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More HDTV for Your Money
LCD, DLP, or plasma? Big, bigger, or biggest? We lab-tested 15 screens to find the best values in next-generation TV.
By Roy Santos, PC World
Now more than ever, both bargain hunters and luxury seekers can find an HDTV to satisfy their high-def needs and their budgets. Whether you want an LCD, plasma, or DLP HDTV set, you can choose from a wide range of prices, and even the high-end models aren't as expensive as you might think. And you'll find more high-def content--from network and cable broadcasts to HD DVD movies--than ever before.
Deals abound in every size and technology category. PC World tested a total of 15 TVs across three popular technologies (LCD, plasma, and DLP) and three popular screen sizes (37 inches, 42 inches, and 50 to 52 inches). For a little over $1000, you can buy an LCD or plasma TV with impressive picture quality. And today, thanks to DLP technology, a gigantic screen and even 1080p resolution may be within your reach.
To test each of the TVs, we played several high-definition clips, a couple of standard-definition clips, and scenes from two DVDs on each set. Our panel of judges scored each model based on its brightness, sharpness, and color clarity. Our verdict, after a thorough comparison of the sets: Lower-priced HDTVs frequently equal or better the performance of higher-priced sets. In addition to pinpointing which of the tested models are true screen stars, we have tips on how to shop for deals. Armed with this information, you'll be able to tell whether the next bargain that catches your eye is a great deal--or just a snare for the unwary.
© PC World
Big: LCDs
In our tests many cheaper HDTVs, including bargain sets from little-known brands like Olevia and Vizio, more than held their own against higher-priced models from makers such as Samsung and Sharp. In the 37-inch LCD category--a size that we've never previously evaluated--the Best Buy award goes to Vizio's L37HDTV, which climbed to the top with particularly high scores for brightness, color, and DVD content. At a street price of just $1000, this set may be the one for shoppers on a limited budget. Not far behind, however, are the $1299 ViewSonic N3760w and the $2000 Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U, the latter model the only LCD we tested that supports a 1080p resolution. Westinghouse's $1299 LTV-37w2 and Olevia's $1499 537H claim the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Though not as well equipped as other sets, they provide enough of the basic features; and more important, their TV images earned decent scores in our image-quality tests.
Many consumers are familiar with the workings of LCDs, in the form of LCD monitors. For LCD TVs, the technology is the same: A matrix of cells contains Liquid crystals that twist and untwist in response to the provided voltage, allowing light from the source to pass through and thereby creating color images.
A 37-inch LCD TV looks big in a small living room, and it's a good option if you want a wall-mountable model. If this is your ideal dimension for an HDTV, an LCD set is your only budget choice: Aside from Panasonic, no plasma TV manufacturer makes 37-inch models, and DLP televisions aren't made in this size at all.
Bigger: Plasmas
In the 42-inch HDTV category, it's difficult to beat the value of a plasma. Among 42-inch models, the Vizio P42HDTV is our reigning champion; pleasing images and a bargain price of $1400 propel it to the top of the chart. On its heels is the $2250 LG Electronics 42PC1DA, a premium HDTV that outscored others in the 42-inch plasma category thanks to a superior feature set and image quality that garnered raves from our judges. Philips's strikingly designed, $1900 42PF9631D captures third. The newly tested Samsung HP-S4253 ($1999)--an excellent performer--and the nicely priced AOC A42HD84 ($1500) take fourth and fifth place, respectively.
We also evaluated Norcent's $1899 PT-4291HD and retested Maxent's $1600 MX-42HPM20 HD monitor, but neither of them reached the chart. The Norcent's so-so performance/price ratio left it short of the elite models, and the Maxent's skimpy features and forgettable design knocked it out of contention.
Plasmas pack chemically stable gases (xenon and neon, normally) in pixel cells enclosed by glass panels. Electrodes excite the gases to produce light and color. Because each pixel generates its own light, plasma sets have wider viewing angles; as a result, more people can observe the action on the TV from oblique vantage points in the room. Not only is A 42-inch plasma appealingly large for a midsize room, it's good for ensuring that everyone watching has a clear view.
© PC World
Biggest: DLPs
Per square inch, DLP sets cost less, making DLP the lowest-priced large-screen HDTV technology. The latest sets run no smaller than 42 inches, and the 50- and 52-inch models we tested are an unbeatable deal. The Best Buy laurels go to the RCA Scenium M50WH185, a 50-inch low-priced beauty. Though it lacks some features of the more expensive DLPs we evaluated, it produced realistic images with natural colors that satisfied our judges--and at $1599, it's a bargain. Samsung's 50-inch unit, the HL-S5087W, finished a close second overall. Priced at $2499, it offers a raft of extras that the RCA model doesn't, including two HDMI inputs and support for 1080p resolution, which may make it a more attractive buy for shoppers with bigger budgets; it was our image-quality champ, too. The 52-inch WD-52631 from TV veteran Mitsubishi, on the other hand, fell short on performance, receiving cumulative scores of merely Fair in many tests. When set to vendor defaults and calibrated in the same way that PC World tests all HDTVs, it showed inaccurately colored images. When we examined it later on, however, we manually tweaked the colors to make them more pleasing. With that fact taken into consideration, the WD-52631's fine color adjustments, plethora of connectors, and 1080p resolution could justify its $2499 price for some buyers.
DLPs use a matrix of millions of micromirrors to project light through a lens and onto the TV screen. A high-intensity lamp shines through a color wheel to the micromirror device, which then rapidly turns the micromirrors on and off, producing images. Though this flat-screen technology doesn't yield HDTVs as thin as plasma or LCD models, DLP sets are still far thinner than traditional CRTs. (New, high-end Slim DLPs are even more slender than the budget models reviewed here.) If you buy a 50- or 52-inch DLP to put in a large room, remember to factor in the space between the back of the screen and the wall.
Some DLPs now employ a six-color wheel, adding magenta, yellow, and cyan to the basic red, green, and blue (RGB) of the older three-color wheel. A six-color wheel enables users to control their set's color with great precision. The Mitsubishi DLP TV we tested, a 1080p set, possesses a six-color wheel. The Samsung DLP adds yellow and pink controls, for a total of five--up from the original three.
Pleasing Pictures for Penny Pinchers
Makers of low-priced TVs are catching up to the bigger brands in set performance, for one main reason. Ross Young, founder and president of market research and consulting firm DisplaySearch, thinks that the gap in panel quality between what he calls "top-tier" and "emerging" television vendors is narrowing. "Most companies produce A-grade panels, so then [the difference in the resulting products] becomes a function of the electronics that they put in them." For example, Young says, top-tier vendors such as Samsung and Sony "customize with their own algorithms put into the panel's chip." But for the most part, he observes, the quality is very close, and our comprehensive TV tests confirmed this: Lower-cost HDTVs--such as those from Olevia, Vizio, and RCA--collected decent overall scores from our judges, spelling good news for buyers who want satisfactory images from an inexpensive set.
Prices are falling fast for HDTVs, and particularly for LCD TVs, says Young. LCDs predominate at sizes under 40 inches, holding an 84 percent market share in North America during the second quarter of 2006. Riddhi Patel, principal television systems analyst for research firm iSuppli, says that plasma makers are focusing their marketing push on the 42-inch category, though they've been trying to make inroads in the 50-inch market as well.
Despite facing future competition in the 50-inch segment from plasmas, DLPs are likely to remain the price leader for a while. Two of the three DLPs we tested--the Samsung HL-S5087W and the Mitsubishi WD-52631--already support the highest-quality HDTV format of 1080p, making them attractive to discriminating videophiles. Though 1080p support imposes an extra expense, the DLP technology's lower base price per square inch makes its overall cost easier to manage.
Even with their fast and furious recent price cuts, LCDs are more expensive per square inch than plasmas and DLPs of comparable size--but only for models greater than 40 inches. For smaller sizes, like the 37-inch LCD HDTVs we tested, this technology is the most cost-efficient. Patel points out that price cuts for LCD panels have reduced the difference between LCDs and plasmas to about $300, bringing them into dueling range. For medium-size to large sets, comparing models across technologies can be useful. If you want the biggest picture and the biggest bang for your hard-earned buck, though, DLPs such as the $1599 RCA Scenium M50WH185 are hard to beat.
The I's and P's of HDTV
In the terms that manufacturers use to describe TV or digital-signal resolution, i and p refer to interlaced and progressive. The two techniques govern how a TV set draws the vertical lines on its screen. In the interlaced method, the TV draws odd-numbered lines first, and then it draws even-numbered lines. The progressive approach draws all lines in succession.
All of the units we tested have a resolution of 1780 by 720 pixels (720p), 1366 by 768 pixels (also 720p), or 1920 by 1080 pixels (which can be either 1080i or 1080p). The pixel numbers alone don't tell you whether a television set uses interlaced or progressive scanning--to determine that, you must check the specs for an i or a p. In the 37-inch LCD category, only the Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U is compatible with 1080p, whereas both the 50- and the 52-inch DLPs from Samsung and Mitsubishi, respectively, have that resolution. Bear in mind, though, that many 720p sets can also accept 1080i content; they just can't show it in its full glory.
Currently, much of the content available is 720p or 1080i; 1080p content is available now on HD-DVD and Blu-ray movie titles. But as we saw in our tests, HD content doesn't necessarily look best on the highest-resolution TVs. Consult test results and trust your own eyes, instead of being swayed by a vendor's spec.
http://tech.msn.com/products/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1275896
More HDTV for Your Money
LCD, DLP, or plasma? Big, bigger, or biggest? We lab-tested 15 screens to find the best values in next-generation TV.
By Roy Santos, PC World
Now more than ever, both bargain hunters and luxury seekers can find an HDTV to satisfy their high-def needs and their budgets. Whether you want an LCD, plasma, or DLP HDTV set, you can choose from a wide range of prices, and even the high-end models aren't as expensive as you might think. And you'll find more high-def content--from network and cable broadcasts to HD DVD movies--than ever before.
Deals abound in every size and technology category. PC World tested a total of 15 TVs across three popular technologies (LCD, plasma, and DLP) and three popular screen sizes (37 inches, 42 inches, and 50 to 52 inches). For a little over $1000, you can buy an LCD or plasma TV with impressive picture quality. And today, thanks to DLP technology, a gigantic screen and even 1080p resolution may be within your reach.
To test each of the TVs, we played several high-definition clips, a couple of standard-definition clips, and scenes from two DVDs on each set. Our panel of judges scored each model based on its brightness, sharpness, and color clarity. Our verdict, after a thorough comparison of the sets: Lower-priced HDTVs frequently equal or better the performance of higher-priced sets. In addition to pinpointing which of the tested models are true screen stars, we have tips on how to shop for deals. Armed with this information, you'll be able to tell whether the next bargain that catches your eye is a great deal--or just a snare for the unwary.
© PC World
Big: LCDs
In our tests many cheaper HDTVs, including bargain sets from little-known brands like Olevia and Vizio, more than held their own against higher-priced models from makers such as Samsung and Sharp. In the 37-inch LCD category--a size that we've never previously evaluated--the Best Buy award goes to Vizio's L37HDTV, which climbed to the top with particularly high scores for brightness, color, and DVD content. At a street price of just $1000, this set may be the one for shoppers on a limited budget. Not far behind, however, are the $1299 ViewSonic N3760w and the $2000 Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U, the latter model the only LCD we tested that supports a 1080p resolution. Westinghouse's $1299 LTV-37w2 and Olevia's $1499 537H claim the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Though not as well equipped as other sets, they provide enough of the basic features; and more important, their TV images earned decent scores in our image-quality tests.
Many consumers are familiar with the workings of LCDs, in the form of LCD monitors. For LCD TVs, the technology is the same: A matrix of cells contains Liquid crystals that twist and untwist in response to the provided voltage, allowing light from the source to pass through and thereby creating color images.
A 37-inch LCD TV looks big in a small living room, and it's a good option if you want a wall-mountable model. If this is your ideal dimension for an HDTV, an LCD set is your only budget choice: Aside from Panasonic, no plasma TV manufacturer makes 37-inch models, and DLP televisions aren't made in this size at all.
Bigger: Plasmas
In the 42-inch HDTV category, it's difficult to beat the value of a plasma. Among 42-inch models, the Vizio P42HDTV is our reigning champion; pleasing images and a bargain price of $1400 propel it to the top of the chart. On its heels is the $2250 LG Electronics 42PC1DA, a premium HDTV that outscored others in the 42-inch plasma category thanks to a superior feature set and image quality that garnered raves from our judges. Philips's strikingly designed, $1900 42PF9631D captures third. The newly tested Samsung HP-S4253 ($1999)--an excellent performer--and the nicely priced AOC A42HD84 ($1500) take fourth and fifth place, respectively.
We also evaluated Norcent's $1899 PT-4291HD and retested Maxent's $1600 MX-42HPM20 HD monitor, but neither of them reached the chart. The Norcent's so-so performance/price ratio left it short of the elite models, and the Maxent's skimpy features and forgettable design knocked it out of contention.
Plasmas pack chemically stable gases (xenon and neon, normally) in pixel cells enclosed by glass panels. Electrodes excite the gases to produce light and color. Because each pixel generates its own light, plasma sets have wider viewing angles; as a result, more people can observe the action on the TV from oblique vantage points in the room. Not only is A 42-inch plasma appealingly large for a midsize room, it's good for ensuring that everyone watching has a clear view.
© PC World
Biggest: DLPs
Per square inch, DLP sets cost less, making DLP the lowest-priced large-screen HDTV technology. The latest sets run no smaller than 42 inches, and the 50- and 52-inch models we tested are an unbeatable deal. The Best Buy laurels go to the RCA Scenium M50WH185, a 50-inch low-priced beauty. Though it lacks some features of the more expensive DLPs we evaluated, it produced realistic images with natural colors that satisfied our judges--and at $1599, it's a bargain. Samsung's 50-inch unit, the HL-S5087W, finished a close second overall. Priced at $2499, it offers a raft of extras that the RCA model doesn't, including two HDMI inputs and support for 1080p resolution, which may make it a more attractive buy for shoppers with bigger budgets; it was our image-quality champ, too. The 52-inch WD-52631 from TV veteran Mitsubishi, on the other hand, fell short on performance, receiving cumulative scores of merely Fair in many tests. When set to vendor defaults and calibrated in the same way that PC World tests all HDTVs, it showed inaccurately colored images. When we examined it later on, however, we manually tweaked the colors to make them more pleasing. With that fact taken into consideration, the WD-52631's fine color adjustments, plethora of connectors, and 1080p resolution could justify its $2499 price for some buyers.
DLPs use a matrix of millions of micromirrors to project light through a lens and onto the TV screen. A high-intensity lamp shines through a color wheel to the micromirror device, which then rapidly turns the micromirrors on and off, producing images. Though this flat-screen technology doesn't yield HDTVs as thin as plasma or LCD models, DLP sets are still far thinner than traditional CRTs. (New, high-end Slim DLPs are even more slender than the budget models reviewed here.) If you buy a 50- or 52-inch DLP to put in a large room, remember to factor in the space between the back of the screen and the wall.
Some DLPs now employ a six-color wheel, adding magenta, yellow, and cyan to the basic red, green, and blue (RGB) of the older three-color wheel. A six-color wheel enables users to control their set's color with great precision. The Mitsubishi DLP TV we tested, a 1080p set, possesses a six-color wheel. The Samsung DLP adds yellow and pink controls, for a total of five--up from the original three.
Pleasing Pictures for Penny Pinchers
Makers of low-priced TVs are catching up to the bigger brands in set performance, for one main reason. Ross Young, founder and president of market research and consulting firm DisplaySearch, thinks that the gap in panel quality between what he calls "top-tier" and "emerging" television vendors is narrowing. "Most companies produce A-grade panels, so then [the difference in the resulting products] becomes a function of the electronics that they put in them." For example, Young says, top-tier vendors such as Samsung and Sony "customize with their own algorithms put into the panel's chip." But for the most part, he observes, the quality is very close, and our comprehensive TV tests confirmed this: Lower-cost HDTVs--such as those from Olevia, Vizio, and RCA--collected decent overall scores from our judges, spelling good news for buyers who want satisfactory images from an inexpensive set.
Prices are falling fast for HDTVs, and particularly for LCD TVs, says Young. LCDs predominate at sizes under 40 inches, holding an 84 percent market share in North America during the second quarter of 2006. Riddhi Patel, principal television systems analyst for research firm iSuppli, says that plasma makers are focusing their marketing push on the 42-inch category, though they've been trying to make inroads in the 50-inch market as well.
Despite facing future competition in the 50-inch segment from plasmas, DLPs are likely to remain the price leader for a while. Two of the three DLPs we tested--the Samsung HL-S5087W and the Mitsubishi WD-52631--already support the highest-quality HDTV format of 1080p, making them attractive to discriminating videophiles. Though 1080p support imposes an extra expense, the DLP technology's lower base price per square inch makes its overall cost easier to manage.
Even with their fast and furious recent price cuts, LCDs are more expensive per square inch than plasmas and DLPs of comparable size--but only for models greater than 40 inches. For smaller sizes, like the 37-inch LCD HDTVs we tested, this technology is the most cost-efficient. Patel points out that price cuts for LCD panels have reduced the difference between LCDs and plasmas to about $300, bringing them into dueling range. For medium-size to large sets, comparing models across technologies can be useful. If you want the biggest picture and the biggest bang for your hard-earned buck, though, DLPs such as the $1599 RCA Scenium M50WH185 are hard to beat.
The I's and P's of HDTV
In the terms that manufacturers use to describe TV or digital-signal resolution, i and p refer to interlaced and progressive. The two techniques govern how a TV set draws the vertical lines on its screen. In the interlaced method, the TV draws odd-numbered lines first, and then it draws even-numbered lines. The progressive approach draws all lines in succession.
All of the units we tested have a resolution of 1780 by 720 pixels (720p), 1366 by 768 pixels (also 720p), or 1920 by 1080 pixels (which can be either 1080i or 1080p). The pixel numbers alone don't tell you whether a television set uses interlaced or progressive scanning--to determine that, you must check the specs for an i or a p. In the 37-inch LCD category, only the Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U is compatible with 1080p, whereas both the 50- and the 52-inch DLPs from Samsung and Mitsubishi, respectively, have that resolution. Bear in mind, though, that many 720p sets can also accept 1080i content; they just can't show it in its full glory.
Currently, much of the content available is 720p or 1080i; 1080p content is available now on HD-DVD and Blu-ray movie titles. But as we saw in our tests, HD content doesn't necessarily look best on the highest-resolution TVs. Consult test results and trust your own eyes, instead of being swayed by a vendor's spec.
