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LCD & plasma TVs
No electronic items will be hotter this holiday season than LCD and plasma TVs, thanks in large part to prices that are half what they were two years ago. With more and better TVs now available from an ever-growing list of brands, it’s a great time to purchase a new high-definition LCD or plasma television set.
To help you decide what and when to buy, we’ve packed this guide with need-to-know news and must-have advice, including the latest on price changes and a plain-English guide to the jargon.
Ready to buy? See our LCD and plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers). Still thinking? Watch for our December report, which will have Ratings of more flat panels and other TV types.
Be Price-wise and Brand-savvy
Prices of flat panels have been going nowhere but down. The average price for LCD and plasma sets was 22 percent lower this June than it was a year earlier, according to Pacific Media Associates, a Menlo Park, Calif., research firm that tracks display prices. Competition from lesser-known brands, special promotions, clearance sales on older sets, and keep-up-with-the-Joneses price cuts by manufacturers are behind the lower prices.
Smaller manufacturers often use bargain prices to attract buyers, but major brands are trimming prices as well. That gives you more good choices to consider. Among the 32-inch LCD HDTVs that did very well in our tests was a Sony model priced at $1,500, competitive with some other major brands. Within that same size grouping, models from Westinghouse and Magnavox did respectably, though not as well as the Sony--but at $1,000 each, they cost considerably less.
Prices could drop even lower in coming months because of promotions tied to the football season, holiday sales, and continued discounting of older models. Some market analysts project that smaller sets could see the biggest price cuts because of oversupply. Quixel Research, a market research firm in Portland, Ore., expects a 20 percent or so drop in LCD and plasma prices by year’s end, with especially good deals on 26- to 37-inch LCD models.
CR’s take. Pinpointing the perfect time to buy a TV is a tough call. There will always be bigger, better, lower-priced sets on the horizon, but at some point you have to jump in. Look at it this way: You undoubtedly got a lower price and more value than you would have earlier. Shop around for the best deal, and keep your receipt in case you find the set selling for less within a month or so. Many retailers will match the lower price.
For Screen Size, Think Big
Plasma sets used to be the only flat-screen TVs larger than 40 inches, but LCDs now come in big sizes too. With the price gap between plasma TVs and big-screen LCD sets narrowing, more buyers are choosing LCDs. Last year, 32-inch screens were the big sellers among LCD TVs, but 37- to 46-inch sets are likely to attract more interest in coming months.
With larger LCD sets posing stiff competition, plasma makers are pushing 50-inch and larger plasma TVs at very attractive prices. But some companies, such as Sony and Mitsubishi, have stopped producing plasma TVs for the consumer market and are focusing on LCD sets.
CR’s take. For the best HD experience, buy as big a screen as your room size and budget allow. Our surveys of HDTV owners show that many wish they’d purchased a bigger set. See Types (available to subscribers) for help choosing between LCD and plasma, then consult both our LCD and our plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers) for specific models.
Insist on Fine Performance
LCD and plasma technology have made strides over the past year or so, addressing weaknesses that detracted from picture quality. LCD TVs, for example, have had difficulty producing true black and natural-looking motion with no blurring. They’ve also had a narrower viewing angle than plasma sets. The best new LCD models have improved in those areas, contributing to high scores in our latest tests. Similarly, the best plasma TVs have added features to minimize distracting reflections and screen burn-in, two issues for plasma technology.
However, in a showroom it can be hard for shoppers to tell which TVs benefit from those improvements. Store lighting, varying settings on each TV, and the different types of content displayed make it tough to compare picture quality. In our labs, we eliminate variables so that we can see which models really perform best.
CR’s take. Don’t assume that a new LCD or plasma TV has the same problems as an older set you may have seen. Both technologies have improved, and LCD is catching up with plasma. The best LCDs score as well as the top plasma TVs.
Consider a 1080p TV
TVs with 1920x1080 native resolution--dubbed 1080p by manufacturers--are starting to gain momentum. A number of LCD and microdisplay rear-projection sets of this type are now in stores. More are expected next year, along with the first plasma sets of this type.
These displays have 1,920 pixels from left to right and 1,080 from top to bottom. They’re the first consumer TVs that can potentially display all the detail in the 1080i signal in most HDTV broadcasts, as well as the 1080p high-def DVDs from Blu-ray and HD-DVD players. (For more information, see HD formats.)
Other big-screen HDTVs top out at 1024x768 or 1366x720 resolution; they’re sometimes labeled “720p†sets. Their screens contain about half the number of pixels in a 1080p set, so they have to convert 1080i HD signals to a lower resolution.
While a 1080p TV can display more and finer detail than a 720p set, resolution alone doesn’t determine picture quality. Black level, brightness, and color accuracy are just as important. A 720p set that does everything right can have excellent picture quality, but an equally adept 1080p set has the potential to be even better.
The difference is most obvious on large screens and in close viewing. With a 1080p model, you can sit near enough to appreciate the fine detail without seeing the faint grid of pixels. But from a normal viewing distance--about 6 feet from a 42-inch screen--a 1080p set won’t look dramatically better than a good 720p TV.
Keep in mind that any display device is only as good as the programming it receives. A less-than-pristine cable signal, for example, limits even the best TV.
CR’s take. If you want state-of-the-art technology and potentially the best HD picture quality, buy a 1080p TV--but not just any set. Look for a model that did well overall in our tests. If you simply want fine picture quality and prefer to spend less, opt for a recommended 720p TV.
Think About Reliability
With more consumers buying flat-panel TVs, there’s a growing amount of data on reliability, and the news is good: During the first year or two of use, LCD and plasma TVs have been just as reliable overall as picture-tube TVs, which have historically required very few repairs. Some consumers are opting for LCDs over plasmas for fear that plasma TVs have a shorter life span, but such concern is unwarranted, says Rosemary Abowd of Pacific Media Associates.
Our latest product reliability survey shows no repair issues during the first year or two of use for LCD TVs from JVC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. Dell LCD sets have had higher than average repairs. In plasma, there have been no repair issues for Fujitsu, Hitachi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, or Toshiba. The repair rate for Philips and Vizio plasma sets has been higher than average. There’s not enough data to report on other brands or on long-term reliability for any LCDs or plasmas.
CR’s take. An extended warranty generally isn’t worth it, especially for brands with a decent repair record. If you’re a belt-and-suspenders type who craves peace of mind, it might be worthwhile for you (especially with a pricey set or a brand with no repair history), but pay no more than 15 percent of the TV’s price.
No electronic items will be hotter this holiday season than LCD and plasma TVs, thanks in large part to prices that are half what they were two years ago. With more and better TVs now available from an ever-growing list of brands, it’s a great time to purchase a new high-definition LCD or plasma television set.
To help you decide what and when to buy, we’ve packed this guide with need-to-know news and must-have advice, including the latest on price changes and a plain-English guide to the jargon.
Ready to buy? See our LCD and plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers). Still thinking? Watch for our December report, which will have Ratings of more flat panels and other TV types.
Be Price-wise and Brand-savvy
Prices of flat panels have been going nowhere but down. The average price for LCD and plasma sets was 22 percent lower this June than it was a year earlier, according to Pacific Media Associates, a Menlo Park, Calif., research firm that tracks display prices. Competition from lesser-known brands, special promotions, clearance sales on older sets, and keep-up-with-the-Joneses price cuts by manufacturers are behind the lower prices.
Smaller manufacturers often use bargain prices to attract buyers, but major brands are trimming prices as well. That gives you more good choices to consider. Among the 32-inch LCD HDTVs that did very well in our tests was a Sony model priced at $1,500, competitive with some other major brands. Within that same size grouping, models from Westinghouse and Magnavox did respectably, though not as well as the Sony--but at $1,000 each, they cost considerably less.
Prices could drop even lower in coming months because of promotions tied to the football season, holiday sales, and continued discounting of older models. Some market analysts project that smaller sets could see the biggest price cuts because of oversupply. Quixel Research, a market research firm in Portland, Ore., expects a 20 percent or so drop in LCD and plasma prices by year’s end, with especially good deals on 26- to 37-inch LCD models.
CR’s take. Pinpointing the perfect time to buy a TV is a tough call. There will always be bigger, better, lower-priced sets on the horizon, but at some point you have to jump in. Look at it this way: You undoubtedly got a lower price and more value than you would have earlier. Shop around for the best deal, and keep your receipt in case you find the set selling for less within a month or so. Many retailers will match the lower price.
For Screen Size, Think Big
Plasma sets used to be the only flat-screen TVs larger than 40 inches, but LCDs now come in big sizes too. With the price gap between plasma TVs and big-screen LCD sets narrowing, more buyers are choosing LCDs. Last year, 32-inch screens were the big sellers among LCD TVs, but 37- to 46-inch sets are likely to attract more interest in coming months.
With larger LCD sets posing stiff competition, plasma makers are pushing 50-inch and larger plasma TVs at very attractive prices. But some companies, such as Sony and Mitsubishi, have stopped producing plasma TVs for the consumer market and are focusing on LCD sets.
CR’s take. For the best HD experience, buy as big a screen as your room size and budget allow. Our surveys of HDTV owners show that many wish they’d purchased a bigger set. See Types (available to subscribers) for help choosing between LCD and plasma, then consult both our LCD and our plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers) for specific models.
Insist on Fine Performance
LCD and plasma technology have made strides over the past year or so, addressing weaknesses that detracted from picture quality. LCD TVs, for example, have had difficulty producing true black and natural-looking motion with no blurring. They’ve also had a narrower viewing angle than plasma sets. The best new LCD models have improved in those areas, contributing to high scores in our latest tests. Similarly, the best plasma TVs have added features to minimize distracting reflections and screen burn-in, two issues for plasma technology.
However, in a showroom it can be hard for shoppers to tell which TVs benefit from those improvements. Store lighting, varying settings on each TV, and the different types of content displayed make it tough to compare picture quality. In our labs, we eliminate variables so that we can see which models really perform best.
CR’s take. Don’t assume that a new LCD or plasma TV has the same problems as an older set you may have seen. Both technologies have improved, and LCD is catching up with plasma. The best LCDs score as well as the top plasma TVs.
Consider a 1080p TV
TVs with 1920x1080 native resolution--dubbed 1080p by manufacturers--are starting to gain momentum. A number of LCD and microdisplay rear-projection sets of this type are now in stores. More are expected next year, along with the first plasma sets of this type.
These displays have 1,920 pixels from left to right and 1,080 from top to bottom. They’re the first consumer TVs that can potentially display all the detail in the 1080i signal in most HDTV broadcasts, as well as the 1080p high-def DVDs from Blu-ray and HD-DVD players. (For more information, see HD formats.)
Other big-screen HDTVs top out at 1024x768 or 1366x720 resolution; they’re sometimes labeled “720p†sets. Their screens contain about half the number of pixels in a 1080p set, so they have to convert 1080i HD signals to a lower resolution.
While a 1080p TV can display more and finer detail than a 720p set, resolution alone doesn’t determine picture quality. Black level, brightness, and color accuracy are just as important. A 720p set that does everything right can have excellent picture quality, but an equally adept 1080p set has the potential to be even better.
The difference is most obvious on large screens and in close viewing. With a 1080p model, you can sit near enough to appreciate the fine detail without seeing the faint grid of pixels. But from a normal viewing distance--about 6 feet from a 42-inch screen--a 1080p set won’t look dramatically better than a good 720p TV.
Keep in mind that any display device is only as good as the programming it receives. A less-than-pristine cable signal, for example, limits even the best TV.
CR’s take. If you want state-of-the-art technology and potentially the best HD picture quality, buy a 1080p TV--but not just any set. Look for a model that did well overall in our tests. If you simply want fine picture quality and prefer to spend less, opt for a recommended 720p TV.
Think About Reliability
With more consumers buying flat-panel TVs, there’s a growing amount of data on reliability, and the news is good: During the first year or two of use, LCD and plasma TVs have been just as reliable overall as picture-tube TVs, which have historically required very few repairs. Some consumers are opting for LCDs over plasmas for fear that plasma TVs have a shorter life span, but such concern is unwarranted, says Rosemary Abowd of Pacific Media Associates.
Our latest product reliability survey shows no repair issues during the first year or two of use for LCD TVs from JVC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. Dell LCD sets have had higher than average repairs. In plasma, there have been no repair issues for Fujitsu, Hitachi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, or Toshiba. The repair rate for Philips and Vizio plasma sets has been higher than average. There’s not enough data to report on other brands or on long-term reliability for any LCDs or plasmas.
CR’s take. An extended warranty generally isn’t worth it, especially for brands with a decent repair record. If you’re a belt-and-suspenders type who craves peace of mind, it might be worthwhile for you (especially with a pricey set or a brand with no repair history), but pay no more than 15 percent of the TV’s price.
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