's reps and although official word is still unavailable, unofficially they they admitted that Apps like Vudu and Netflix would be free.

Samsung UNC7000 features:

  • edge-lit LED backlight
  • 3D compatible
  • 2D to 3D conversion system
  • 240Hz refresh rate
  • Interactive capability with Samsung Internet @ TV and Samsung Apps