Let's take a look at Samsung's first foray into the world of 3D LCD HDTVs.

The best word to describe Samsung's UN55C7000 shape is 'slim'. Walking around the side of the UN55C7000 to view it in profile feels like an optical illusion as you realize there's no depth to the panel, the display is simply a sliver of bezel.

While it looks thin enough that you could snap it in two (but please don't, it's a $3000 HDTV), when handling the HDTV and stand feel quite sturdy.

At just about 1" thick, the bezel is only a tiny bit wider than this USB thumb drive.

As you'd expect with a LCD HDTV that's this thin, the UN55C7000 isn't all that heavy. With the stand attached it weighs in at 54 pounds (24.5 kg), and 48.9 pounds (22.2) with the stand removed. If you are interested in attaching to a VESA mount for the wall you'll need an arm that supports 400mm x 400mm mounting points with four M8 screws.

The outer bezel of UN55C7000 is a glossy black which doesn't draw too much attention to itself, although like all glossy finishes it ends up being a bit of a fingerprint/dust magnet. The bezel is about 1.4" thick, and actually has a subtle brown color to it that complements the anti-reflective screen quite nicely. For additional style points have it mounted flat on your wall, remove the stickers Samsung attaches to the bezel, and position it between some fine art paintings. The Samsung UN55C7000 fits right in!

The included stand is made out of cast aluminum, with a shiny silver finish on the "X" shaped feet. The stand swivels (thank you for listening, Samsung) to about 20 left/right, which makes it easy to get behind the TV if you need to access AV ports. The stand has a 11.9 inch by 28.3 inch footprint, and with the stand attached the UN55C7000 is just under 33 inches tall.

Redux of the Return of the Revenge of the Buttonless Control Panel

The infuriating buttonless control panel from earlier Samsung LCD HDTVs has made yet another return. This time Samsung has hidden the control panel on the bottom right hand corner of the lower bezel.

The buttons themselves light up attractively when pressed, and this time it's a little easier to find them on the TV, but trying to control a TV of this size using a tiny control panel from arm's length is nearly impossible, you'll barely be able to fit the control panel and the on-screen menu in your peripheral vision at the same time.

Next up, the all important remote control...