Buyer's Guide to Top Rated HDTV
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Editor's Choice: Pioneer PDP-6020FD
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Top Rated Samsung, Panasonic 2009 HDTVs
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Stunning Sony XBR6 XBR7 XBR8 HDTV Redefine HDTV Quality
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Great Deal on Top Rated Panasonic G10 Series Plasma
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Panasonic Viera TC-P42G10 42-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Top Rated 42-inch Plasma HDTV Awesome Price!
The Panasonic
TC-P42G10
1080p Plasma HDTV is the top choice. Don't overlook this value-priced set. Excellent picture quality on all program types: HD, SD and DVDs. The TC-P42G10's colors are very accurate, and contrast is excellent, giving images depth and dimension. Black levels very good, second to only the Pioneer KUROs (at a much lower price!). Very good reproduction of scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas. Excellent high-definition film-mode operation effectively eliminates jagged edges on movie content. A special anti-glare coating minimizes the reflections that often plague plasma screens.
The excellent TC-P42G10 is a Best Buy as well, offered at a very competitive price. This top rated set is a fantastic value. Over 93%  five star ratings at Amazon.com. The 46-inch and 50-inch G10s are equally impressive and are similarly value-priced.
42" Plasma
Panasonic TC-P42G10 $1014 at Amazon
46" Plasma
Panasonic TC-P46G10 $1279 at Amazon
50" Plasma
Panasonic TC-P50G10 $1407 at Amazon
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Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR6 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV
The Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR6 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV, successor to the highly praised and very popular 720p 32XBR4, is our top choice. The 32XBR6 has excellent picture quality across the board. Great contrast, superb detail, and excellent color accuracy. Black levels are very good, a noticeable improvement over its predecessor. The viewing angle is fairly wide for an LCD TV, a definite strong point compared to other LCD sets. The 32XBR6 also uses 120Hz technology that increases the frame rate to reduce motion blur. It does a fine job smoothing out jagged edges in movies and other film-based content.
Consumers love this set. As with the earlier 32XBR 4, the 32XBR6 has unanimous five star ratings (as of May 2008) from Amazon customers. We can't argue with that. This is one fine HDTV.
Although it's a bit pricey for this size, this is the best 32-inch LCD TV available. Spend a few extra bucks and go for the Sony 32XBR6. Over 90% five star ratings at Amazon.com.
32" LCD
Sony KDL-32XBR6 Sold Out at Amazon
32" LCD
Sony KDL-32XBR9 $829 at Amazon
32" LCD
Sony KDL-32XBR6 $849 at OneCall
32" LCD
Sony KDL-32XBR6 $849 at J&R
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Panasonic TC-32LZ800 32-inch LCD HDTV
The Panasonic TC-32LZ800 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV is an excellent choice if you're looking for a high quality picture at a bargain price. Consumer Reports rates this set as equivalent to our top choice, the Sony 32XBR6. The TC-32LZ800 has excellent picture quality, very good contrast, and accurate color. The viewing angle is as good as our top pick. Black levels are good, though a bit bright on the darkest scenes. This set also has a 120Hz viewing mode to reduce motion blur in film based content. An excellent bargain, several hundred dollars less than the Sony 32XBR6. Over 87% five star ratings at Amazon.com.
Consumer Reports concludes: "Among the best LCD TVs you can buy today, with outstanding picture quality, excellent sound quality, and a viewing angle some plasmas will envy. It has a swivel base that allows the set to be easily positioned for the best viewing angle, and its excellent sound is a plus if it won't be connected to a home-theater system." At its current price point this set is hard to beat.
32" LCD
Panasonic TC-32LZ800 $899 at Amazon
32" LCD
Panasonic TC-32LZ800 $899 at Buy.com
32" LCD
Panasonic TC-32LZ800 $879 at J&R
32" LCD
Panasonic TC-32LZ800 $899 at OneCall
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Top Rated 33 to 42 Inch HDTVs
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Samsung LN46A650 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV (120Hz)
 
Wow. This set is incredible. Over 93% five star ratings at Amazon.com. The picture is bright and crisp, finely detailed with excellent color balance, high contrast ratio, deep blacks, and 120hz processing for film-based content. This 1080p set is among the best LCD TVs you can buy today, with excellent picture quality across all program formats. This set is priced lower than many other lower rated sets, so it rates a Best Buy recommendation as well.
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A650 $1460 at Amazon
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A650 $1447 at Buy.com
Consumer Reports Aug 2008 Top Pick Samsung LN46A550
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A550 $1099 at Amazon
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A550 $1005 at Buy.com
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Sony KDL-46W4100 46-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
 
The Sony
KDL-46W4100
excellent picture quality across the board, with good black levels and contrast, accurate colors, and picture detail that equals the best displays. It does a fine job smoothing out jagged edges in movies and other film-based content. This 46-inch 1080p model in Sony's step-up W series offers high performance and distinctive style at a price below XBR models, which have more features. This set is so good that we can't see spending several hundred dollars more for the XBR set.
This set is priced lower that many other lower rated sets, so it rates a Best Buy recommendation as well.
46" LCD
Sony KDL-46W4100 $1249 at Amazon
46" LCD
Sony KDL-46W4100 $1349 at J&R
46" LCD
Sony KDL-46W4100 $1449 at OneCall
46" LCD
Sony KDL-46Z4100 $1349 at Amazon
46" LCD
Sony KDL-46Z4100 $1349 at J&R
46" LCD
Sony KDL-46Z4100 $1472 at OneCall
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Samsung's 46-inch LN46A750
Touch of Color LCD HDTV Review
C|Net June 2008 Summary:
Superb black-level performance with solid shadow detail; highly accurate color; improved 120Hz dejudder processing; unbridled feature set including network streaming, built-in interactive content and news, stocks and weather feeds; broad selection of picture setup options. Over 93% five star ratings at Amazon.com.
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A750 $1630 at Amazon
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A750 $1499 at J&R
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A750 $1679 at OneCall
46" LCD
Samsung LN46A750 $1679 at Buy.com
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Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U
C|Net says ..."The Pioneer PDP-5020FD is an absolutely fantastic HDTV with outstanding black levels, but ultimately we preferred the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U..." (read it here)
 Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV.
Ranked as Best-of-the-Best by C|Net, the 2008 Panasonic TH-50PZ800U comes mighty close to the vaunted blacks of the above KURO models. This set's THX mode adds significantly improved color and video processing performance. The THX certification is the big step-up feature between Panasonic's TH-PZ85U series and the TH-PZ800U models such as the TH-50PZ800U. The certification involves testing in a number of categories such as contrast ratio and color accuracy, according to THX, and the TH-50PZ800U has a special THX picture preset that, when engaged, causes the TV's picture to comply with the certification. Color accuracy is excellent. The image is perfectly uniform across the screen, and viewing angles are superb, with none of the drop-off in contrast or color accuracy typical of LCD. Overall, a fantastic set. The only set that comes close to matching the picture quality of the Pioneer KURO line. Over 90% five star ratings at Amazon.com. Priced below the top pick Pioneer PDP-5020FD.
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U Sold Out at Amazon
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1888 at Buy.com
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $2289 at OneCall
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1849 at J&R
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $1789 at OneCall
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $1749 at Amazon
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Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U HDTV Review
C|Net June 2008 Summary:
Reproduces deep black levels; relatively accurate color temperature and color decoding; excellent uniformity with little false contouring; relatively effective antireflective screen; can access YouTube videos, Picasa online photo sharing and other interactive features via Ethernet port; solid connectivity with four HDMI and one PC input; handsome styling with single-pane design.
The Panasonic TH-50PZ850U's color accuracy issues prevent it from topping the high-end plasma HDTV heap, but excellent picture quality and unique interactive features maintain its appeal.
Rating: Excellent
Also, 100% five star ratings at Amazon.com!
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $1789 at OneCall
50" Plasma
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $1749 at Amazon
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Top Rated Big Screen HDTVs
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PureCinema Home Theater
Panasonic HDTV
Samsung HDTV
Sony HDTV
Pioneer HDTV
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Pick your size, the 37 inch LN37A550 or the 40 inch LN40A750 1080p LCD HDTV. Either way you've got the best available LCD HDTV in the 33 to 42 inch size range. The picture is bright and crisp, finely detailed with excellent color balance, high contrast ratio, deep blacks, and 120hz processing for film-based content.
60-inch 1080p Plasma--World's Best HDTV
The incredible 2007 Pioneer KURO series (PDP-4280HD, PDP-5080HD, PDP-5010FD, and PDP-6010FD) received near unanimous rankings as the best HDTV available. The early reviews of the new 2008 Pioneer KURO series HDTVs are receiving similarly high praise, apparently living up to Pioneer's hype of "…5 times deeper blacks…" than their predecessors. The value priced 720p sets (PDP-4280HD and PDP-5080HD) sold out months ago, but the 1080p 50-inch PDP-5010FD and 60-inch PDP-6010FD are still available, and prices have dropped. At their lower price points the PDP-5010FD and PDP-6010FD ranked as Best Buys. If you're looking for a value priced top rated 50 or 60 inch set, don't overlook the Pioneer PDP-5010FD and PDP-6010FD. But if you want the World's Best HDTV the PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD are the way to go. Over 95% 
58-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV.
Ranked as Best-of-the-Best by C|Net, the Panasonic TH-58PZ800U outperforms nearly all big screen HDTVs (other than the top rated Pioneer Kuro) offering excellent all-around picture quality. For big-screen lovers with the means to go flat, the Panasonic TH-58PZ800U should be near the top of the list.
