The Samsung UN55C700 is another LED TV from Samsung utilizing the new Edge Light backlight technology that enabled Samsung to construct the slimmest LED TV series in the market.  It has an elegant and stylish overall look with an above average video performance to boot.  It has a very good contrast ratio with excellent screen response time and an accurate color reproduction system.  It has many advance features that supports streaming video and music capabilities.  In addition, one of its strong points is its 3D compatibility feature.

The deep black performance for this Samsung TV is decent, but not exactly the best in its category.  Deep black performance is often the weakness of LED TVs, and this Samsung TV exhibits the same disadvantage.  Peak bright performance is excellent for this Samsung TV.  The UN55C7000 can produce very bright whites that can provide great performance when displaying highlights in videos and pictures.  For a deeper black performance, you may want to check TVs on the Plasma category like the Samsung PN50C450 TV.

The Samsung UN55C7000 also exhibits a decent contrast ratio enabling the TV to perform satisfactorily in shadow details as well as highlights.  The edge lighting technology used on this TV also provides it with inferior uniformity through out the screen.  There are noticeable bright areas at the screen’s edges when operating in dark rooms.

This TV also features an auto dim capability to achieve a wider contrast range.  You cannot disable this feature, however, and it has a tendency to affect details of bright scenes negatively.  Color performance is above average.  The TV is capable of producing accurate colors with fine details.  No over saturation noticeable in the images viewed on the screen.

The TV supports 1080p formats that are ideal for playing Blu-ray and other HD videos.  This 55-inch TV has a refresh rate of 240 Hz, lessening the possibility of judders and blurriness when watching action scenes or playing fast motion videos and images.

One major disadvantage of this TV is its narrow effective viewing angle – similar to Samsung TVs in the 6000, 8000 and 8500 series.  This TV’s effective viewing angle is only about 45 degrees.  Viewing images and scenes beyond this angle will result to a slight drop in the image’s color vibrancy, accuracy and contrast ratio.  For a better effective viewing angle TV, you can check on Panasonic’s TC-P50VT20.

Its main feature, that cuts this TV among its competition, is its 3D capability.  The TV retains its high-end performance in color and detail when in 3D mode.  You can achieve bright and vivid images viewing 3D Blu-ray movies.  Action scenes are smooth with no blurriness or any lag.  This TV also has 2D to 3D conversion that will allow you to convert standard 2D images into 3Ds – although the quality is not as good as your regular 3D image.  The TV’s 3D quality is easily the best among the 3D TVs in the market.  Samsung, however, did not include a 3D glass with the TV’s package.  3D glasses can be purchased separately at about $100 $160 each.

Audio output is thru the two internal speakers mounted at the left and right of the panel.  There are controls available for Treble, Bass and Balance.  Audio output is in stereo mode and each speaker rates at 15 Watts rendering a total output power of 30 Watts.

Connectivity options are also abundant for this TV.  All ports sit at the back of the device with no ports on its side – due to its slim design.  The ports lie in a reverse L-shape.  There are four HDMI (19 pin HDMI Type A), two USB 2.0 (four pin USB Type A), one Component video input (RCA phono x 3), one VGA input (15 pin HD D-Sub, HD-15), one Network (RJ-45) and one Digital audio output (optical – TOSLINK).  There is also a VGA (HD-15) port to connect your PC to the TV.  The USB ports can accommodate thumb drives for playback of your favorite MP3, videos or images.  The TV also has an Ethernet port for internet connection or you may also use its Wi-Fi capability.  You need to connect a USB dongle (sold separately) to one of the TV’s USB ports when using the Wi-Fi feature.

Shipping dimensions of the TV are 62.2 x 7.9 x 35.4 inches (W x D x H) and weight is about 67.7 lbs.  Actual depth of the TV is an amazing 1.2 inches.

The TV ships with a metal swivel stand.  The four-legged stand with its smooth silver finish is unique and elegant as well; and it complements the TV’s aesthetic well.  The TV is also ENERGY STAR qualified giving it efficient power consumption and saving in both operational and in sleep modes.

One of the major competitors of the Samsung UN55C700 in this TV category is the Panasonic TC P50VT20.  The Samsung TV holds the edge in the peak bright performance as well as the overall contrast ratio.  The Panasonic may have the edge in connectivity options with its two component and two composite input ports while the Samsung TV has only one port for each connection.  Panasonic also has four analog audio in ports while the Samsung TV only has one.  Both TVs have a pair of USB ports but the Panasonic TV has an added SD/SDHC port to accommodate memory cards.  Both TVs support 1080p formats, Wi-Fi ready and both have 3D features.  At about the same price both are perfect for home theater use although the Panasonic TV may be a better choice with its wide effective viewing angle of about 78 degrees compared to the Samsung’s 45 degrees.

The Samsung UN55C700 is definitely one of the top LED TVs in the market packed with many features packaged in an elegant design.  Although more expensive than the regular 55-inch TVs, this is a perfect TV for a medium to large-sized home theater.  Its 3D capability is among the best in the market and its superb performance in both 2D and 3D modes will easily exceed any consumer’s expectations.

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