Looking for the best gadgets and HDTV accessories for the gadget-loving HDTV accessorizing person in your life?

No problem. We here at HD Guru have picked out some inexpensive gifts from $5 to $499 that any tech fan will love.

Apple TV

Gary and I disagree about this one. He doesn’t like that it’s only 720p. I think it’s a fantastic, easy-to-use media streamer. Stream Netflix, rent/buy movies and TV shows from iTunes, and stream music and other content from your computer. An all-around fantastic product.

It’s $94.99 on Amazon.

Roku LT

For a bit less, you can get the Roku LT. You get Amazon instead of iTunes, and lose AirPlay (and anything like it built-in). On the other hand, it’s a lot cheaper, and you get HBO Go and Hulu Plus. A fantastic bargain.

The Roku LT is $49.99.

Logitech Revue

The Logitech Revue is 1080p plus has a great scaler and built-in web browser with wirless keyboard. The latest 3.1 version smoothes out some of the odd quirks. Look for our full review of the update soon. In the mean time, it’s a highly functional product for those looking to add Internet surfing to their living room.

The Logitech Revue is $99.99 from Amazon Direct.

Kindle Fire

Don’t believe the naysayers: the Kindle Fire is a fantastic product. It is not, in any way, an iPad competitor. The iPad is a tablet computer, the Fire is a portable content device. If you’re just looking for something to watch videos on, maybe surf the web, the Fire is excellent.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is $199.

Disney WoW: World of Wonder

This excellent setup disc has tutorials to help you understand ever part of your home theater, and comes with extensive test patterns so you can dial in your HDTV’s settings.

Easily worth the money.

Disney’s WOW: World of Wonder is $25.99 on Blu-ray.

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Amazon Gift Cards

Blu-ray player

Blu-ray players are insanely cheap now. Hard to find one that doesn’t have everything you need. This Panasonic has WiFi, streaming, and 3D. Pretty awesome for only $129.99.

Panasonic DMP-BDT210 $129.99 on Amazon.

TiVo Premiere Elite

This ultimate DVR features 4 HDTV tuners, 2 terabytes of storage, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Blockbuster and Amazon Instant Video. It’s even THX Certified.

The Premiere Elite is $482.83.

Undersea

In the gratuitous self-promotion category, I submit… my book! I wrote a sci-fi action adventure novel, and if you’re into that kind of thing, I think you’ll dig it. Here’s the synopsis and cover, to convince you of its awesomeness (not that I’m biased):

In a world flooded and irradiated by a nearly forgotten cataclysm generations passed, all that remains of civilization clings to life in two war-torn, city-sized submarines. For fifty years, the only peace between them has come from separation.

Now, young councilwoman Ralla Gattley has uncovered mysteries that will bring these two factions face-to-face, setting in motion events that will forever change their undersea world. Along the way she meets Thom Vargas, a bored fisherman and aspiring drunk who merely wants to climb one rung on the social ladder. Little does he know that single step may well put the fate of the world in his hands.

Undersea is $4.99 for Kindle, and $13.99 in paperback.

Geoff Morrison  @TechWriterGeoff

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Copyright 2011 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark.

We’ve already warned you about Disposable HDTVs, sets you can’t get parts or repairs from the manufacturers. Next came “Unrepairble” TVs from Vizio and other set makers (here and here) that charge more for parts than buying the same TV as replacement, once the set goes beyond its one year factory warranty.

Now, a group of “No Name” HDTVs, primarily from China, are selling sets that lack a critical picture adjustment found in virtually every name brand television. It’s called the “Backlight” control. Buyers need to make sure the set they’re considering has this picture control. We explain why.

Original Picture Controls

In the days of bulky tube TVs (CRTs), the major picture adjustments were Contrast, Brightness, Color, Tint and Sharpness. Contrast is the white level. It determines how bright whites in the image are. Set it too low and the picture is flat and dull. Too high and the whites get blown out to the point where you can’t see the buttons on an announcers white shirt.

Brightness is the black level. Set it too low and all dark objects in the image disappear into black. Too high and the blacks become light gray and the picture is flat with no contrast.

Color controls color saturation. Tint allows flesh tones to look natural. Misadjusted faces will look either red or green. Sharpness is the last control. Too high and a glowing edge appears around objects on the screen. Too low and the image gets softer.

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The Backlight

LCD and LED TVs have a “backlight” that creates the light you see. In the case of “normal” LCDS, this is a series of thin florescent tubes. With LED LCDs, it’s LEDs either on the edges of the screen, or arrayed on the back (facing you). The LCD screen itself, found inside all LCD and LED TVs, is like a color film slide. To view the image it needs to be illuminated by a light source behind the slide. That’s a bulb in the case of a slide projector, and the backlight in the case of LCD TVs.

Enter The Backlight Control

This is a control that was introduced a few years ago in virtually all major-brand LED and LCD TVs. It is as critical to a excellent image as the brightness and contrast controls. If the backlight is set too high, the dark areas in the image become washed out (see photo). Set too low, and the image is going to be too dark to view, even with the room lights turned off.

HD Guru researched a number of new “no name” brand TVs and found that several lack a backlight control. These are the price leader models found in holiday sale ads. They are names you’ve probably never heard of like Auria, Calypso, Skyworth and Spectre. Some, like Polaroid, were a once famous camera brand. The original Polaroid went bankrupt a number of years ago. A separate company bought the rights to the name and licenses it out. In this case to a Chinese maker of TVs. For more info on that, check out our Brand Names in Name Only article.

Adjusting The Backlight

Sets have adjustable backlights for several reasons. They will allow users to obtain the deepest blacks possible under your own particular ambient room light conditions. By leaving out the control the set maker simply has the bulbs cranked at their maximum level, making poor blacks and also wasting electricity. To properly adjust, you need to make sure the HDTV you are considering has this control and it needs to be adjusted it along with the brightness and contrast controls for the best looking image.

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A home theater is a wonderful thing. A big, bright HDTV screen, five or more channels of clean, clear dynamic surround sound and remote control to drive it all. Completing the package, ideally, all the wires are hidden within the walls. This is what people want, but few have the product knowledge or carpentry skills to get the job done right. Enter the custom installers to bring it all together.

Many custom installers and A/V dealers do fabulous work. However, you should not forget it is a business and in the “free market” the goal is always to maximize profits.

Unfortunately, the best interest of the consumer may conflict with the dealer’s business goals. A number of companies simply want to get consumers to pay the most money possible for the job and get out as quickly as possible maximizing profits.

To learn the tricks of the trade we interviewed Bruce Clark, president of Long Island based Audio Breakthroughs. They’ve been in business for over thirty five years and have installed thousands of home theaters. Occasionally Clark receives calls from other company’s dissatisfied customers requesting fixes for a botched installation.

Here are a number of “tricks” he’s seen used in these bad jobs, so you know what to look out for.

In-Ceiling Speakers in Lieu of Enclosure Type

The most important speakers in any home theater are the front speakers (left, right and center). These produce the vast majority of the sound plus all the dialog. Rear speakers are generally only used for occasional sound effects.  While placing speakers in the ceiling is fine for background music, you want the dialog to be clear and seem to be emanating from the display. Ceiling mounting moves the sound  above the screen, creating a disconnect by making the actor’s voice appear to come from above rather than from the screen. So why do custom installers recommend ceiling speakers?  Clark explains that in-wall and in-ceiling speakers have the highest gross profit margins, ranging from 60% to 90%. In other words, if the pair of speakers costs you $500, that could be $450 in gross profit for the installer. The in-wall speaker manufacturers have very controlled sales distribution; it is highly unlikely to find the product at a good discount on-line.

Clark added, their use of in-wall or in ceiling speakers in a home theater is done only as a last resort to satisfy customer’s demands.

Enclosed speakers have better dynamics and a much more even frequency response. This is because  the drivers and enclosure are tuned as a complete system.

Component Video Cables Instead of HDMI

Component video cables are analog connections using three RCA-type cables. They have red blue and green ends. This system was adopted for home use with the introduction of DVD players back in 1997. Analog component cables over long runs can lose high frequency information, seen as fine picture detail. Long component cables always produce an image, but it can be soft.  HDMI is digital and therefore maintains all fine picture detail (our  test of 50 foot cables).

But, HDMI doesn’t always work, at least not as easily as analog component. HDMI cables require dealer know-how to assure at the needed length works properly with a given system. To save  effort, many custom installers still use the obsolete component video connection. Some incorporate it as a back-up with an HDMI cable (in the very unlikely case of cable failure), however many simply run component video solo. How can the customer know the picture lacks fine detail when they have no point of comparison? They can’t.  Ignorance is indeed bliss. Clark says his installers always uses HDMI as the connection, as it provides the best image quality and transfers the best audio codecs along with it.

Flat Panel Mounting

There are two types of flat panels, LCD (includes LED LCD) and plasma. The former needs to be at or near eye level for optimum image quality. This is due to LCD’s limited vertical dispersion (with many models). If eye level isn’t possible, they’ll need to be tilted down towards the viewer Plasmas have excellent vertical and horizontal dispersion and as such can be mounted flat on the wall without any significant losses in picture quality. Clark explains that ultra-thin TVs look best when paired with wall mounts designed for thin panels. Pivoting mounts make the panel stick much further out from the wall, and are unnecessary for many installations.

To the dealer this means inventorying many different model brackets to provide the ideal mount for a given job. Clark states many installers use fat, pivoting mounts in a one-size-fits-all strategy to save inventory costs. Most TV buyers don’t know what they need, let alone what’s available, so the custom dealers take advantage by selling what they want to sell rather than what best suits the customer’s needs.

Another reason installers use mounts that stick far out from the wall, the TV’s power cord plug. The plug end necessitates a space between the wall outlet and the mount. For this reason, Clark provides customers’ electricians with recessed outlets to install in place of the standard flush-mounted units.

Selling the Customer Back Cables

HDTV  components such as Blu-ray players often  come with  av cables. Rather than use them as needed and save the customer money, some dealers enhance income by selling the consumer back the same cable that was already in the box. Nothing beats a 100% profit.

Wires-One Sizes Fits All

Category 5 and Category 6 cables are used for Ethernet connections and other digital signals. Clark notes his crews fix bad installations where Cat 5 was used for nearly everything, including speaker wire. Like component video, using any wire with an analog audio signal will produce sound, but the single, thin twisted pairs in Cat 5 and Cat 6 cables do a terrible job of preserving analog audio fidelity.

Clark says his crews use at least a 14-gauge speaker wire for all their installations.

Home Automation

Touch screen home automation systems, such as what Crestron offers, can make controlling a home theater a breeze. These sophisticated systems require specific programming, which often costs thousands of dollars on top of the cost of the automation hardware itself. What consumers aren’t aware is the “source code” for the program is unique for their system. To replace a component in the future (a new Blu-ray player, say), the program needs to be modified to accommodate the new equipment. The question is, where’s the source code for the system? If the consumer doesn’t have the code, they are at the mercy of the installation company, and they can charge whatever they want to upgrade your system. Worse, what if the company goes out of business? Then the consumer has to pay another programmer to program the entire system from scratch (incurring yet another multi-thousand dollar bill)

If the consumer has the source code, any Crestron programmer will be able to make the changes and the programming charges will be limited to the one component. Make certain you get a copy of the source code program from the installer. A number of dealers refuse to provide it and these firms should be avoided. It’s a smart idea to get this written into the contract. Here is a link from an excellent article by CE Pro that expands on this issue.

Get The Model Numbers

When you get a system price from a custom installer it should include an itemized product list with  all make/model numbers. A number of dealers don’t provide this information. For example, Sonance (a speaker manufacturer) sells over 180 models that range from $200 per pair to $3000 per pair retail.  Dealers may state they don’t list specifics product numbers because models tend to change. Be aware, without  model numbers you won’t know what you purchasing and may not get what you thought.

Too summarize, a home theater proposal from a reputable company should include all product model numbers, HDMI connections from all high definition sources, proper gauge copper speaker wire for speaker connection, shielded audio cable (where required), enclosure type speakers for the best front and center sound quality and a provision for all source codes for any home automation remote controls systems that require written programs.

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Samsung’s 2011 D8000 LED LCD is their top of the line series, offering the most features and highest performance of any of their 2011 LCD models. The 55-inch, 240 Hz refresh rate design provides excellent screen brightness with outstanding energy efficiency.  New for 2011 is an LED dimming circuit Samsung calls “micro dimming” for deep blacks, a QWERTY remote control, built-in Internet browser, updated graphic user interface and improved 2D and 3D performance claims.

Initial Impressions

Samsung made a number of internal and external changes from last year’s UN55C8000. We liked a number of the new attributes: 3D performance, signal processing, and the wide selection of user picture controls. However, we spotted two performance issues: screen uniformity and poor vertical viewing angle, detailed below.

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Styling

Cosmetically, Samsung trimmed the frame around the active picture area to an astonishing 0.94-inches, giving this HDTV an almost all-image appearance once powered-up. It is one of the best-looking TV designs of all time. The display sits on a four-legged, chrome-finished swivel stand (included). Samsung cleaned up the rear by making all connections built-in, sans component and composite AV inputs which, like last year, still require included dongles. With a panel depth of just 1.2 inches the 8000 is one of the slimmest sets available.

Connectivity

All the UN55D8000′s inputs are located on the rear of the TV. They include four HDMI inputs, one each component and composite input (as mention, these require the supplied dongle), 3 USB ports, 1 D-sub 15 PC input, F-type antenna input and an Ethernet jack (there is also built-in Wi-Fi).

Remote

The new-for-2011 remote control is an asymmetrical, wedge-shaped dual-sided affair. The A-side has the standard TV controls with a numeric keyboard, and the usual source, menu, volume, channel +/-, tools, etc. buttons. There’s a backlight for this side. New for 2011 is an “E-manual” button for an electronic user manual.

Now, we have no problem with a built-in electronic copy of the user manual. However, Samsung has foolishly followed Sony’s 2010 lead and decided not to include a complete printed user manual. In its place is a very sparse 23-page pamphlet that covers heady topics like remote battery insertion and connections. In our opinion, the exclusion of a real manual is inexcusable for a $3600 (retail) TV. Internet connected HDTVs have many controls and we hate the idea of needing to find an explanation of functions by entering the E-manual, then exiting, attempting the function and then reentering the E-manual for more information. Kind of reminds us of shampoo instructions (shampoo, rinse, repeat) and is not idea for the operation of a TV.

To their credit, Samsung customer service says they will send a bound. printed. full 325-page owner’s manual if you call 1-800-Samsung and make a request.

Back to the remote. Flipping it over over reveals a QWERTY keyboard. Most notably, it requires “pairing” to sync to the TV. Samsung’s supplied instruction pamphlet neglected to include the words, “the remote must be within eight inches of the TV to pair with the 8000,” a fact we learned only after failing to get the darn thing to work and making a call to Samsung’s customer service (which happens to be located in the USA). The representative was very well trained and helpful.

Once we got the remote “paired” we had a big problem with the keyboard for entry into the Internet browser. Entering hdguru.com would show up as hddguuruu.com requiring multiple backspaces and reentries. We requested a replacement remote to determine if the double key entry is limited to our sample and we’ll update when we try another unit.

We have other complaints about the QWERTY side. There is no backlight and many of the function keys are so small we couldn’t read them without turning up the room lights. Overall we feel the remote needs to be larger for easier operation and requires larger keys. A nice concept but a poor execution.

Features

The list is quite impressive. It includes Internet streaming (VUDU, Netflix and Blockbuster) and other applications using an open platform. This means new services and apps can be added via a software update. Other capabilities include 3D with new Bluetooth RF-sync glasses , Skype video (with optional camera), a wide array of custom picture controls, fine control of its 240Hz processing, and multiple options for enabling sectional picture dimming.

There are four picture modes, and numerous additional settings including de-judder, color temperature, gray scale (2 or 10 point), gamma, color management, noise reduction and others.

There are also adjustments for gray scale, color points and gamma, although all require precise test equipment to set properly. We recommend hiring a qualified ISF calibrator with high quality test gear (those cheapo do-it-yourself kits don’t cut it) or simply leave the gray scale controls at factory default in the Warm 2 setting (they were very accurate with our review sample, measurements are listed below).

The motion estimation/motion compensation (ME/MC) circuits perform two functions, reducing motion blur and smoothing native 24Hz-based content. With 24 Hz-based content found on Blu-ray discs and a number of scripted TV shows, you may engage the anti-judder circuit without activating the anti-blur circuit. The result will be smooth motion as the TV repeats the same frame ten times, eliminating uneven/jerky pans known as “judder”. With the anti-blur circuit in the “off” position motion resolution drops to 330 lines (per picture height). Engaging anti-blur will increase the motion resolution to 1080 lines PPH while at the same time inserting synthesized frames that give a video a look often referred to as the “Soap Opera Effect” or SOE. Many viewers find SOE objectionable (though some folks love it). It’s your choice, though personally we don’t like the SOE so we kept the anti-blur control set to “off”.

There are a host of controls geared to producing deeper blacks by reducing the light output of the LEDs, or in some cases shutting them off, and another control that simultaneously increase the white level. All these controls help the image achieve a higher contrast ratio, but it comes at the expense of burying black and light details. They’re labeled, Dynamic Contrast, Shadow Detail, Motion Lighting, Cinema Black, Black Tone, Smart LED and HDMI Black Level. We made our picture evaluations with all set to the “off” position except HDMI Black level which we set to “Low” (update: the 8000 automatically sets this control with video sources such as a Blu-ray player, regardless of what the menu reads, according to Samsung TV labs, we corrected the the text to reflect the actual setting)

Operation

The “Movie” picture mode comes closest to the ideal settings for the UN55D8000, so we stuck with it throughout our testing except to measure maximum image brightness, where we used the Showroom mode labeled “Dynamic.”.  The 8000 passes the Energy Star 4.0 certification, which requires the “Standard” mode as the default “Home” setting. The entire Energy Star program is befuddling and in our opinion arbitrary, with upcoming elements soon to have profound a profound impact on image quality and consumer choice as it pertains to TVs. We plan to cover the issues in a future article.

Back to our measurements, the 8000 read blazing 87.34 ft. lamberts in the “Vivid” mode and a bright 41.17 ft lamberts using our calibrated “Movie” mode settings. LED LCDs are the most energy efficient TVs on the market and this Samsung was no exception, using just 86 watts with the IEC test disc (again in the “Movie” setting). Be aware the UN55D8000 is one of the most expensive TVs on the market today, currently selling for $2699.66 on Amazon, due in part to the cost of the LED edge lighting. So if you are expecting a return on your investment because it’s energy efficient, you may be in for a long wait.

The long list of picture controls made tweaking the settings a time consuming affair.

Standard Defintion Tests

Like last year’s C series 8000 model, the UN55D8000′s signal processing does an excellent job upconverting standard definition 480i signals to 1080p, acing all the HQV SD tests including detail, jaggies, waving flag jaggies, 3:2 pulldown detection and multi-rate film cadence. Only the mixed video titles with required a switch over to Film Mode “Auto 2″ position, while other film mode tests require “Auto 1″ to pass. We find this a minor bug and recommend sticking with Auto 1 for standard definition content.

There were a few minor problems worth noting. With 480i content you must have the image expanded, cutting off about 2.5% of the picture (with HD content you can engage the “Screen Fit” mode with 1:1 aspect ratio).

The user menus for the Noise Reduction modes always cover about 75% of the image, making the determination of which setting to use very difficult. We would like to see Samsung give these adjustments the small setting bar at the bottom as it does with the other adjustments.

High Defintion Tests

Checking the HQV Blu-ray test disc, the UN55D8000 passed all the tests (noise reduction, deinterlacing, jaggies and film resolution loss) although we again had to move the control to the Film Mode Auto 2 to eliminate some noise in the last test. We never saw noise in any observations of real content, returning the control to position “1″ for all our content viewing evaluations.

Color was close to the Rec. 709 standard (noted in parenthesis) measuring:

Red x0.647 y0.333 (x0.64, y0.33)

Green x0.296 y0.602 (x0.30, y0.60)

Blue x0.151 y0.054 (x0.15, y0.06)

Black level is dependent on setting of the dynamic black circuits. Activated they can shut off the LED edge lighting providing a completely black image. If set to the “off” position the minimum black level measured 0.015 ft. lamberts, not terrible but not nearly as deep as we’ve measured with plasma technology such as the recently tested Panasonic TC-P50ST30, which came in at 0.008 ft. lamberts and sells for less than half the price. The 55-inch version of the ST30 is still about $1,000 less.

Gray scale in the Warm2 mode was so close to ideal we doubt if anyone would see a visual benefit to a full gray scale calibration (assuming other samples are as accurate). The 8000 measured 6521K at 20 IRE (x0.312, y0.330) and 6521K at 80 IRE (x0.312, y0.330)

Prior to our review, reports appeared on the Internet indicating the component video input would not accept signals above 480i. We tested component video inputs with our Sencore 403 signal generator and Panasonic BDT-350 Blu-ray player and found the complaint erroneous. The 8000 accepts 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p/60 signals via component video cable, although we recommend connections via HDMI for the best signal quality (analog cables exhibit the loss of high frequencies seen as fine detail as cable length increases). HDMI cables do not. http://hdguru.com/all-hdmi-cables-are-the-same-or-are-they-full-test/4373/

3D

Samsung made 3D performance improvements over its 2010 LCD models. The result is a vast reduction, but not  complete elimination of, crosstalk (seen as ghost images). We observed crosstalk only on our toughest 3D tests which include the church exterior near the beginning of Monsters vs. Aliens and African Safari on DirecTV N3D. The TV and glasses now use radio signals to sync up. This allowed the active shutter glasses to operate continuously regardless if we faced the TV. We sampled the new standard (regular battery) and deluxe (rechargeable) 3D Samsung glasses and found both lighter and far more comfortable than last year’s models. We never observed any picture flickering during our tests.

Overall Performance

With bright, well-lit scenes found in most scripted TV series, the UN55D8000 produced outstanding high definition images with vivid colors, high contrast and (with the Auto Motion Plus ME/MC 240 Hz circuit engaged) no visible motion blur. However there were two problems we encountered that knocks down our overall rating of this display. They are vertical dispersion and screen uniformity.

There is a very noticeable drop of in image contrast, seen as a drop in brightness and rise in black level, whenever we stood up from our 9-foot viewing distance. This is a concern for anyone wanting to mount these TV at anything other than eye level.

The other problem is the lack of screen uniformity, which was quite disturbing in dark scenes.  Above are examples of this using frames from Minority Report and the splash screen of our 2010 Panasonic BDT-350 Blu-ray player. Another example, Chapter 8 at 26:23 in  I Am Legend with Will Smith walking around inside the abandoned building. The lack of uniformity reveals itself in three ways: five dark vertical strips (see Panasonic splash screen above), a lightening of the right and left edges (slightly more prominent on the left) and at times some faint horizontal brighter stripes we believe are the light wave guides.

When testing this issue with our signal generator using a full raster pattern, the unevenness can be seen with signal up to 75 IRE (out of 100 maximum), though they’re most noticeable below 50 IRE. Critical viewers could find this issue to be a major annoyance with select movie content, while folks that aren’t as picky may not care.

Final Thoughts

The Samsung UN55D8000 has a lot going for it, Internet applications, thin bezels, excellent signal processing, accurate color, and good 3D performance. However we find the poor uniformity a deal breaker for readers seeking the highest quality HDTV. Taken as a whole we award the Samsung UN55D8000 ♥♥♥ (3 out of 5) rating.

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There’s a lot to consider when you’re buying an HDTV. Pros and cons to weigh and options to think about, all of which can end up being pretty confusing.

So we at HDGuru.com want to help you prioritize all these different aspects so you can get the best TV possible.

What’s Important

1) Screen Size

It’s easy for us to say “get the biggest TV you can afford,” but the reality is most people get far smaller TVs than their room could support. The problem is, in a store the TVs often look huge, but once you get it in your house, it often looks a lot smaller. The easiest way to overcome this is by measuring how far you’re sitting from your TV, and stand that distance away from the TV in the store (if possible).

If you’re upgrading from a CRT, remember that standard definition tube TVs are roughly square (4×3), while all HDTVs are wider, 16×9. This means that a 42-inch TV is smaller than a 36-inch CRT when displaying 4×3 material (though obviously wider on HD content).

If you’re sitting 10-feet away from a TV — and most people are — then a 65-inch diagonal set is commonly recommended. Even if you go bigger than that with projection, 1080p is high enough resolution that you won’t likely see pixels.

Here is a link to our exclusive HD Guru optimum viewing distance chart that shows the furthest distance from the TV where you will see all the detail in the picture for a given screen size and resolution (720p or 1080p). You may sit further back but you will not be able to perceive all the fine detail.

2) Viewing Angle

Take a look at your current room setup. Where do people sit? If you’ve got a long narrow room, and everyone is fairly close to the center, than any technology TV will work.

If you’ve got a wide room or a wide couch with people seated off to the side, you shouldn’t get an LCD. This is because despite the marketing, the picture quality of all LCDs drops off significantly when you move “off axis” or away from center. Some (IPS designs) are better than others. If you have a wide setup, make sure you stand at these angles when you’re looking at the TV in the store. It’s not hard to miss, the contrast ratio decreases, and often colors get washed out.

3) Connectivity

Make sure the TV has enough HDMI inputs for all your HD devices. If not, we recommend an A/V receiver to do your HDMI switching (and, you know, for decent sound).

The current trend in HDTVs and Blu-ray players is Internet connectivity. This gets you access to “Apps” that bring all sorts of new content to your TV. Netflix is the most ubiquitous, though VUDU and Amazon Video on Demand are quite popular as well. Samsung, Sony, VIZIO , and Panasonic are leading the way with a wide array of content. LG is making a big push with their LG
Smart TV Upgrader“.

This year promises more open platforms (like Panasonic’s Viera Connect) which means apps written by 3rd party developers. We expect the explosive growth of on line content to really  take off.

4) Black Level/Light Output/Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is by far the most important aspect of a televisions picture quality. The problem is, there is no standard how to measure it. This is why you see manufacturers claim 1,000,000,000:1 and other meaningless numbers. They’re not lying, per se, but they’re not being honest either.

The fact is, when you’re watching the TV, at home, plasmas will have a better contrast ratio than LCDs. What makes this difficult to accept for some (namely, LCD TV owners) is that in the store, the opposite appears to be true. LCDs are better at combating ambient light. So on a brightly lit show floor (like Best Buy or Costco), LCDs will look better. At home, where almost everyone has MUCH lower light conditions, the plasma will look better.

BUT, and this is key, LCDs are brighter. If you do most of your TV watching during the day with no shades on your windows, then an LCD — especially the new LED LCD models — will be a better choice. Keep in mind high ambient light levels degrade the viewing experience and no TV con hand direct sunlight.

If you watch movies and TV at night, with only some viewing during the day, plasmas will look better. Plasmas are not “dim” by any stretch of the imagination, they just aren’t as insanely bright as the new LED LCDs (which are often too bright in their stock settings).

This is true even of the now-rare local dimming LED models.

What’s Sort-of Important

1) Energy Efficiency

There are two mindsets here. If your goal is to be as green as possible, without concerns for purchase cost, then the new LED LCD models are extremely energy efficient and don’t contain the mercury of “regular” LCDs.

If you think buying an LED LCD will save you money on energy costs, making it a more economical choice, there’s no way. Even if you live in an area with extremely high energy costs, the price premium you have to pay for an LED LCD will never be offset by its lower operating costs.

2) Anti-glare/anti-reflective LCD screens

Chances are you’re going to have light in the room where you watch TV. Anti-glare screens (matte looking) do a great job at minimizing the glare from room light. The problem is that it will have a lower contrast ratio overall, regardless of ambient light. Anti-reflective (glossy/shiny) have a better overall contrast ratio, but if you have a light on behind you when you’re watching TV, you’re going to see it.

The fact is, you should try to minimize the light in the room regardless of technology, as the TV will look a lot better as result.

The up-model plasmas will have some sort of anti-glare or anti-reflective coating to make it better in rooms with ambient light. If you’re worried about  overhead lamp fixture reflections, make sure your plasma has one of these coatings. They can be found on the Samsung PND7000 and PND8000 plasma series  and the ST30, GT30 and VT30 Panasonic plasmas. Generally, though, anti-glare coated  LCDs  (as found on the LG LW
series HDTVs) will perform better against light sources that are visible on the screen, no matter what the technology.

3) Depth

There’s a price premium on ultra-thin LCD and plasma models. They’re stylish, and undeniably cool. The thing is, most people never mount their TVs. So if the TV is 1.5-inches or 3.5-inches, who’s going around back to check? A thin bezel on the other hand…

4) Thin Bezels

A big push this year is for ultra-thin bezels, some less than a half an inch. These look cool from all angles, and in our minds worth the premium if style is your thing. The TVs have a certain “floating in air” look that is really badass.

5) 3D

3D is just a feature, nothing more. Current 3D TVs are often the best performing 2D models as well. There is more and more content coming out, but it’s still not a lot. Is 3D worth the premium? That’s up to you. But when you can get a great 3D TV for under $1,200, there’s not much of a case for not getting a 3D set, cause why not?

Not at All Important

1) Sound Quality

All TVs sound like crap. All. A few models are shipping with separate soundbars, but most of these are being discontinued. If you want good sound, get an HTIB or a small audio system. They don’t cost a lot, and will sound MUCH better than the speakers in the TV.

2) Technology

Despite the marketing, the only picture quality advantage LED LCDs have over plasma and regular LCDs is extreme brightness. In all cases, this is like having a car that can do 190mph. Sure, that’s great, but you’ll never use it. LED LCDs are more efficient (see “Energy Efficiency” above). It’s important to note that LED LCDs are not a new TV technology, merely a new way to light TVs. There is no such thing as an LED TV, at least not in the home.

Technology is less important than how you intend on using the TV. For that, see all the Important stuff above.

3) Reliability

Independent testing has found that LCDs and plasmas are exceptionally reliable, with little difference between the two in this regard.

—Geoff Morrison

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Notice To Our Readers

HD Guru extends our sympathies to the victims and their families of the disasters in Japan.  To aid victims of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami with a direct contribution, here is a link to the  Red Cross Relief Website.

Copyright ©2011 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark.

Panasonic announced yesterday a new promotion for its ST30 series plasma models. There is a mail-in rebate for a free HD Skype Freetalk Video Camera/Microphone  for ST30 series models purchased now through April 16, 2011. Here is a link for the rebate form.

The on-line price of the TC-P50ST30 is now $1139 with free shipping on Amazon (via Paul’s TV).

Click through for the picture settings we used for our evaluations of the TC-P50ST30.

Please note the following:

For our reference test signals we connect by HDMI @1080i to our Sencore 403 signal generator. The settings for our DirecTV box required adjustments to Color (oversaturated with satellite at the setting listed below) and Tint. You will probably get different results with your cable/sat provider box requiring adjustment of these controls. The other settings should be fine regardless of your source.

We put over 100 hours of use on Panasonic before setting making the adjustments to gray scale (W/B) and finalizing our settings. All plasmas phosphor characteristics change quite a bit during the first hundred hours, so we don’t make final color temperature adjustments until the end of that period. We recommend setting contrast lower than our recommend level for the first 100 hours (below 70).

Picture
Picture Mode: Custom
Contrast: 94
Brightness: 54
Color: 50
Tint: -3
Sharpness: 30
Color Temp: Warm2

Color mgmt: Grayed Out

Photo Enhancement: Grayed Out
C.A.T.S: Off
Video NR: Strong

Pro Settings
Colorspace: Normal

W/B High R: 0
W/B High G: -7
W/B High B: +11

W/B Low R: +2
W/B Low G: +1
W/B Low B: -8

Black Extension: 0
Gamma Adjustment: 2.4
Panel Brightness: Low
Contour Emphasis: Off
AGC: 0

Aspect Adjustments

Screen Format: Full

HD Size-Grayed out

H Size:1

Zoom adjustments-Grayed out

HDMI Settings

HDMI/DVI RGB Range
HDMI 1:Auto

HDMI 2:Auto

HDMI 3:Auto

Content Type

HDMI 1:Auto

HDMI 2:Auto

HDMI 3:Auto

Advanced Picture

3D Y/C Filter: Grayed out
Color Matrix:HD

Block NR: On
Mosquito NR: On
Motion Smoother: Off
Black Level: Light
3:2 PullDown: Grayed out

24p Direct In: Grayed out

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With one week left, Amazon and its assorted vendors are rolling out some of the best deals of the season. A triplet of LG LEDs from 43-53% off. A 3D Toshiba LED for 56% off. Plasmas for a 35-38% off. Blu-ray players for 46-47% off and more. Click through for all the links.

Even if you don’t plan on buying from Amazon directly (and take advantage of their free shipping, price protection, and return privileges with free return shipping) use these deals as a price guide for other online shopping, or for negotiating a price with your local brick and mortar retailer. To help you get the best deal read our “Getting the Best HDTV Price” article. To help guide you to the right size screen, click on are “HDTV Viewing Distance Chart” which show the maximum “viewer to screen” distance for seeing full HD resolution for every size screen.

Also Check Out: Amazon’s Top Holiday Deals page.

On to today’s list:

Plasmas
1) Panasonic TC-P58S2 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV- List: $1,799.95 Amazon: $1,119.87 (38% discount – via Electronics Expo)

2) LG 50PK950 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV- List: $1,699.99 Amazon: $1,099.77 (35% discount – via OneCall)

3) Samsung PN58C550 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV- List: $1,999.99 Amazon: $1,299.00 (35% discount)

LED LCDs
1) LG 47LE8500 Infinia Full HD 47-Inch 1080p 240Hz LED LCD TVList: $2,699.99 Amazon: $1,279.88 (53% discount – via Vanns)

2) LG 47LE5400 47-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV- List: $1,699.99 Amazon: $953.49 (44% discount)

3) LG INFINIA 55LE8500 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz Full LED Slim LCD HDTV- List $3,499.99 Amazon $2,008.00 (43% discount)

All Best Selling LEDs

3D TVs – Also check out our Top 5 Best 3D TVs
1) Toshiba 55WX800 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz Cinema Series 3D LED TV- List: $3,299.99 Amazon: $1,457.98 (56% discount)

2) LG 55LX6500 55-Inch 3D 1080p 240 Hz LED Plus LCD HDTV- List: $3,599.99 Amazon: $1,697.77 (53% discount)

3) Toshiba 46WX800 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz Cinema Series 3D LED TV- List: $2,599.99 Amazon: $1,291.99 (50% discount)

Blu-ray Players and other sources
1) Toshiba BDX2500 Blu-ray Disc Player- List: $179.99 Amazon: $94.58 (47% discount)

2) Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player- List: $249.99 Amazon: $134.00 (46% discount)

3) Sony BDP-BX37 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player with Bonus HDMI Cable- List: $259.99 Amazon: $141.12 (46% discount – via WorldWide Distributors)

If you’re buying a TV, it’s important to make sure it’s setup correctly. To that end we highly recommend any one the following setup Blu-ray discs. Each offers slightly different things, but they’ll all setup your TV far better than you can do with just your eye (and no disc). You can also check out our reviews of these discs in our Must-Have Blu-ray TV Setup Discs Reviewed article.

1) Spears & Munsil High-Definition Benchmark

2) Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics

3) Disney WOW: World of Wonder

If you’ve already bought a TV, check out our article Screen Cleaners – A De-messifying Review
E-cloth CleanSafe by TADgreen INc. – $19.95 on Amazon-2 Pack
Klear Screen HD Screen Cleaner – $26.94 on Amazon
Monster ScreenClean – $29.69 on Amazon

Also check out the top 3 Blu-ray titles:

1) Inception (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)-List $35.99 Amazon: $16.99 (53% discount)

2) Despicable Me (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)-List $39.98 Amazon: $21.99 (45% discount)

3) Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector’s Edition + BD-Live)-List $54.999 Amazon: $23.99 (56% discount)

Here’s the complete list best selling Blu-ray titles.

(Note: Amazon prices may change; please keep checking our links. Amazon free returns, price protection and bundles only apply to Amazon direct sales not to affiliated vendors.)

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Chart Updated Nov. 3, 2010

(November 1, 2010)  The latest trend in HDTVs, other than 3D, is for Internet connectivity. This started as mundane weather and news items, little more than snippets of the web. Now, with the release of Google TV, full Internet surfing from your TV is possible. In between are numerous content providers, all with different content and quality, and all looking for your entertainment dollar.

The first thing you’ll need, of course, is an Internet connection. For High Definition (HD) content, most providers require at least a 2.5 megabits per second (mbps) connection. For some, like VUDU, their top tier 1080p HD stream requires 4.5 mbps. If your connection isn’t this fast, you may be relegated to only watching Standard Definition (SD) streams, or an overall lower quality feed.  Connecting wired or wirelessly from your router doesn’t generally matter, as most Wi-Fi signals can handle even HD streams. If you have difficulties with a service, and you know it’s not your connection, switching to wired from wireless is worth a try.

Video and audio content comes in two basic flavors: subscription and pay per view. Providers are somewhat cagey about how many shows/films they provide, and how many are in HD. For example, VUDU claims the highest number of HD movies with “over 3,000,” while CinemaNow claims over 14,000 total movies, but with no indication of how many are in HD. To summarize, at the current state of the streaming industry, each content provider inventories most of the content you may be looking for.

Here’s the breakdown of the different services offered. To learn the more about the TV makers that supply each service (Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Vizio,  Sharp, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Philips and LG)  check out the graph above, just click on it to enlarge. Please note, not all of the models within a manufacturers line may provide all the listed services. Consult the manufacturer’s website or dealer to confirm the TV you are considering offers the service(s) you desire before purchase.

Netflix

The near universal adoption of Netflix’s streaming service in TVs (and also Blu-ray players) is a testament to the quality of the content you can get. Not picture quality, mind you, which is predominantly standard definition and only occasionally 720p HD. The content quality, in terms of finding something worth watching, is excellent. Most people will be able to find something to watch any time they chose to. Not everything is available for streaming, and most of the streaming content is usually a year or so old or older. Catching up on TV shows from a few years ago, though, or modern documentaries, and thousands of movies, all make this service well worth the small monthly cost.

What’s the cost? The cheapest plan as of this writing is a $8.99 a month which includes one DVD disc at a time at your house, and unlimited streaming. There is talk of a slightly cheaper plan ($7.99, some say) that will streamed content without discs.

Picture quality wise, even the best HD content isn’t quite as pristine as what you get on most cable or satellite providers. That said, it’s not bad. I watch Netflix on a 100-inch projection screen, and I have never had an issue. Sure Blu-ray looks better, but you’re trading for convenience. Videos are streamed using the VC1 Advanced Profile codec (http://blog.netflix.com/2008/11/encoding-for-streaming.html) with 2.0 stereo audio.

The PlayStation 3 is the first, and so far only, device to get 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and 1080p content streaming from Netflix. There’s no word if this will come to current or future TVs with built-in Netflix.

Netflix is so cheap, so convenient, and offers so much entertainment, it’s the proverbial no-brainer. Do you need it in your TV? Not if you have it in your Blu-ray player, PS3, Xbox 360, Apple TV or another compatible source device. If you don’t, I can honestly say it’s well worth looking at a TV with it. Thankfully, nearly major TV company offers it.

YouTube

Calling YouTube entertainment stretches my definition. Watching 30 second clips of narcoleptic dogs (seriously, Google it) is one thing, but I just can’t picture people sitting around a TV for hours searching for things using the TV’s alphanumeric remote.

The biggest reason for this is picture quality. Watching a clip in a tiny window in your Internet browser is one thing. Watching it on a 50-inch flat panel is entirely another. No matter what you do, or what fancy processing your TV has, most YouTube clips are going to look horrible. As in, barely watchable.

So don’t expect much. Most TVs have YouTube as an option, for what it’s worth.

Amazon Video on Demand

AVoD is a pay-per-view streaming service by, wait for it… Amazon. Current movies and TV episodes (including the most recent episodes) are available. Prices for rentals are $0.99-$1.29 for TV shows, and $1.99-$3.99 for movies. For purchase, prices are $5.99-$19.99, though most are $14.99-$15.99.

Picture quality is perhaps a little better than Netflix, though that’s going to vary depending on what you choose to watch. HD is compressed with VC-1 codec and 720p. The big advantage is being able to watch current TV shows and movies whenever you want. Not quite the excellent deal that Netflix is, but extremely convenient none the less, especially if you want to watch the most recent movies and TV episodes.

VUDU

Unlike Netflix and Amazon, VUDU has 1080p and uses the H.264 codec similar to many Blu-ray discs. Audio output is 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus. There are three picture quality levels to VUDU’s downloads: SD, HD, and HDX. SD is 480p, and only requires a 1 mbps Internet speed. HD is 720p, and requires 2.5 mbps. The top of the line HDX is 1080p and needs 4.5 mbps. Great picture quality with its HDX titles is how VUDU tries to differentiate itself, and if that’s of importance to you as well, then the additional money to rent from VUDU will be less of a concern. Movie rentals range in price from $0.99 to $5.99, but the lower prices aren’t for HD. For the highest quality HDX files, expect to pay on the higher end of the scale. You can also buy movies, but these range up to $24.99 for HDX, and for that rate we’re not sure why you wouldn’t just buy a Blu-ray. VUDU is owned by Wal-mart, though as of yet no greeters are planned to welcome you to your downloaded content.

VUDU is certainly great for those who want the best picture quality, as either a 24 hour window or stored on their server indefinitely but are too lazy to drive to a Best Buy and get the disc.

Hulu Plus

Hulu.com is a fantastic, free way to watch new shows from the ABC, NBC and Fox networks, and their various sister channels and studios. The “Plus” in Hulu Plus is plus money, yours, to the tune of $9.99 a month (though there are rumors this will drop). For the monthly fee you get to watch Hulu content on your TV, with the same commercials as the free web version. You also get access to entire seasons and a larger back catalog. Streaming resolutions up to 720p are available, but if picture quality is anything like what you’d find from their streaming web content, don’t expect much.

Most consider Hulu Plus like an up-to-date, but crappier version of Netflix. If you want to get rid of your cable bill, but can’t wait for the content to be available on Netflix, then Hulu Plus has merit. Only a few TVs have this built in, as it’s quite new.

CinemaNow

CinemaNow has 1080p downloads much like VUDU using primarily the VC-1 codec. Rental prices range from $2.99 and $3.99 and purchase prices range from $9.95 to $19.99. Though branded by Best Buy (even cross promoting their Napster music service), CinemaNow is owned primarily by Sonic Solutions. They don’t reveal how much of their “extensive library” is available in HD.

Blockbuster on Demand

Having recently announced bankruptcy, and currently only available from two TV manufacturers, Blockbuster on Demand is kind of an also-ran. They, like Best Buy, have partnered with CinemaNow. But unlike Best Buy, there is little to no mention of HD on Blockbuster’s site. Rentals seem to range from $1.99 to $3.99, with purchases around $17.99. There is very little information about Blockbuster on Demand on their website or elsewhere, which is sketchy, in my book. Unlikely they’ll survive long in their current state anyway, so this may all be moot.

Music

Pandora and Slacker

Pandora and Slacker are free music streaming services. Internet Radio, if you like. In theory, they’re competitors, but in usage they’re very similar. They both let you pick an artist or song, and then their algorithms play music similar to that artist or song. It works great and is free, with just a few advertisements. Both offer a subscription service that is higher quality, fewer (if any) ads, and a few advanced features. Both are great and if you haven’t checked them out, you should. If there’s no other way to get music into the room where your TV is, and your TV speakers don’t suck too bad (sorry, they do), then these are a great thing to have. Sound quality is roughly on par with your average MP3 download. This is to say it’s passable, but a far cry from CD despite “CD quality” claims by each.

Napster

The pay service called Napster (now owned by Best Buy), has nothing to do with this name’s storied past. For $5 to $10 a month you can stream unlimited amounts of music. The difference between Napster and Pandora/Slacker is that you can choose what you want to play. Pandora and Slacker are more like a radio station, playing random songs that fit the style of music you choose.

Rhapsody

Rhapsody is a subscription music service. For $10-$15 a month you can download all the music you want and listen to it as much as you want. It’s a lease, though, as once you stop paying for the service, you can no longer play any of the songs you downloaded.

The Rest

Twitter and Facebook need little introduction. Though why you would need them on a TV is beyond me.

Skype is a program that allows you to make free voice and video calls over the Internet. You’ll need a video camera add-on for this and they are all manufacture specific, meaning brand X video camera will only work with brand X TV. Currently, only Samsung and Panasonic or Skype video service, although more companies are expected to join next year.  For more on Skype video, check out our review here.

Flikr and Picasa are web services to share photos. Upload from your computer, share them in the living room.

Lastly, Sony is currently making a line of TVs that have Google TV built in. So far Google TV is underwhelming, offering similar content streaming capabilities as other TVs, just adding in a web browser for full Internet surfing, something no other TV offers. Be aware CBS, NBC and ABC’s programming on their respective websites is being blocked by the networks. It is assumed they’re holding out for  a piece of Google’s revenue. Whether this situation continues or expands to other websites remains to be seen.

Conclusion

It’s unlikely that any one service will fill all your needs. The subscription services, Netflix and Hulu Plus, don’t offer the variety that the pay-per-view services (Amazon Video on Demand, VUDU, CinemaNow and Blockbuster) provide, but none of the PPV services will likely have everything you’re looking for either. For most people, Netflix plus AVoD or VUDU will offer the best compromise between price and selection.

Most services have a lot of other channels other than those listed in the graph below. I’d classify most of these as a bit of faff, but to each their own.

Please keep in mind that companies are changing what services they offer practically on a daily basis. So if company X starts offering Twitter or some service, don’t fret. The big stuff is here, and correct as of the date of publication.

(Editor’s Note: If you currently own a Connected TV, we would like to invite you to join our free HD Guru/Quixel Research advisory group. You will receive TV industry inside information and be eligible for free prizes. Click here for more information)

By Geoff Morrison

Edited By Gary Merson

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(July 22, 2010) The best selling HDTV screen size in America is 32″. Almost every TV maker offers models in this class, which creates stiff competition that drives prices down to record low levels.

A  number of name brand entry models can be found for under $400, though you can also spend over $900 for a 1.1″ thin LED LCD loaded with many extra features. Which one is right for you?

The Basics

All 32″ flat screen TVs today are LCDs lit using either CCFL fluorescent lamps or LEDs (which is why such sets are often incorrectly referred to as “LED TVs”)

An advantage in larger screen sets using LED lighting can include the ability to extinguish appropriate screen sectors to produce deeper black (the feature is referred to as “local dimming”). Unfortunately, we know of no LED models in the 32″ class that have this feature. Only 40″ and larger sets do. (Ditto for 3D capability).

LEDs are more energy efficient than CCFL lamps, but in the 32″ size the power consumption differential is minimal (about 45 watts for LED versus around 75 watts for CCFL). Thus the purchase price premium is more likely far greater than the lifetime energy savings.

720p vs. 1080p

At 32″ screen size you have to be about four feet from the TV to fully appreciate the increased resolution of 1080p over 720p. Most people typically sit nine feet from their TVs. This statistic is referred to as the “Lechner Distance” named after the engineer who did the research.  If you sit that far away, save your money and opt for a 720p model.

60 Hz vs. 120 Hz

All LCD TVs (whether LED or CCFL) blur fast moving screen objects (i.e. a runners’ legs or a speeding car). 120 Hz HDTVs reduce the motion blur. However, if you are sitting at the Lechner Distance, you will probably not find the blur of the slower sets objectionable.

120 Hz is only available on 1080p LCD (and LED) models.  If you sit near the four foot optimal viewing distance and view  content with a lot of motion, such as sports or adventure movies you should opt for a 120 Hz sets.  Be aware:  all current LCD/LED models operating in the 120Hz mode,  make film based sources appear to resemble  video (sometimes referred to as the soap opera effect), which is a phenomena some viewers find objectionable.

Internet Connectivity

A number of higher end models include Internet widgets and provide other content such as weather forecasts, sports scores, Amazon (movies) on Demand, Flickr and Net Flix. The  list will vary among brands. If this is important to you, consider purchasing a Blu-ray player with similar Internet services. You will get the functionality without the additional cost tacked on to the TV. An example is the Panasonic DMP-BD65. It is available from Amazon for $124.68 with free shipping.

HDMI Inputs

HDMI is the best way to connect an HDTV to a high definition source component. Most 32″ models have at least two HDMI inputs, while others have three to four. You will need one for your cable or satellite box/DVR and another for a Blu-ray  player. You may need a third for a connecting a camcorder or a media box such as a VUDU player. Decide your needs before making a purchase decision.

If you are planning to also get a surround sound audio system, you may need only one HDMI input if the receiver or home theater in a box (HTIB) you select includes multiple HDMI inputs.

What Else To Look For

Once you’ve decided on the features you want in a 32″ HDTV, the two most important performance criteria are viewing angle and black level. The former is easy to test. Simply begin moving to the right or left of the screen center and see how quickly the image becomes darker and the blacks get lighter resulting in a darker image with lower contrast.  Some sets (such as the Panasonic LCDs) are known for their wide viewing angle while others quickly get a flat, dull look as one moves off center. If you always view alone and only on-axis you can skip to the next item. However, if you will have friends or family over regularly, check the off-axis performance before buying the set.

Black level is the Achilles heel of small screen LCD HDTVs. A number of models we’ve looked at have very blue or purplish blacks. Other have more neutral blacks but they’re gray, not inky.

Unfortunately evaluating in the brighter than home, store retail environment  is difficult. To determine the color and depth of black, cup your hand on the screen to block out room ambient light and wait for a fade to black or a   dark scene during observing the store’s demo content. Also inspect  the depth and shade of black when viewing off-axis. Some 32″screens get quite blue as you move to off center.

Final Suggestions

Do your homework online to make a list of 32″ HDTVs that have the features you desire within your price range. Amazon carries many 32″ models and you can get there using our link. Just click Amazon’s ad on the left column.

With your model list in hand, get to over to your local TV retailer, test viewing angles and black levels then choose your ideal 32″ HDTV.

Edited by Michael Fremer

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Copyright ©2010 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

By Gary Merson

Edited by Michael Fremer

Whether the day after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday”because of the day’s heavy traffic or because it signals the beginning of the selling period when most retailers go from being in the red to being “in the black,” it unofficially marks the start of the holiday gift giving buying season.

Despite the ongoing recession and high unemployment, analysts at both iSuppli and the Consumer Electronics Association predict that 8 million LCD HDTVs will sell during the fourth quarter, up 7.3% from the same period in 2008. Clearly, HDTVs are among the most prized gifts. So whether you’re right or wrong here’s our advice.

Size Matters

Job one is to pick the right screen size for your needs. HD LCDs range from 19” to 65” and plasmas from 42” to 65”.  LCD screens 37” and smaller generally feature 720p resolution, though there are a few sets as small as 32” offering 1080p. There are 42” and 50” 720p plasma sets as well, with all plasma sizes available in 1080p.

Which size is right for you? Consider your budget, room size, seating positions and finally if it’s an issue for you, the size of the cabinet in which you’re placing the set. Our exclusive HD Guru viewing distance chart (link) tells you how close you need to sit to see full resolution with a given 720p or 1080p display. Sit further away and of course you will still get a great picture, but  human vision limitations will prevent you from seeing the set’s full resolution.

LCD or Plasma?

LCD is your only choice if size or budget constraints limit you to a below 42″ size. While you have a choice of plasma or LCD at 42″ or above, HD Guru and most other experts agree that plasma beats LCD (including those labeled “LED” in overall picture quality.

Why? Plasma offers uniform picture quality as you move off-axis, meaning everyone in the room essentially sees the same picture. LCD does not. Off axis, all LCD displays exhibit changes in color, black level and brightness, though some that will be recommended in an upcoming article, offer better off-axis performance than others.

Plasma offers overall better black levels, with blacks always appearing deeper when viewed off-axis compared to LCDs, because plasma has the ability to shut light off at a pixel level. Because LCD is a backlit technology, the best it can do¬and not all LCDs have it is dim large blocks of pixels using a feature called “local dimming”. It’s not nearly as precise or effective as actually turning off individual pixels and adjacent high contrast images often produce a halo artifact.

CCFL Or LED Backlit LCD TV?

A relatively recent advance in LCD technology uses LEDs (light emitting diodes) to illuminate the picture in place of the more commonly used thin fluorescent tubes called CCFLs. Though some set manufacturers choose to call their LED backlit sets Ãll told they are still LCD TVs  However, LED backlighting has a number of advantages, one of which is lower power consumption compared to both traditional backlit LCDs and plasma. For a given screen size, plasma and CCFL backlit LCDs have about the same energy efficiency.

Another LED advantage is the production of very bright images, which makes them preferable to both CCFL backlit LCDs and plasma if you do a lot of daytime viewing, especially in windowed rooms that lack shades or curtains.

Edge Versus Backlit LED

Manufacturers use LEDs to either edge light or back light their LCD sets. Edge lighting can produce thin profile sets that are just over an inch deep. Back lit sets are deeper but,  offer the aforementioned advantage of local dimming, which can produce extremely dark black levels.

Edge lit LEDs have white and black uniformity issues at the picture perimeter while off-axis brightness of both LED formats tends to fall off somewhat more rapidly than does the same panel lit using traditional CCFLs. However, overall, LED backlit sets produce the best LCD pictures.

60Hz/120Hz/240Hz

Standard LCDs incorporate a 60 Hz refresh rate. This produces motion resolution of around 320 lines (per picture height) out of a possible1080 lines. 120 Hz refresh ups the motion resolution to around 600 lines, while 240 Hz kicks it up to 900 lines or higher.

Some sets incorporate circuits that produce even more frames per second in an attempt to further smooth motion, but the added smoothness comes at a price, which is an increase in picture artifacts (see related story here link).

For the best LCD picture, either traditional or LED backlit, choose one with either a 120Hz or 240Hz refresh rate. However, all 1080p plasma sets produce artifact free, full 1080 line motion resolution. Panasonic’s V and Z series plasmas offer a 96Hz refresh rate that produces images free of the judder found in all 60 Hz  panels (plasma and LCD) without the artifacts associated with 120/240Hz LED/LCDs.

Special Features

If you’re looking for the most accurate image reproduction, consider THX Certified designs that provide near ideal out of the box color temperature and color point accuracy when set to the THX picture option. User calibration controls included with many top of the line HDTVs allow (with proper test equipment and signals) near perfection image fine tuning.

Buying your HDTV

This year’s holiday supply of HDTVs is good with prices about 20% lower than last year.

Market conditions changed with Circuit City’s demise, essentially leveling Best Buy’s Black Friday “Door Buster” prices on mid to high end models with those found at Pricegrabber and Amazon. For tips on buying a set at a brick and mortar store, check out our feature “How To Negotiate the Best Deal”. (link).

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