Top Rated Samsung, Panasonic 2010 HDTVs

The HDTV market is holding well in spite of intense economic pressure. Samsung LCD HDTVs continue their reign as the most popular and best selling HDTVs, although the excellent Panasonic G25 Series plasma HDTVs hold their own. Sony continues to stuggle to grab market share from rival Samsung, but the well received—and pricey—52XBR9 is finding favor with some HDTV aficionados. We're partial to the Panasonic G25 plasmas, but don't knock anyone for their preference of the new generation Samsung LCDs. To be fair the gap between plasma and LCD is very narrow and we'd be thrilled to have any of these top-selling sets in our living room.

Here's our picks for the best-of-the-best in the current market:

46" LCD Samsung LN46C630 $899 at Amazon
46" LCD Samsung LN46C650 $1044 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony KDL-52XBR9 $2388 at Amazon
55" LCD Samsung LN55C650 $1449 at Amazon

42" Plasma Panasonic TC-P42C2 $529 at Amazon
42" Plasma Panasonic TC-P42G10 $799 at Amazon
42" Plasma Panasonic TC-P42G25 $1023 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TC-P46S2 $649 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TC-P46G10 $936 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TC-P46G25 $1077 at Amazon
50" Plasma Panasonic TC-P50G25 $1092 at Amazon
54" Plasma Panasonic TC-P54S1 $1213 at Amazon
54" Plasma Panasonic TC-P54S2 $1209 at Amazon
54" Plasma Panasonic TC-P54G25 $1435 at Amazon

Stunning Sony XBR7 XBR8 XBR9 HDTV Redefine HDTV Quality

New Technologies Deliver Exceptional Color Reproduction and Black Levels Sony introduced seven new BRAVIA® XBR flat-panel LCD high-definition televisions including models with TRILUMINOS® LED backlight and local dimming for outstanding black-level reproduction and unmatched contrast. The new models expand the BRAVIA LCD line up to 30 models ranging in screen size from 19 to 70 inches measured diagonally.

The XBR models represent Sony's premium line, delivering the latest features and the pinnacle of picture quality. "Critics consistently praise BRAVIA as the best HDTVs on the market, and the XBR badge indicates the best of the best," said Jeff Goldstein, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics' television marketing group. "Consumers can now experience the quality of BRAVIA from small-sized models all the way up through our premium big screen XBR series."

32" LCD Sony KDL-32XBR9 $599 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony KDL-40XBR7 $899 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony KDL-40XBR9 $1299 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46XBR8 $1996 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46XBR9 $1574 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46XBR10 $1999 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony KDL-52XBR7 $1548 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony KDL-52XBR9 $2388 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony KDL-52XBR10 $4499 at Amazon

Great Deal on Top Rated Panasonic G10 Series Plasma

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-P42C2 $529 at Amazon
42" Plasma Panasonic TC-P42G10 $799 at Amazon
42" Plasma Panasonic TC-P42G25 $1023 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TC-P46S2 $649 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TC-P46G10 $936 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TC-P46G25 $1077 at Amazon
50" Plasma Panasonic TC-P50G25 $1092 at Amazon
54" Plasma Panasonic TC-P54S1 $1213 at Amazon
54" Plasma Panasonic TC-P54S2 $1209 at Amazon
54" Plasma Panasonic TC-P54G25 $1435 at Amazon

Best LCD HDTVs of 2010

The 2010 LCD HDTV roll out is underway and we like it. Deeper blacks, higher refresh rates, and motion blur reduction, previously expensive adders, are standard features in many new 2010 sets. Here are a few that offer outstanding picture quality at reasonable cost:

32" LCD Sony EX400 32 $529 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony EX400 40 $649 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony 40V5100 $849 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony 40Z5100 $1221 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony EX400 46 $809 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony 46V5100 $989 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony 46Z5100 $1347 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony 52V5100 $1249 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony 52Z5100 $1699 at Amazon
52" LCD Sony KDL-52XBR9 $2388 at Amazon

Top Rated 32-inch HDTV

Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV

The Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV, successor to the highly praised and very popular 32XBR6, is our top choice. The 32XBR9 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 32XBR9 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 32XBR6, the 32XBR9 has near-unanimous five star ratings 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 32XBR9. Over 90% five star ratings at Amazon.com.

32" LCD Sony KDL-32XBR9 $599 at Amazon
32" LCD Sony EX400 32 $529 at Amazon

Top Rated 46-inch HDTVs

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 $1149 at Amazon
46" LCD Samsung LN46B650 $1199 at Amazon

Sony KDL-46V5100 46-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

The Sony KDL-46V5100 has 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 46V5100 $989 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony EX400 46 $809 at Amazon

Samsung's 46-inch LN46B750
Touch of Color LCD HDTV Review

C|Net 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 LN46B750 $1266 at Amazon

Top Rated 50-inch HDTV

Panasonic Viera TC-P50G10

C|Net says ..."The Pioneer PDP-5020FD is an absolutely fantastic HDTV with outstanding black levels, but ultimately we preferred the Panasonic TC-P50G10..."

Panasonic TC-P50G10 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV. Ranked as Best-of-the-Best by C|Net, the 2008 Panasonic TC-P50G10 comes mighty close to the vaunted blacks of the above KURO models. This set has significantly improved color and video processing performance compared to its predecessors. 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 TC-P50G25 $1092 at Amazon

Top Rated Big Screen HDTVs