CES 2009 preview: Better LCD sets

New TV technology will be in the spotlight at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). One development we've been following is the rising refresh rate of LCD displays, to combat the problem of motion blur in fast-moving scenes.

At CES, we expect to see further improvements on this front. 120Hz technology, which essentially doubles the TV's typical 60Hz refresh rate by inserting extra frames, is now fairly commonplace in higher-priced models from major brands. In 2008, Sony and Samsung announced 240Hz models that quadruple the TV's frame rate. Sony's Bravia KDL-52XBR7 (at right) is already on the market, and Samsung has shown a prototype.  At CES, we'll be looking for additional 240Hz sets from other brands.

Just this week, LG upped the ante, announcing "Trumotion 480Hz" LCD TV technology, which it claims will not only eliminate motion blur, but improve black-level performance. The key to LG's approach is the use of a "scanning backlight," which can be shut on and off very rapidly. When the scanning backlight is combined with LG's 240Hz technology, the display can be refreshed 480 times each second.

Obviously we haven't yet had a chance to check out LG's technology, which won't make its way into TVs until the latter half of 2009. But hopefully we'll have a chance to see it in action next week in a private demo.

Other trends we'll be tracking at CES include models that use LED backlights, rather than CCFL lamps. The few we've tested so far rival the best plasma TVs for deep black levels. And some LCD models we've tested, such as those from Panasonic, offer virtually unlimited viewing angles, another traditional plasma strength. We'll be on the lookout for other LCD sets that address this limitation.

Stay tuned for all our CES blogs to find out what we think about this—and other—new TV, audio-video, cell phone technologies we find among the exhibit booths there.

—James K. Willcox