Panasonic THX Certified HDTV Raise The Bar

(November 3, 2008 HDTV-News.org) Panasonic's highly anticipated THX Certified plasma displays are now widely available and they don't disappoint. Earlier this year C|Net awarded the 50-inch Panasonic TH-50PZ800U their Editors' Choice among 50-inch plasma TVs, and now the newly released 58-inch version receives equally high praise, with an identical score and Editors' Choice award. Part of the reason has to do with color accuracy, for which the TV's THX Display Certification deserves credit. These THX certified sets look fantastic right out of the box.

If you're shopping for a large-screen plasma, the other high-end option is the 60-inch Pioneer PDP-6020FD. However it's significantly more expensive than the 58-inch Panasonic, and judging from our review of the 60 inch Pioneer, the Panasonic color accuracy is a huge plus. Couple that with the fact that the 58-inch Panasonic delivered even deeper black levels than the 60-inch Pioneer, the Editor's Choice and higher rating compared with the Pioneer is a no-brainer.

42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PZ800U $1664 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TH-46PZ800U $1799 at Amazon
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1929 at Amazon
58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ800U $2734 at Amazon

Stunning Sony XBR6 XBR7 XBR8 HDTV Redefine HDTV Quality

(November 2, 2008 HDTV-News.org) 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-32XBR6 $983 at Amazon
37" LCD Sony KDL-37XBR6 $1224 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony KDL-40XBR6 $1879 at Amazon
40" LCD Sony KDL-40XBR7 $2699 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46XBR6 $2269 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46XBR8 $4999 at Amazon
55" LCD Sony KDL-55XBR8 $6999 at Amazon
70" LCD Sony KDL-70XBR7 $19,999 at Amazon

XBR8-Series

Leading the line is the full HD 1080p 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 and 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 models (all measured diagonally). The models incorporate Sony's TRILUMINOS three-color LED backlight technology with local dimming coupled with 10-bit processing and 10-bit panel to deliver exceptionally deep black level and accurate colors.

Sony's TRILUMINOS LED backlight technology dramatically expands the TV's color range by aligning individual clusters of red, green and blue LEDs, significantly elevating color purity compared to traditional single white LED backlights.

Additionally, the sets offer the new Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO (ACE PRO) technology. ACE PRO, which features Sony's own algorithm for local dimming, improves contrast and dynamic range by controlling the LED backlight level by area so that detail is maintained in the dark areas, while other areas are driven near peak brightness. The technology reduces unnecessary light emission resulting in true, deep blacks and reduced power consumption compared to conventional LED backlit models. The models also feature BRAVIA Engine™ 2 PRO, which is Sony's latest high quality picture processing technology and the company's Motionflow 120Hz high frame rate technology.

Sony's Motionflow technology allows you to enjoy movies and prime-time TV (film-based content) with exceptional clarity and resolution in motion. The Motionflow algorithm identifies film content and removes "judder" resulting in a clearer picture with smoother motion during sweeping pans without a visible jerking or stuttering. Additionally, Motionflow 120Hz technology creates 60 unique frames between each of the existing 60 frames, doubling the frames displayed per second, further improving images for fast action sports and other programming.

Rounding out the picture enhancement suite in the XBR8 is x.v.Color compatibility. This technology expands the potential color data range of video by about 1.8 times, resulting in the display of more natural and vivid colors similar to what the human eye can actually see. This complements Sony's HD camcorder models and Blu-ray Disc players, which capture and display color range beyond what broadcasters currently deliver.

The models also feature Sony's Digital Media Extender (DMeX), providing the ability to seamlessly add new features. DMeX allows users to connect optional expansion modules such as the BRAVIA DVD Link, the BRAVIA Wireless link, the BRAVIA Input Link, which will ship later this year, and the currently available BRAVIA Internet Video Link. The BRAVIA Internet Video Link module attaches to the back of a selection of the Sony's 2007 and 2008 BRAVIA LCD flat-panel television models. The service seamlessly streams on-demand entertainment including movies, TV programs, your favorite YouTube videos and a variety of other content not found on network or cable/satellite TV. The service connects to the Internet via your existing broadband Ethernet connection and streams content at no additional charge. Content is easily navigated with Sony's Technical Emmy® award-winning Xross Media Bar (XMB)™ user interface.

Rounding out the feature set is Digital Media Port (DMP) compatibility, which provides access to video and music from portable media devices like compatible Walkman® and iPod® players and other DMP accessories, which are sold separately. The models also can display digital photos using creative multi-plane 3D graphics slideshows from USB devices, as well as access photos from your PC in another room using Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compliant devices via your home network.

Sony's new 3D Favorites Menu complement the XMB graphical user interface, which has been also been enhanced with Sony-unique integration of TV Guide providing easy access and navigation of content and menus through colorful thumbnails and logically placed icons.

Inputs found on the XBR8 models include four 1080/60 24p HDMI connections (HDCP), two 1080/60p HD component inputs, a 1080/60p-capable PC input, Ethernet (RJ-45) port and a RS-232C connection.

XBR7-Series

The full HD 1080p XBR7-series includes the 70-inch KDL-70XBR7 and 40-inch KDL-40XBR7 models. With WCG-CCFL backlight, 10-bit processing and 10-bit panel, and ACE (Advanced Contrast Enhancer circuitry), the models deliver outstanding picture quality and elegant style only BRAVIA can deliver.

The KDL-70XBR7 features BRAVIA ENGINE 2 Pro digital video processing, while the KDL-40XBR7 offers BRAVIA ENGINE 2 EX. The models both feature Sony's Motionflow 120Hz high frame rate technology and x.v.Color. Rounding out the feature set on these models is the new 3D Favorite Multi-plane graphics, XMB graphic interface with TV Guide, BRAVIA Sync, DMeX and DMP compatibility.

The XBR7 models also can display digital photos and play digital music from USB devices and photos from Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compliant devices via your home network. Inputs include four 1080/60 24p HDMI connections (HDCP), two 1080/60p component inputs, a 1080/60p PC input, Ethernet (RJ-45) port and a RS-232C connection.

XBR6-Series

Complementing the full HD 1080p Sony Bravia XBR-Series 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV models previously announced, the full HD 1080p 52-inch KDL-52XBR6, 46-inch KDL-46XBR6 and the 40-inch KDL-40XBR6 models were also introduced today (all screen sizes measured diagonally). The models offer a space-saving bottom speaker, floating-glass industrial design and all of the features found in the KDL-40XBR7 except the RS-232C connection and BRAVIA ENGINE 2 EX.

All of the new XBR series models also offer the option of additional speaker grille color accents including silver, red, brown and gold. The optional color grilles can be purchased separately. XBR8 and XBR7 models ship with a black grille cover and the XBR6 ships with a silver grille cover. Additional grille covers are sold separately.

All of the new BRAVIA models ship this fall and further details are available at www.sony.com/2008xbr. They will be offered at sonystyle.com and at Sony Style retail stores nationwide, as well as at authorized Sony dealers across the country.

Incredible Deal on Top Rated Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U

Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Top Rated 42-inch Plasma HDTV Awesome Price!

Now that stocks of the fantastic Pioneer 4280HD are depleted, the Panasonic TH-42PX80U 720p 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 TH-42PX80U'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 TH-42PX80U is a Best Buy as well, offered at a very competitive price. This top rated set is a fantastic value. Don't be concerned with 720p resolution. At 42 inches there is no benefit in 1080p over 720p. The image quality on this 720p is fantastic. You'll pay more for a 1080p set, but you won't get a better picture than the 720p 42PX80U. All of the new higher priced sets are 1080p. Now is the time to pounce on this awesome deal.

...The picture is bright, punchy and very clear. The blacks and reds are deep and rich. To put it in a nutshell, the picture looks surreal! True this is a 720p plasma, but it looks better than the 50-inch, 1080p Pioneer plasmas...

Buyers Passing Up Great Deals on 720p HDTV

(July 19, 2008 HDTV-News.org) Sales of 720p HDTVs have dropped off significantly as their replacement models-all 1080p sets-hit the shelves. In many cases the newer 1080p sets are at or near the price point of their predecessors, so the decision to go with the newer 1080p is a no-brainer.

But more often than not buyers are paying substantial premiums for newer 1080p sets when the older and cheaper 720p sets would meet their needs just fine. With screen sizes greater than 50 inches 1080p makes sense. But at 50 inches and below those extra pixels are usually not needed, and don't enhance picture quality at typical viewing distances. As 720p sales drop off so do their prices.

The good news for astute buyers is that this is a great time to snap up a fantastic 720p set at a sweet price. Here are just a few top rated discounted 720p sets:

32" LCD Samsung LN32A450 $611 at Amazon
32" LCD Samsung LN32A450 $679 at OneCall
32" LCD Samsung LN32A450 $629 at Buy.com
32" LCD Samsung LN32A450 $679 at J&R

37" LCD Samsung LN37A450 $848 at OneCall
37" LCD Samsung LN37A450 $778 at Amazon
37" LCD Samsung LN37A450 $879 at J&R
37" LCD Samsung LN37A450 $779 at Buy.com

37" LCD Sony KDL-37M4000 $799 at Amazon
37" LCD Sony KDL-37M4000 $898 at OneCall
37" LCD Sony KDL-37M4000 $849 at J&R

42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PX80U $749 at J&R
42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PX80U $781 at Amazon
42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PX80U $799 at OneCall

42" Plasma Samsung PN42A450 $859 at Amazon
42" Plasma Samsung PN42A450 $899 at J&R
42" Plasma Samsung PN42A450 $898 at OneCall

42" LCD Toshiba 42AV500U $879 at Amazon

50" Plasma Samsung PN50A450 $999 at Amazon
50" Plasma Samsung PN50A450 $1099 at OneCall
50" Plasma Samsung PN50A450 $1089 at Buy.com

Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD Price Drop!

Pioneer KURO PDP-6020FD Price Drop!

Top Rated 32-inch HDTVs

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.

32" LCD Sony KDL-32XBR6 $983 at Amazon
32" LCD Sony KDL-32XBR6 $1088 at OneCall
32" LCD Sony KDL-32XBR6 $1199 at J&R

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.

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

Top Rated 33 to 42 Inch HDTVs

Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Top Rated 42-inch Plasma HDTV Awesome Price!

Now that stocks of the fantastic Pioneer 4280HD are depleted, the Panasonic TH-42PX80U 720p 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 TH-42PX80U'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 TH-42PX80U is a Best Buy as well, offered at a very competitive price. This top rated set is a fantastic value. Don't be concerned with 720p resolution. At 42 inches there is no benefit in 1080p over 720p. The image quality on this 720p is fantastic. You'll pay more for a 1080p set, but you won't get a better picture than the 720p 42PX80U. All of the new higher priced sets are 1080p. Now is the time to pounce on this awesome deal.

...The picture is bright, punchy and very clear. The blacks and reds are deep and rich. To put it in a nutshell, the picture looks surreal! True this is a 720p plasma, but it looks better than the 50-inch, 1080p Pioneer plasmas...

Samsung LN37A550 and LN40A750 1080p LCD HDTV

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.

The picture quality Samsung's current line up of LCD HDTVs is improved compared to their predecessors, to the point that Samsung LCDs are now condsidered some of the best available. These sets have excellent connectivity and networking with a USB port and 3 HDMI 1.3 ports with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC). Easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through the side-mounted USB 2.0, turn your LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect your MP3 player for a dynamic audio experience.

37" LCD Samsung LN37A550 $972 at Amazon
37" LCD Samsung LN37A550 $1097 at OneCall
37" LCD Samsung LN37A550 $1039 at J&R
37" LCD Samsung LN37A550 $977 at Buy.com

40" LCD Samsung LN40A750 $1505 at Amazon
40" LCD Samsung LN40A750 $1589 at J&R
40" LCD Samsung LN40A750 $1509 at OneCall

Top Rated 46-inch HDTVs

Samsung LN46A650 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV (120Hz)

Wow. This set is incredible. 199 LN46A650 owners gave this set five out of five stars in the Amazon customer ratings. 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 $1569 at Amazon
46" LCD Samsung LN46A650 $1649 at OneCall
46" LCD Samsung LN46A650 $1527 at Buy.com

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 $1769 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46W4100 $1799 at J&R
46" LCD Sony KDL-46W4100 $1798 at OneCall

46" LCD Sony KDL-46Z4100 $1755 at Amazon
46" LCD Sony KDL-46Z4100 $1999 at J&R
46" LCD Sony KDL-46Z4100 $1755 at OneCall

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.

46" LCD Samsung LN46A750 $1753 at Amazon
46" LCD Samsung LN46A750 $1799 at J&R
46" LCD Samsung LN46A750 $1768 at OneCall
46" LCD Samsung LN46A750 $1749 at Buy.com

Top Rated 50-inch HDTVs

Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD 50-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.

50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2478 at Amazon
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2399 at J&R
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2699 at OneCall
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5010FD $1899 at SecondAct
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5010FD $2499 at TigerDirect

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. Priced below the top pick Pioneer PDP-5010FD/5020FD.

50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1869 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 $2329 at OneCall
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $2329 at Amazon

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U HDTV Review

C|Net June 2008 Summary:

The good: 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 bad: Expensive; less accurate primary and secondary colors; blacks not quite as deep as some plasmas; optional 24p mode introduces flicker.

The bottom line: 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: 8.3/10 Excellent

50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $2329 at OneCall
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ850U $2329 at Amazon

Top Rated Big Screen HDTVs

Pioneer KURO PDP-6020FD 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.

60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3999 at J&R
60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $4188 at Amazon
60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $4399 at OneCall

Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ700U

Panasonic TH-58PZ700U 58-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV. Ranked as Best-of-the-Best by C|Net, the Panasonic TH-58PZ700U outperforms nearly all big screen HDTVs (other than the top rated Pioneer PDP-6010) offering excellent all-around picture quality. For big-screen lovers with the means to go flat, the Panasonic TH-58PZ700U should be near the top of the list.

The TH-58PZ700U delivers excellent picture quality in just about every regard including its deep blacks and extremely accurate colors. One reason analysts continue to predict the demise of rear-projection HDTVs is because larger flat-panels, such as the 58-inch Panasonic TH-58PZ700U, continue to fall in price. While still more expensive that some top rated rear projection models, the TH-58PZ700U outperforms them all and is worth the extra money if you can afford it.

Priced lower than the top pick Pioneer PDP-6010FD.

58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ700U $2955 at Amazon

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