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If you're in the market for a new flat-panel HDTV we've got some good news: Based on the latest HDTV Ratings (available to subscribers), plasma and LCD TVs continue to get better, even while prices decline. In our latest TV Ratings, all but two of the 35 models we tested delivered very good or excellent high-definition picture quality.
With LCD, we're seeing newer technologies, such as 120Hz refresh rates, becoming mainstream in all but the smallest or cheapest sets. Others, such as LED backlights, are now in wider use, although still limited to step-up models. In our just-posted Ratings, you'll find LCD TVs from Samsung and Sony that use "full-array" LED backlights, which can be locally dimmed, as well as other models from those brands that use "edge" LEDs. We found some benefits and tradeoffs to each approach.
Among the new plasma TVs, we've now tested the first sets we've seen using what's being called "600Hz sub-field drive." This technology addresses an issue that, frankly, hasn't been a real plasma problem: motion resolution, or blurring during fast-moving scenes. This is essentially the same issue being tackled by 120Hz technology in LCD sets, which have had a much more obvious problem. These 600Hz sets, from Panasonic and LG, speed up the rate at which the individual pixels are flashed onscreen. Using test patterns designed to show off this flaw, we found that this new technology can indeed minimize blurring. The improvement was more evident in sets from one brand than the other.
Both LCD and plasma sets are adding new features, such as the ability to directly access online content, including streaming movies and Web-based services from companies such as YouTube and Flickr. Some sets incorporate onscreen "widgets," developed by Yahoo, to provide easy access to these sites and services. Recognizing that TVs are becoming multi-dimensional, we've added a new "versatility" column to our Ratings to reflect a TV's extra features.
Finally, the quest for ever-thinner designs continues unabated, as new flagship LCD and plasma sets vie for the title of slimmest set, like pound-shedding contestants from The Biggest Loser.
Also, note that we've updated some tests and procedures to keep our Ratings in step with TV technology and your needs. For example, image and sound tests are now performed using the HDMI input, and we've reworked our sound-quality tests, which use both measurements taken in our updated sound labs and subjective listening tests.
We've also been able to increase the pace of our TV tests, so Ratings will be posted faster than they have been in the past. In fact, we're already well under way in our tests of 16 new models, including LCD sets from some value brands such as Insignia, Dynex, and Auria, and two large 58-inch Samsung plasmas, one of which is the thinnest plasma we've ever seen with a built-in tuner. So keep checking back regularly for the latest TV Ratings. —James K. Willcox
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