HDTV Ratings: The best LCD and plasma TVs

HDTV Ratings: The best LCD and plasma TVs
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We tested more than 60 HDTVs for our latest LCD TV Ratings and plasma TV Ratings (both online reports are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers).* The good news: More HDTV models than ever before have very good or excellent picture quality. Such sets can do justice to the wide variety of high-def content now available to consumers.
We also just completed Ratings of high-def front projectors (also available to subscribers), which can deliver a truly theater-like experience in the home. (Check my other blog post, Ratings: The best lower-cost high-def front projectors, for a quick overview of the 14 front-projection HDTV sets we tested. And if you're a subscriber, you'll have access to our Recommended front projector HDTV models.)
In our latest review of flat-panel sets, among the top performers were models from brands such as LG Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. Some modestly priced sets?including TVs from several of those brands, as well as Vizio and Insignia (Best Buy's house brand)?earned Best Buy designations.
Most of the 40-inch and larger LCD TVs in our Ratings are 1080p "Full HD" models that can display all the detail in high-def images. More LCD sets have 120 Hz technology, which doubles the TV's frame rate to help reduce motion blur?a traditional LCD drawback?during fast-moving scenes.
We're also seeing some improvement in another LCD drawback: viewing angle, an attribute we're including in the Ratings for the first time. Sets with a very good or excellent viewing angle score will not experience the picture deterioration?such as washed-out or dim pictures?that has typically occurred when LCD screens are viewed from the side. A 37-inch Panasonic in this Ratings (model details available to subscribers) has one of the widest viewing angles we've seen.
If you're in the market for a smaller set, stay tuned for our next TV Ratings later this summer. In addition to the usual assortment of larger sets, our Ratings will include a number of 26-inch LCDs, which might be of interest if you are looking for a set for a smaller room.

On the plasma front, we're now seeing a good assortment of plasma TVs with 1080p resolution. They're selling at lower prices than the earlier generation of Full HD plasma models, with 50-inch sets starting at less than $2,500 and 42-inch 1080p models for $2,000 or less. New sizes are also arriving: We tested a 46-inch Panasonic set (details available to subscribers), the first plasma TV of this size we've seen.
Our Quick Recommendations in plasma TVs and Quick Recommendations in LCD TVs (both available to subscribers) now include a separate category for highly regarded older models that may be in limited availability, but which are still good choices?especially if you can find them at lower prices. We're identifying replacement models where applicable, some of which will be tested in subsequent CR Ratings.
?James K. Willcox
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