New TVs have full browsers, new LED backlights, lower prices

We keep hearing that this is the year that TV prices will rise. But based on the new 2012 models Consumer Reports has tested, it looks like prices are still falling, especially on step-up models with some key features—including 3D and Internet access.

Given the still-sluggish economy, it's not surprising that companies are also targeting budget-conscious shoppers with no-frills models that do away with extra features in exchange for lower prices. For example, in our just-posted TV Ratings, there's a mix of lower-priced TVs from both major and secondary brands. Despite their lower prices, many (but not all) of these sets deliver very good or even excellent picture quality.

Shoppers looking for more feature-laden TVs won't be disappointed by the selection in our new TV Ratings, either. More models have access to Internet content, and a growing number now come with built-in Wi-Fi, full Web browsers, and access to an apps market.

One noteworthy flagship model, in Samsung's new 3D-capable ES8000 LCD series, lets you control the TV using voice commands and gestures. It also has facial-recognition technology that can keep track of up to five separate users. And one LG model comes with the company's gesture-based Magic Remote control.

A new development this year is direct-lit LED backlighting, found in Samsung's EH-series LCD TVs; we have two in our current TV Ratings. (LG will also use direct-lit LED backlights in its LS3400-series entry-level LCD TVs.) Direct-lit LED backlights help manufacturers bridge the gap in price between lower-cost fluorescent (CCFL) backlights and more expensive edge-LED models. Sets with direct-lit LEDs are more energy efficient than CCFL models, but they don't have the slim designs common to most edge-LED models.

Although it may not have caught on the way many manufacturers had hoped, 3D capability is also well represented in the Ratings. In addition to 3D-capable sets from major brands, the TV Ratings include the first 3D set we've ever tested from Sanyo: a passive 3D model that comes with two sets of polarized 3D glasses. It's among the least expensive 3D TVs we've ever tested at a 42-inch screen size, though it also had a quirk we haven't seen before.

Changes to the TV Ratings
Subscribers will note that there are some changes in this round of TV Ratings. Perhaps the most obvious is that we no longer break out TVs by type. Instead, plasma, LCD, and TVs with 3D capability are all combined into a single TV Ratings, categorized by screen size. We believe this will make it easier for potential buyers to compare similarly sized sets, regardless of whether they're plasma or LCD models. If you're looking for a 3D-capable TV, we suggest you first look for a set that does well with regular high-definition programs, then read across the columns for the TV's 3D score.

There are a few other changes. One is that we are no longer testing a TV's standard-definition performance, since we've found a correlation between a set's HD score and its ability to handle standard-def programs. Another is that we're factoring a TV's power consumption into its overall score. But before we calculate a TV's yearly energy costs, we first calibrate the set for best performance, which we believe gives readers a truer sense of the set's energy use.

We'd like to hear how you feel about the changes we've made to the TV Ratings, so let us know what you think in the comments section. We'll be fine-tuning the Ratings over the course of the year to provide you with what we think are the most comprehensive TV evaluations available anywhere.

—James K. Willcox