I had expected the new Samsung C9000 TV to be expensive, but I still got a bit of a shock when the Korean electronics giant said last Friday that its “luxury” TV set will cost a cool S$12,888 (before retailer discounts) for a 55-incher in Singapore.

Needless to say, the price includes all sorts of stuff you may or may not need. Among the more practical, there’s what Samsung calls “800 Clear Motion Rate”, its top-end blur-reduction technology to keep things focused in those fast action movies.

The other big thing about this 3D-enabled TV: it’s just 7.98-mm thick with a built-in digital tuner, making it one of the slimmest, if not the slimmest, among anorexic LED TVs out there. The simple, brushed aluminium finish is one of the best I’ve seen of late. …

Get ready to put on your 3D glasses and watch Wayne Rooney leap up in 3D to score his latest headed goal. If electronics behemoth Samsung is to be believed, you will be watching 3D programmes that seem to jump off the screen instead of the current flat images we have known for decades.

So confident is the Korean firm that it will launch more than 20 TVs featuring the 3D feature this year. The first models, demo’d today at a regional showcase of its entire line of electronics, will go on sale here in Singapore this month.

Most of the 3D TV models will be out by 2Q 2010, and will include LED, LCD and plasma TV screens. …