New Ratings of LCD and plasma TVs

Just in time for holiday shoppers heading out on Black Friday: our new Ratings of LCD TVs and plasma TVs, with reviews and test results for more than 100 TVs.

Our testers found TVs offering great performance at bargain prices, including 55-inch LCD TVs selling for $1,500 to $2,000, 46-inch LCDs for about $1,000, and 42-inchers for less than $700. There are also TV deals on the plasma side. We recommend a number of 54-inch to 60-inch TVs selling in the $1,500 to $2,000 range, several 50-inch models for less than $1,000, and 42-inchers for $700 or less. (Ratings and full reviews available to subscribers. Any visitor, subscriber or not, can get TV specs and other information by using our Price & Shop tool.)

Among the recommended TVs are models from bigger names such as JVC, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba, as well as brands such as Insignia, Sanyo, and Vizio.

Many of the LCD sets have 120Hz or 240Hz refresh rates, which we have found to reduce motion blur in many instances. There are also a growing number of Internet-enabled LCD and plasma TVs that can directly access online content, including streaming movies services from providers such as Amazon Video On Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, Netflix and Vudu. More than a third of the sets 37 inches and larger in our Ratings are Internet-capable models.

We're already well underway with our tests of 16 new TVs that will be added to our online Ratings within the next few weeks. Keep checking the blog, and we'll let you know when those Ratings are available. —Eileen McCooey