Samsung 46″ Series 5 LED TV 46C5000
Aug 3rd, 2010 | By SimonIt’s time to get to the fun part of the review – putting everything together. It brings great satisfaction when you do it yourself and get to marvel at the completed job. With a TV you not only get to marvel at completing the job but you get to enjoy the hours upon hours of entertainment it brings to the table. With the 46C5000 the first step is to connect the TV mount to the base and secure with the included screws. Search amongst the accessories provided by Samsung for the one with the picture showing the five screws used to connect the TV mount to the base. Once that is done you’re about a third of the way through assembly.
The next step will be to pick up the panel and slot the steel tabs on the back of the display panel into the TV mount. Once the slots are in the TV, it will be able to support itself so you can find the next bag of screws and secure the panel to the TV mount. Once you’ve got the next batch of screws in place, the TV is physically assembled making the final step the one of connecting all your inputs.
The inputs for the TV are located on the back. It is recessed into the body such that with proper cable routing the overall TV still has a very thin profile. Even with the thin profile you are still able to have some quick side connects: TV, HDMI and USB for when you’re just sharing a few pictures from your camera of USB drive. All of your primary inputs, LAN, Antenna, PC and Component, are along the bottom.
The power connection is also on the rear but on the other side of the panel. At first glance it took me a while to find as it is cleverly hidden. In the past we’ve seen the 3-prong AC plugs but with this newer model we only have the 2-prong adapter.
With power provided to the TV and all inputs identified and connected, we’re ready to turn the TV on! Samsung has re-vamped the remote control and gone with a matte black body. I personally find this much nicer as the glossy remotes were prone to finger prints, especially after watching a movie while munching on some popcorn. Unlike previous remotes, this model (TM1060) is very rectangular. It reminds me of the old TV remotes. The overall profile is thin and compact. The buttons are laid out nicely and press easily.
The remote is powered by 2-AAA batteries which can be installed from the back and you can quickly drain them with the backlight key. Like previous models a little nudge will activate the lights so you can see what buttons are being pressed.
The sound system for the TV is provided by two 10W speakers and a base. The base is located on the back and I can only assume the individual speakers are down-firing and slotted along the bottom.
At a first glance the C5000 isn’t too different than my Samsung TV, especially the B6000 LED TV. The bezel has the Touch of Color red to it which adds just a little bit of style without being too obtrusive. The rectangular base is nothing special. It allows the C5000 to swivel about 30 degrees either left or right.
One thing I truly love about the LED TVs is the thinness. The panel measures under 1″ thick – the official number is 29.9mm but that would account of the increase in thickness closer to the bottom of the TV for inputs and base installation. If you have the opportunity to mount this TV on a VESA mount I would say jump on it as it will look stunning on any wall, especially if you bought a 50+” model!
I’ve had the TV for 4 months now and the original batteries don’t show any sign of dying from either a fading backlight or not responding with the TV. However, if the battery does die and you don’t have any fresh batteries around you can always use the capacitive touch sensitive keys. I’m certainly not a huge fan of these as I’m never able to actually find them on the TV when I want to. It’s generally only under specific lighting where the locations are very obvious. I think it would be nice of Samsung to bring back the tactile keys but tuck them along the side of the panel.
A single red LED indicates if the TV has been powered or unplugged. If the TV is turned off by the remote, the LED will still be on. I would have liked for the LED to actually turn off when the TV has been powered down by the remote. Let’s have a glance at the TV Menu and Features.