Reviews of the Best HDTVs

Panasonic released it’s new flagship plasma television, the TC-P65VT30 from the Viera series in early July 2011. It’s not only one of the biggest plasma screens available on the market, but rumored to be the best money can buy. Time to check if that’s true and if the TC-P65VT30 lives up to it’s promises and the raving customer reviews you can find on several large electronics retail sites.

The 65-inch panel uses the new Infinity Black Pro 2 technology with enhanced cells for the ultimate viewing experience. Yes, it actually makes a difference compared to older models or some competitors, since you will get smooth, natural gradation and deep, rich blacks at a quality level you haven’t seen before. Plasmas are well-known for their superior ability to display black as real black, but the P65VT30 takes it one step further. If you have a look at this HDTV and any competitors top model side by side you’ll easily spot the difference. Fast switching phosphors ensure a minimization of any afterglow effects as well.

As usual, the refresh rate for the Panasonic TC-P65VT30 is 600Hz. This is the standard for almost all plasma HDTVs and ensures that there is zero blur or smear effects even when watching sports or fast action movies. It’s fully 3D capable and uses Full-HD Frame Sequential technology to displays the 3D image at a rate of 120 frames per second for each eye. The native contrast ratio is 5,000,000:1.

The contrast in bright daylight has been raised, combined with improved glare suppression and lower pre-discharge this lowers reflections a lot. It’s not totally eradicated, plasma screens always create some sort of reflection, but it’s a huge step towards a more pleasurable viewing experience, even when the sun is shining or a direct light source points to the screen.

Other features:

• Full-HD Resolution Speed of 1,200 pps according to the new APDC standards
• 3D 24p Cinema Smoother for smooth and natural-looking playback
• 3D Image Viewer for homemade 3D photos and movies
• Real Time 2D-3D Conversion for 3D effects in 2D movies
• DLNA for integration into your home network
• Wi-Fi Ready, connect your HDTV without cables
• Mercury and lead free panel  with a lifetime of up to 100,000 hours
• Perfect connectivity including 4x HDMI and 3x USB

Our overall Rating: 10/10
The Panasonic Viera TC-P65VT30 offers everything you can expect from a high-end plasma screen. Superior technology, low energy consumption and even the good feeling of having a HDTV that’s friendly to our environment. 1 pair of 3D eyewear, the remote and a removable stand are included.

Display Technology

While LED screens are still dominating the market, OLEDs that allow even thinner and really boderless screens are already waiting in line, the first models like the LG 55EM9600 are expected later this summer or in early fall. OLED is the next big thing, although plasma screens are just having their revival. Especially for home cinema enthusiasts, the image quality of modern LEDs is still not good enough and thanks to the extremely good plasma HDTVs Panasonic released this years, especially the TC-P65VT50, the market shares of plasma television are steadily rising, especially when it comes to very large screens from 55-inch to 65-inch. DLPs will stay a niche, but if you are looking for 70-inch, 80-inch or even more, they are still a great choice.

Screen Size

Speaking about screen size: Last year the 40 inch to 46 inch HDTVs ranked high in the topseller charts, this year the most popular models are 55-inch or 65-inch. It’s the first time almost all manufacturers offer 65-inch LEDs and plasmas at prices affordable for consumers.

Features

There are only a few HDTVs left that don’t offer some sort of internet platform with a wide range of applications (apps), access to streaming media libraries. Another trend is 3D, along with the really trendy gesture control remotes or touchscreen remotes that resemble a smartphone rather than a traditional remote.

3D meant heavy active shutter glasses than needed to be recharged or equipped with new batteries often only 2 years ago, today these glasses have become a lot lighter, more comfortable and consume less energy. While some manufacturers like Samsung seem to stick with the active shutter technology, others like LG are offering passive 3D screens. The advantage os passive 3D: Like the name says no active glasses are required, passive polarized glasses that are available for a few dollars will do the job. Most passive 3D TVs already come with a free family sized set of 4 pairs of 3D glasses.

Price

As usual, the newest models are pretty expensive, so looking for a model from 2011 or maybe even 2010 is a smart way to save money if you just want a good television and don’t require 3D or the latest Smart TV/Internet features. Personally we’d recommend having a look at the plasmas from Panasonic, they got much better customer ratings and reviews than the Samsung LEDs that are still dominating the market. While the Samsung UN55D8000 last year was awesome, the new UN55ES8000 lacks innovations a little.

Although LED grabbed a huge marketshare and OLEDs are on their way to be released till christmas 2012, home cinema enthusiats still stick to plasma screen thanks to their superior black levels and better handling of fast movements. The flagship this year is the 65-inch version of Panasonics VT50 series, the TC-P65VT50.

This 128 pound home entertainment monster offers everything you can dream of, inclusing excellent image quality and a lot of features which make this HDTV really unique:

• ISFccc calibration mode with advanced calibration
• 2500 focused field drive
• 96Hz playback of 24p material
• The new Viera touch pad controller
• THX3D certification and a stunning THX cinema 3D mode
• 2D to 3D Conversion with face detection

Critics always claimed plasmas wouldn’t look good and use loads of energy, but the TC-P65VT50 proofs them wrong, it looks extremely slim and stylish and won’t skyrockete your electricity bill. Bottom line: The best plasma ever made by Panasonic, if quality matter to you this one has to be on top of your shopping list.

We will see many innovations this year, but if you are looking for great quality and a discount price, the new EH series from Samsung is your top choice. While the ES series stands for latest technology and many new features like voice detection and superior style, the EH series is pure value for money. For example the Samsung UN46EH6000, a 46-inch HDTV.

Do you need 3D, internet applications on your television or the ability to talk to your television? No? Then this one is a smart choice and the specs are still awesome:

• Full HD 1080p with LED picture quality
• Clear Motion 240 with 120Hz refresh rate
• Wide Color Enhancer Plus for perfect colors
• 2 speakers with 10W each and Dolby and surround sound
• ConnectShare, watch movies or pictures from an USB drive
• 2x HDMI, 1x USB, component in, digital audio out

Basically, everything you can expect from a good HDTV, but at a by far lower price than many other new models. You can see the latest deals from Amazon. Overall, a great TV for the whole family, certainly not as fancy looking as the new almost boderless and extremely thin screens, but a top choice for people like you and me who simply want to enjoy television in excellent quality.

Like most of the time, we recommend buying at Amazon, they offer the lowest price around and don’t charge any high extra fees for shipping, this television is available with free super saver shipping! Another option to save some money would be our Best HDTVs 2011 listing, last years televisions are still far from outdated, but available at closeout prices, since all major retailers need to clear the shelves for all the new releases of 2012.

In 2011 many high end 3D televisions were released and for the first time some passive 3D HDTVs without expensive active shutter glasses were presented, becoming extremely popular after only a few weeks. We composed a list of the bestselling models for you, all of them offer a really excellent value for money and can be bought without hesitation, superior quality at a really fair and moderate price compared to the size and functions offered.

We don’t recommend buying any HDTV below 46-Inch for your living room, the price difference is smaller than you may think and screens in the size range from 46-60 inches offer the best home theatre experience you can get today. 55-Inch can be considered the best, it’s cheaper than the largest models with 60 inches, but is significantly bigger than 46-Inch.

The top models for 2011 are:

1. Samsung UN55D8000 LED

No need to tell you much about it, it’s one of the most popular HDTVs ever and offers a very stylish and slim 0.2-Inch Samsung One design as well as loads of features and great connectivity. The image quality is excellent, it uses Samsungs Micro Dimming technology and 240Hz Auto Motion Plus, customer ratings are an average of 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Make sure to read the reviews!

2. LG Infinia 55LW6500 LED

If you are looking for the ultimate value for money, this is your favourite. Pretty much the same specifications as the 55-Inch Samsung, camparable image quality, but using passive 3D technology which means that even 4 pairs of 3D glasses are included with this television. No need to spend a few hundred dollars extra just for the glasses. User reviews can be found here.

3. Vizio XVT3D474SV LED

Your budget is a little limited and $1000 would be the maximum you could spend? No problem, the 47-Inch XVT3D474SV is an excellent choice. Smart dimming with a full array of LEDs, 480Hz and a good picture quality make this one an insider recommendation. The average customer rating of 4,5 out of 5 shows that Vizio is able to deliver a really good HDTV at a price no competitor can beat.

What’s next? When it comes to image quality, all modern television offer high refresh rates and good contrast ratios, so it mostly boils down to dimming improvement. LEDs are still to large to build screens consisting of LEDs, manufacturers try to solve this problem with dimming zones often referred to as local, smart or precision dimming. Basically, more LEDs that can be turned on and off throughtout the screen instead of edge lights only.

Internet capabilities as well as network connectivity have become pretty much a standard, so the number of really new and stunning features for the next few years is limited. It’s a good time to buy a new HDTV at the moment, prices went way down due to fierce competition and LED technology has become advanced enough to reach the same image quality plasma screen offer, but without reflecting screens and active cooling.

When it comes to 3D, the next big step with be 3D without any glasses, but the few prototypes presented so far are still way too expensive for mass production and the 3D quality is much worse than what todays screens with glasses can deliver. A long term trend for sure, but certainly not ready for the market before 2015.

Where to buy your new HDTV? There are plenty of choices, from Best Buy to Vanns, from Tiger Direct to Abe’s of Maine, but at the end we personally always end up ordering at Amazon. Most big retailers have their offers on the Amazon Marketplace as well as on their own website and prices tend to be slightly lower on Amazon. Enjoy some of the best HDTV deals in 2011!

There isn’t much time left till the yearly shopping madness for electronics and especially HDTVs starts again, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming and most online retailers traditionally offer amazing deals, the perfect occasion for some christmas shopping. Pay close attention to the offer pages since the best deals will be out of stock within just a few hours. Here are the websites you should check first:

See the deals now!

Amazon is always among the retailers with the lowest prices on Black Fiday and even if you aren’t looking for a HDTV and electronics, they’ll have for amazing deals to check out. We heard the is a decent discount on the famous Kindle for example.

See the deals now!

Vanns always had the best home theater Black Friday offers in the past and they always tend the Cyber Week a few days. There are promotional offers with up to 70% savings, another place you should bookmark now.

No matter where you are stopping by, make sure to make fast decisions because the best offers are always limited. Everything will be re-stocked before christmas, but you’d probably pay a bit more than you’d have to compared to buying at Black Friday. Happy deal hunting!

DLP technology is the main alternative to LCD, LED and plasma screen TVs. The technology relies on a complex mirror system to project images. DLP technology is used in projectors and is one of the most valuable technologies in the industry. The technology is found in standalone projectors like in a movie theater. It also includes projectors that are put inside TVs and used to project images for the unit. These are called front-projection HDTV.

Mitsubishi WD-82838 DLP Projection HDTV

The DLP acronym stands for “digital light processing.” This process takes place in the DLP chip, most notably manufactured by Texas Instruments. The chip sits underneath the mirror system and feeds information to the mirrors. The mirrors respond by displaying the specified colors, forming the images that we see on the screen. What we see is filtered through a lens and formed by various combinations of red, blue, and green light. This is the system that is used in DLP HDTVs.

The projectors function a bit differently. In the standalone units, there are three chips. Each of these works with a different color light. So, there is a chip for red, one for blue, and one for green. In this case, light hits each chip and then is recreated accordingly, making the right combination of light as needed. One of the main concerns with this technology is a color imperfection created by the use of the mirrors. This is called the “rainbow effect” and has to do with the division of light into three colors. Sometimes, users claim to see flashes of the individual colors. Over time, this has become less noticeable due to accompanying technologies involved in video production.

Mitsubishi WD-92840 DLP Projection HDTV

Because of the digital aspects of DLP technology it is very handy in two ways. First is longevity. There are certain problems you don’t have to worry about with DLP TVs. For instance, screen burnout will never be a problem, because digitally produced images just can’t cause that. There are several other features of DLP that make the system lower maintenance and longer living. There is also the fact that the digital technology is small and lightweight. This means that systems using DLP can be smaller and more portable. They are lighter and easier to carry and move around. The benefits of this can be worthwhile to anyone with DLP systems in their house.

The most successful and topselling HDTVs in 2011 were without a doubt LCDs with LED backlight technology, but especially if you are looking for really huge screens for your personal home theatre and the best value for money, DLP projection TVs are still the best choice. Depending on what models you compare, DLP technology is up to 1000 faster than LCD, so definitely the best choice for home entertainment enthusiasts!

Modern DLPs come with stunning image improvement technologies like the Dark Detailer from Mitsubishi and use the same core technology for displaying 3D images that is used in 3D cinemas around the globe.

The top 3 in 2011 absolutely worth an investment are, and that’s no suprise, all from Mitsubishi. Samsung for example did not release any really mentionable new DLP TV models this year, probably because of the many white dot customer complaints and other problems with their DLPs some time ago.

1. Mitsubishi WD-73838

Yes, the 73838 is the 73-inch model from the 838 series released in 2010, but it’s still the most popular DLP projection TVs in 2011. Thanks to the Plush 1080p for lower resolution signals and Dark Detailer technology for enhanced contrast and black levels, it delivers clear and incredibly sharp images with vivid colors. Smooth 120Hz makes watching sports and fast action movies real fun. It supports 3D and comes withgreat connectivity, including 4x HDMI (CEC) and 2x USB, as well as StreamTV Internet Media Access. If you are serious about quality, the Mitsubishi WD-73838 is without a doubt a smart buy. Also available in 82-inch.

2. Mitsubishi L75-A94

This is the best television ever, period. The only reason we rank it as number 2 is the pretty high price of almost $5000 that makes it a niche product instead of a mainstream bestseller, even for a top notch 75-inch DLP TV. It uses Mitsubishi’s LaserVue technology that relies on laser light. 3D, ISFccc for professional calibration, amazing image quality, Wi-Fi, 4x HDMI 1.4a, this HDTV delivers! Even better, the energy usage of the Mitsubishi L75-A94 is only 84.6 watts in standard mode and 0.3 watts in standby. You want to impress your friends with the perfect home cinema and the budget is only a secondary aspect? Get it!

3. Mitsubishi WD-73640

Low price, decent image quality and alot of features. The 73640 is probably the best bang for the buck, for about $1500 you get a 3D home cinema TV with raving customer reviews on Amazon and everythng you need to enjoy your favourite movies in perfect quality: 6 color processor, 3D, 120Hz, Plush 1080p, different pre-configured display modes, 3x HDMI. As usual, also available in 82-inch.

Overall, no big surprises, the DLP projection TV market has become Mitsubishi’s personal playground. Dare to compare, there are certainly good LEDs, but if you are looking for the real cinema experience and a screen size of 70-inches or above, DLPs are still the best choice and much cheaper than comparable LED displays.

The task sounds really hard: Find a flat panel LED backlight television of a size of at least 20-inches at or slightly below $200. Most of the televisions in this price range are either really small with only 15-17 inches or are from realatively unknown manufacturers like iSymphony, Haier, iView or Insignia. While these televisions aren’t necessarily bad, small foreign manufacturers don’t offer much service or even spare parts for US customers, so if things go wrong after the warranty period is over, you may run into huge problems getting you cheap HDTV fixed.

Fortunately, these is one HDTV from a leading brand that matches all criteria: The Philips 22PFL4505D/F7. It has a screen size of 22-inches, only displays 720p but you wouldn’t see a difference with 1080p at this size anyway. Smooth and flicker free images, 2 HDMI ports, USB and even the possibility to hook it up to a PC as a monitor via a VGA connector.

Available at under $220 directly from Amazon, that’s what we call a bang for the buck! Make sure to order quickly, we have seen this temorarily go out of stock quite a few times.

The HDTV market is currently occupied by three main technologies. These are DLP (Digital Light Processing), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and Plasma. These three technologies function in radically different ways. It is no surprise that each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. We will look at some of the advantages DLP technology has over its competitors.

Mitsubishi WD-7340 DLP Projection TV

Let’s first look at some of the issues with LCD televisions. The main complaint with LCD TVs is that they produce unequal picture quality. This means the screens sometimes look patchy, with areas of varying screen quality. Some monitors receive uneven amounts of light across the screen. This is a problem caused by the backlight. These backlights need replacement every once in a while. Another problem here is that in some models these lights are not very accessible and can be difficult to replace on your own. The main issue with the screen, though, is unequal picture quality. Not only does this come from bad backlight distribution, but this also occurs if the set is left on too long. Pixels are also known to get stuck and leave part the screen an inappropriate color, at times.

Everyone knows the main problem with Plasma TVs is screen burn in. These sets are notorious for this problem, which can ruin your TV watching experience. To be fair, though, these sets have undergone much improve to lessen this problem. Some other disadvantages of plasma displays result from their size. The technology is not used in models smaller than 37 inches. Also, Plasma TVs are heavy compared to their competition. Plasmas are also said to use more electricity and to interfere with devices.

DLP technology overcomes some of these problems. First, screen burn in is never an issue for DLP, because a digital image cannot cause burning. Secondly, DLP sets are not all that heavy. They may not be lighter than some LCD models, but they are much lighter than Plasmas. Screen-door effects are lessened in DLP, and there are few contrast problems or uneven pictures. DLP technology also does not have size limits like some of the other models. This makes DLP suitable for huge screens and nice home theater systems. The sets use replaceable lights, too, so you can keep the TV going and going. Just know that thee can be expensive.

Mitsubishi WD-82740 DLP Projection TV

DLP TVs have some drawbacks, too, but these are some of the main advantages over the competition. If you are considering a HDTV, just be sure to know all of your options and do a lot of research. Fully investigate the pros and cons of each technology.