Pioneer markets its Elite lineup of plasma TVs to appeal to the hard-core home theater enthusiast, and that means pricing these panels above and beyond just about anything else. The enthusiast who can afford one, however, can rest assured that the 50-inch PRO-111FD performs above and beyond anything else on the market today. This display has the best black levels (aside from OLED) and most accurat... see more
Panasonic rules the plasma roost, outselling other brands and rolling out a massive suite of models to compete against LCD in 2008. The TH-PZ85U series may be the most exciting of the bunch, thanks to its improved black-level performance... see more
Black-level performance is one of the most important aspects of picture quality. When a display can produce a deep shade of black, it not only improves the realism and the punch of dark scenes, it also makes colors look richer and more .. see more
4. Sharp LC-32D44U
As off-brands such as Vizio, Insignia, and Westinghouse continue to make inroads among HDTV shoppers, traditional makers such as Sharp have to make it seem as if their sets are worth a couple of hundred bucks extra. That's especially tough in the small-to-medium-screen space, where the entry-level Sharp Aquos LC-... see more
5. Insignia NS-LCD32-09
The Best Buy house brand Insignia can be found on some of the cheapest, er, least-expensive HDTVs available anywhere, and judging from the company's terrible NS-PDP42 plasma, you might be tempted to write these sets off entirely. Not so fast, bargain hunter.... see more
6. Hitachi P50H401
The 50-inch plasma has become one of the best values in flat-panel HDTV. Similar-size LCDs typically cost a good deal more at this size, and although that's changing quickly, the typical plasma still enjoys a few other picture quality advantages. Hitachi's P50H401 is a... see more
7. Sony XEL-1 OLED TV
One of the most-common questions we get as CNET HDTV reviewers, after the overwhelming favorite "What HDTV should I buy?," is "What's the next big thing in HDTV?" Granted, we don't hear that question as often as we used to, perhaps because LCD, plasma, and microdisplay sets have become more commonplace--but t. see more
8. Phillips 47PFL9732D
Philips had made a living daring to be different with its HDTVs, from funky designs to built-in backlighting. The 47-inch 47PFL9732D, the company's least expensive 120Hz-equipped LCD for the 2007 model year, is no different. Sure, its external appearance cuts a less distinctive jib than many of the company's... see more
9. Olevia 252 T FHD
Vizio and Westinghouse have become relatively well-known brands among the hundreds of flat-panel LCD makers most people haven't heard of, and Olevia also deserves credit for establishing its name as well. The company has dropped the old name "Syntax"--definitely not an error--and released a slew of models, including the 52-inch 252T FHD. This set's MO is small dough for a big screen, see more
10. Vizio V04LF
As Vizio continues to prove itself capable of competing in sales against the Sonys and Samsungs of the world, the company keeps tweaking its formula of offering plenty of bang for the buck, especially in the features department. The newly designed VO47LF, a 47-inch flat-panel LCD, has four HDMI inputs and..see more
11. Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U
For the last year or so, our reigning favorite plasma TV was Pioneer's PDP-5080HD "Kuro," which got there by dint of its game-changing black-level performance, which is still the best we've tested outside of OLED. But many of Panasonic's 2008 plasma TVs, including the TH-50PZ800U, come mighty close to the vaunted blacks of those Kuro models, and this set's THX mode adds significantly improved color and video processing performance compared with other Panasonic plasmas. The bad news, of course, is that THX will cost you hundreds of dollars over the company's step-down, non-THX TH-PZ85U series. Whether that extra scratch is worth the better picture is entirely up to you, but we can say with certainty that Panasonic's TH-50PZ800U is a worthy competitor to the Kuro, and in many ways, it performs even better. For shoppers looking for the ultimate plasma TV that may be enough, at least until the new Kuro models debut later this year... see more
12. Samsung LN46A950
We've mentioned before that when it comes to black-level performance, the most-important factor in home theater image quality, you get what you pay for. Samsung's 46-inch LN46A950 is just more proof. This flat-panel LCD represents the company's second generation to offer a backlight based on cutting-edge LED (light-emitting diode) technology, and the picture it produces is impressive enough to rival the best plasmas. With a price like this ($3,499 list), we should hope so. Samsung justifies that price by squeezing just about every available feature into the LN46A950's flat frame, but at the end of the day, what you're paying for isn't interactivity or picture control or extra inputs--it's the picture. And until something better comes along, which may happen soon with other makers' first LED displays coming later this year, the Samsung LN46A950 is the most advanced television money can buy... see more
13. Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U
As high-definition TVs continue to evolve with evermore-enticing technologies and doodads, the majority of buyers are still looking for the best bang for the buck. Panasonic's plasmas are usually at or near the top of the heap in that category, and the 42-inch TH-42PX80U is a great example. This set doesn't sport 1080p resolution or scads of picture controls, and while we would have wanted a bit more in the way of adjustability, we definitely didn't miss the extra pixels. This plasma gives the best black levels we've tested for the price, and while its color and noise reduction could use improvement, Panasonic's least-expensive 2008 plasma is still an all-around superb value... see more
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