• Reduced power consumption
• Slimmer TV units
• Good screen fast-motion handling

So how has Panasonic done with their NeoPDP range?

They’ve done pretty well. The PDP range has slimmer lighter screens and the range topping Z1 is just 8.8mm thick.

They have also achieved a significant reduction in power consumption and the running costs are now comparable with LCD TV’s. You also have the interesting choice of either reducing power consumption or increasing screen brightness - useful for adjusting the TV for sunny days or late nights.

The European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA) has given Panasonic’s TX-P42V10 its best Plasma award for 2009-2010 which confirms that the performance of Panasonic’s high end plasmas is producing tangible improvements in overall screen performance.

Panasonic TX-P42V10 Review

The V10 is the second highest model in the current NeoPDP rang eabove the G10 and G15 and gets: ‘THX Mode’, ‘Picture in Picture’, an upgraded ‘Natural Vision Filter’, ‘24p Smooth Film’, ‘Digital Cinema Colour’ and ‘Deep Colour’.

Feature summary:

• Screen: 42in 16:9
• Tuner: Digital
• Sound System: Nicam
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Contrast Ratio (dynamic): 2,000,000:1
• V-real 4 Picture Processing
• 100Hz refresh rate
• 600Hz sub-field drive
• Sockets: 4 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, SD card reader.

The model above the V10 is the range topping, ultra slim (1in) Z1. This can transmit a full 1080p HD signal from its tuner box and also supports the Viera Cast feature wirelessly.

(Viera Cast provides internet access directly through the TV and pushing the Viera Cast button on the TX-P42V10’s remote takes you straight to Panasonic’s online content portal. Here you can choose from content such YouTube videos, the Picasa photo sharing web site, stock quote information, weather reports etc. The content is limited but growing.)

The TX-P42V10 delivers deep, rich blacks with absolutely no trace of ‘greyness’ and an impressive level of graduated detail across darker scenes. This adds realism and dynamism to scenes and with the added benefit of NeoPDP technology these darker scenes are brighter than just about any other plasma TV (except for the Pioneer Kuro).

The TX-P42V10 has advanced colour enhancingtechnology and facial tones are never anything less than wholly realistic and overall this screen is still well above the standard level of performance in terms of colour reproduction.

Motion handling on the TX-P42V10 is improved and again up with the class leaders (although not perfect). The improvement is most noticeable on faster motion sequences and although the TX-P42V10 still suffers from a small amount of juddering with fast camera pans, it’s is one of the best performers in this respect.

The TX-P42V10 delivers an above avarage Standard Definition (SD) performance and as expected, the 1920 x 1080 Full HD panel produces some of the best High Definition (HD) pictures we have seen todate where every nuance of detail is clearly rendered in vibrant colours.

The stylish, slim profile has been achieved at the expense of acoustic performance and the P42V10 has only average audio performance (although this problem exists with most slim, flat panel TVs). 

Summary

The TX-P42V10 Plasma TV marks an admirable achievement by Panasonic and is one of the best 42in TV’s money can buy.

Footnote:

LCD TV screen sizes and shipments are continuing to march ever upward and in July 2009 large screen LCD year-on-year revenues reached US$5.9 billion, up 11% sequentially and 6% on year, also marking the first time since July 2008 that there has been positive annual growth.

Based on the number of units shipped the leading companies were:

• LG Display (LGD) was the leader with 24.7% market share,
• Samsung with 23.4%
• AU Optronics (AUO) with 16.8%.

For a TV of this size and price, you definitely need to go along and have a look at it, so you can judge the picture and sound quality and the feature set provided.

At the other end of the price scale, at the time of writing you can buy a 65-inch 1080p LCD TV for only $2300! This particular TV is from Olevia, which probably isn’t the greatest brand, because its parent company recently filed for bankruptcy . . . but hey it’s cheap!

SONY BRAVIA KDL-65W5100 65″ LCD HDTV - Part Number: KDL65W5100

Price range at time of writing $4,6000-$4,900.

The Bravia W Series 65-inch KDL-65W5100 1080p LCD HDTV features a 16:9 Full HD 1080p resolution panel, so you can take full advantage of Blu-ray Disc players that deliver 1080p content.

The TV incorporates:

• Sony’s Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) which uses real-time image processing to dynamically adjust backlight levels for improved contrast without masking details.
• Motionflow 120 Hz technology that enhances sharpness and delivers smooth motion for fast-action pictures.
• A BRAVIA Engine 3 technology fully digital video processor that uses a collection of enhanced algorithms to significantly reduce noise, enhance overall image detail, and optimize contrast. This is claimed to produce sharp, vibrant, life-like images.
• BRAVIA Sync Technology allows the access and control multiple tasks and system operations with one button and the Internet Widgets feature means you can access news, weather, stock info.

It includes:

• 7 HD inputs with 4 HDMI inputs that let you connect a games system, Blu-ray Disc player, or any other HDMI-capable equipment.
• An HD component input and an HD combo input provides added HD-capable connectivity
• A PC input so you can use it as a computer monitor.
• Compliance with DLNA that allows BRAVIA W-series HDTVs to access digital photos, music, and video from DLNA-enabled PCs and other devices.

Sharp LC - 65D64U - 65″ LCD TV - 1080p (FullHD)

Price range at time of writing $3000-$3,300.

Sharp is an established leader in LCD technology, although they have not topped the sales charts for a while now. The AQUOS LC-65D64U is a slim-line design which reduces depth by 25% and establishes a new design standard for LCD TVs. It has a screen size of 65″ but fits this large screen size into an incredibly small footprint and includes side terminals for wall-mounting convenience.

The LC-65D64U uses Sharp’s proprietary Advanced Super View / Black TFT Panel with multi-pixel technology. This provides 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio with Enhanced Picture Contrast Technology and 4ms response time.

The LC-65D64U also features:

• Built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuners
• 3 HDMI (version 1.3) inputs, compatible with 1080p signals
• X.V. Color, a PC input and 2 HD component video inputs.

User reviews include comments such as:

• “We found the picture and everything else about this HDTV nothing short of amazing. We shopped extensively and looked at many other large screen flat panels, and nothing compares to this for the money.”
• “Buy this TV! It’s a great TV for the price. You won’t regret it. I had a Sony LCD, 4 years old, and this is a dramatic improvement, blacker blacks, contrast is incredible.”
• “The Aquos 65 requires a bit more adjusting on colors (than a Panasonic), but I’m completely satisfied with the results. Using basic adjustments got to good quality, and the advanced adjustments should be enough for anyone to reach just the right results.”
• “The picture is beautiful, but the fumes from the set are noxious. The odor gets overpowering and nauseating after the TV is on for a short while.” (A few people complained about the odor and this was the worst case).

Good shopping.

The growth is welcome, if a little surprising given that the weak economy has caused sales of other consumer electronics to tale a tumble so far in 2009.

The most surprising aspect of the sales figures is that Vizio sold 21.6 percent of total LCD TVs shipped in the first quarter of 2009. This is a big leap in their market share, as it’s about 50% up from the 13.8 percent Vizio achieved in the fourth quarter of 2008.

As such Vizio LCD TV has now become the top-selling LCD TV brand in the U.S and in becoming the top brand, Vizio has overtaken Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics and Sharp along the way.

Seeing how Vizio only started business in 2002, you have to say it has come a long way very fast.

Question: So why is Vizio now the number one LCD TV brand? Most likely it’s because consumers are looking for cheaper TVs. Certainly, since the onset of the economic downturn, Vizio’s share has risen dramatically.

Vizio has kept its market share rising by:

• keeping its prices low, despite competition from other “no-name” brands and the big brandnames

and

• getting into stores like Costco and Wal-Mart, so its products are available in places where people are buying.

One of Vizio’s best selling LCD TVs in Q1 2009 was a 42-inch HDTV for an average price of $850 (the VW42LF - 42″ Class LCD FHDTV is currently listed at $829.99 on the Vizio website).

In comparison, a similar TV from Samsung was around $1,000, while Sony’s was a little more at $1,090.

On the other hand, you can read this LCD TV review where the conclusion was “although the Vizio looked good by itself, when compared side by side with the Samsung the (large) difference in price was justified.”

For me, if a Samsung LCD TV was $1000 vs a similar Vizio LCD TV at $850, I’d want to take a close look at the 2 TVs, preferably side by side before buying.

It’s not clear to me if the vendors yet agree on what constitutes an “LED TV”. Each has their own spin to suit their products’ strengths and orientation.

Some vendors e.g. Philips and LG use LEDs for backlighting, whereas others use it as the primary illumination.

Philips LED TVs

Philips say their Ambilight 42PFL9803H/10 42 inch LCD / LED TV features:

• LED Lux Display
• MPEG4 HDTV* and the Perfect Pixel HD Engine
• Perfect Motion, Perfect Colours and Perfect Contrast with Ambilight Spectra 2

This LCD TV has multi-array LED backlighting and uses multiple LED arrays each controlled individually, in contrast to regular LCD screens that only have one backlight to illuminate the entire screen.

Note: This is different LED technology to Samsung LED TVs where the fundamental illumination of the TV is done via LEDs, not just the backlighting. You could describe this as “half-way house” LED TV technology

However, the Philips LED TVs generally get excellent reviews, although the retail price is higher (up to twice as much) than a comparable Samsung LED TV.

LG LED TVs

LG’s LH90 LED TVs have been announced and priced (42 inch model retails at approx $2,400) but the availability isn’t clear yet - possibly next month (June 09).

The LG TV specs include:

• 2,000,000 : 1 MEGA Contrast Ratio
• 1080p Full HD Resolution - TruMotion 240Hz
• LED back light Technology
• 24p Real Cinema
• Picture Wizard : Easy Self Calibration
• Smart Energy Saving Plus

Samsung LED TVs

Samsung LED TVs use LEDs as their primary light source, instead of traditional cold cathode fluorescent lamps.

Samsung say this allows their LED TVs to achieve higher contrast ratios, thinner TVs and 40% energy saving compared with LCD TVs of the same size.

Viewing tests indicate LEDs produce darker blacks and crisp whites, with vivid colors, resulting in improved picture quality. Samsung have also added their Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation technology that reduces motion blur and image judder.

On the minus side, it seems that the average life span of an LED TV is 40,000 hours, which is down on an LCD TV which averages 60,000 viewing hours.

If you watch TV 4 hours a day, 40,000 hours = 13.7 years and 8 hours a day viewin gtime = 6.85 years.

The Samsung LED TV models were introduced in 46-inch (priced at P260,000) and 40-inch (P160,000) variants last month while the B7000 55-inch model will be launched this May.

Vizio, Kenmark, Viewsonic, Kogan, Syntax, TCL, Polaroid, UMC, Olevia, Daewoo, Westinghouse, iLO, Goodmans, TEAC, Norcent and Zenith?

Answer: They’re all so-called, cheap LCD TVs.

Sometimes these are also called “no name” or “value” brand TVs. Some of these LCD TVs are only available in only one country, or just a few countries, whereas others are available around the world.

Important Note: Although they may be called cheap LCD TVs, they’re not necessarily cheaper than the major brands in every case. Especially in the current economy, where the big brands - Sony, Samsung, Philips, LG, Panasonic, Sharp etc - are becoming more price competitive.

For example in a recent review by Choice Australia of 42 inch / 106 cm LCD and Plasma TVs the cheapest was from Sanyo followed by a Samsung model than Panasonic and Philips.

The value TV in the comparison was a TCL brand model, which was placed 8th out of 10 in the overall ratings. However, the TCL was $650 more than the 2nd placed Samsung and $600 more than the 3rd placed Philips TV.

Anyway the question of interest to most people about cheap LCD TVs is are they any good? And that is a tricky question to answer.

The issues behind that question revolve around what are the buying criteria that are important to you.

A low, or at least competitive price is obviously important to many people, but what do you trade off to get a lower pric?

If you read some of the reviews on cheap TVs, some people love them, others hate them. Others never have a problem, other have failures and then have problems with customer support trying to get their issues resolved.

Overall, assuming you find the picture quality and feature set acceptable, probably durability/reliability is the main gotcha with cheap LCD TVs. And reliability / customer support is one of those things its hard to really know how its going to be until you need it.

In the July 2008 issue of Popular Mechanics they compared the Samsung LN40A650 LCD TV against the VU42LF Vizio LCD TV. The Samsung was more than twice the price of the Vizio at the time of the review ($2700 vs $1100).

The reviewer concluded that although the Vizio looked good by itself, when compared side by side with the Samsung the (large) difference in price was justified.

So this reinforces our LCD TV buying guide tips:

1. Define your buying criteria - size, features, budget range.

2. Research on the internet to get a shortlist of which LCD TVs meet your buying criteria.

3.  Go and see the shortlist in the flesh, ideally side by side or at least within a short period of each other using the same source material

4.  Negotiate the best deal, remembering the internet is not necessarily the cheapest. Also remeber to watch out for internet shonks, there are plenty around.

Good shopping.

The latest Samsung LED TVs, such as the UN46B7000, use an edge-lit LED-based, TFT active matrix, LCD panel (what a mouthful of techno-jargon!). Basically this means that the TV uses LED Backlight technology to increase the amount of light passing through the LCD panel.

So far Samsung is the only company to announce a full lineup of LED-based LCD TVs. These are still expensive as new technology products usually are, before the production volumes crank up.

However, if you’re desperate to impress your neighbours today, LED TVs offer the most advanced technology (at least until OLED comes along) and their design looks as sexy as hell, not least because they’re super thin.

Samsung also claim a 40% reduction in the power consumption for the LED TV compared with previous model, same size TVs.

Features:

The LCD TV panel is only 1.2 inches thick and the 46 inch model weighs around 50lbs (light for its size) and Samsung claims it is very easy to hang on a wall as a result.

For comparison a previous Samsung LN46A950 LED-backlit TV, which was released in 2008, weighs around 68lbs for the same screen size.

• 3,000,000:1 Mega Contrast ratio provides an extended brightness range - deep blacks and bright  whites.
• Advanced Color Processing for a wider range of natural colors and greater picture depth.
• Auto Motion Plus 120 Hz technology eliminates virtually all motion blur, for a  smooth and crisp picture.

Street Price at time of posting:

The Samsung UN46B7000 has a screen size of 46 inches and a price of around $2,500 (April 2009).

Reviews and User Feedback

CNet said:

“. . [there are] some picture quality trade-offs caused by the LED system, namely less-than-perfect uniformity and off-angle viewing, along with the backlights’ somewhat distracting fluctuations.”

User Comments:

“HD, bluray quality is one which leaves viewer speechless”

“Fantastic picture, deep blacks, easy to set up”

“Overrated & overpriced”

“Incredibly thin, amazing blacks, high price!”

Exactly how far in front is always hard to say because new developments and LCD TV models come thick and fast.

To generalize further, Sony LCD TVs are often, but not always, the most technically advanced and tend to rate well on picture quality and facilities. On the other hand they are also often the most expensive in a given category.

Samsung tend to be close to the best in quality and feature scores and (much) more price competitive than Sony. On this basis Samsung’s leading position is no surprise.

Key points to Remember

The other manufacturers such as Sharp, Panasonic, LG, Pioneer and the European brands might not rate as highly overall, but they often produce standout sets in a certain area. In other words, their overall range is not as consistently good as Sony and Samsung, but they produce individual TVs that are.

As we always say, go and look at (and listen to) TVs that are in your price and feature range. Take a favorite DVD with you so you get a consistent reference point to compare from.

You may find an LCD TV from a second tier manufacturer that is from your point of view does everything you want and is on a run out, or you are able to negotiate a good price. If so, take it.

Also remember, time is on your side when you’re buying, because there’s only one way LCD TV prices are heading - and it ain’t up!

Budget TVs

This is a tricky area. Some budget brands are shortlived, or their back end product suppliers change regularly. This means that after sales support is something you need to be confident in, if you’re buying a budget brand, unless you are happy to throw your LCD TV away if it fails in 2 - 3 years.

Performance wise, sometimes budget models are reasonably close to the big name brands. For example Popular Mechanics (of all people!) compared the 40-inch Samsung LN40A650 against a budget 42-inch set from Vizio.

Vizio is a budget TV maker that’s well regarded for producing good value TVs. Not surprisingly, the Samsung was better, but in case the difference in picture quality was so big that the magazine said: “While the Vizio is a steal at less than half the price of the Samsung, buying a pricier set could be the smart choice.”

LCD TV Comparison Table - Ratings and Prices

(a) the technology is moving fast enough such that last quarter’s hero may be next quarter’s zero

(b) the reviewers don’t all agree on what the best TV is and/or they don’t test the same selection of models

(c) you may not be able to buy the TVs reviewed in your area/country anyway

(d) some reviewers have biases towards particular TV types or brands

(e) your feature preferences might be different to the reviewers

Nevertheless if you read enough reviews, you can usually spot trends and see which brand scores near the top of the list most of the time and conversely, who hangs around the bottom.

Results of a review by Choice Australia in Late 2008

A surprising aspect of this set of LCD TV reviews was the relatively poor score of most TVs on sound quality. The sound quality scores were mostly well below the picture quality scores.

Interestingly, it took a lot of searching to find the top rated model the Sony KDL-40V4000 on Sony’s Australian website. It may already have been overtaken by their newer, motionflow models.

The price of the Sony KDL-40V4000 was quoted on Sony’s website at AUD2,399.

Also interesting is that Choice rated Samsung’s PS42A410C1D plasma TV second overall and higher than the Samsung LA40A550P1F LCD TV.

As always, remember to go to a couple of different shops to check out what you really like in a TV before you go price shopping, on the street or on the web.

Web or Street - Which is Cheaper?

I think most people automatically assume everything is cheaper on the web.

Well some things yes but definitely not all things. In fact I’ve noticed that if you’re willing to shop around and haggle a bit, you can often get things cheaper on the street.

Good shopping!

It’s interesting to note that plasma TVs are still popular.
1.  Samsung PN50A510 Plasma TV
50″ (127cm) diagonal, 16:9, 30000:1 contrast, $2,099 MSRP

2.  Samsung PN50A760 Plasma TV
50″ (127cm) diagonal, 16:9, $2,799 MSRP

3.  Panasonic TC-37LZ85 LCD TV
37″ ( 94cm) diagonal, 16:9, $1,199 MSRP

4.  Panasonic TH-50PH11UK Plasma Monitor
50″ (127cm) diagonal, 16:9, $1,820 MSRP

5.  Panasonic TH-42PF11UK Plasma Monitor
42″ (107cm) diagonal, 16:9, $2,399

6.  VIZIO VECO320L LCD TV
32″ ( 81cm) diagonal, 16:9, 2500:1 contrast, $499 MSRP

7.  Samsung LN52A540 LCD TV
52″ (132cm) diagonal, 16:9, $2,799 MSRP

8.  Panasonic TH-42PH11UK Plasma Monitor
42″ (107cm) diagonal, 16:9, 400:1 contrast, $1,280 MSRP

9.  Samsung LN37A550 LCD TV
37″ ( 94cm) diagonal, 16:9, $1,099 MSRP

10.  VIZIO VW42LF LCD TV
42″ (107cm) diagonal, 16:9, 1000:1 contrast, $829 MSRP

With LCD TVs “best” is temporary anyway given the rate of progress in the technology. The best from 3 or 6  months ago at any point in time has probably already been overtaken by something better and maybe cheaper too!

Nevertheless “upgrade fever” is a well known medical condition that afflicts mostly the male gender when it comes to technology toys of any type.

Latest features that you absolutely gotta have in your LCD TV:

• 1080p resolution
• Full-HD tuner to allow you to see HD broadcasts and Blu-ray disks in their native format.
• LED backlighting, which results in deeper blacks and better colours, and
• Home networking, so you can stream media from another PC or a home server.

If you are suffering from upgrade fever right now, here’s a few LCD TVs that you coulda, woulda, shoulda buy or bought!

LCD TV Reviews by CNet in late 2008:
1.  Samsung LA46A950  Editors’ choice 8.8/10

They say: “The Samsung LA46A950 is without a doubt the best LCD television we’ve seen up until this point”

2.  Sony Bravia KDL46W4000  Editors’ choice 8.7/10

They say: “The Sony Bravia 46W4000 offers exceptional image and sound quality at a reasonable price.”

3.  LG Scarlet 42LG61YD 8.5/10

They say: “The LG Scarlet 42LG61YD is an exceptional 1080p television with great design, features and a well implemented 100Hz mode. Considering the cost and the improvements over the previous Scarlet, this is definitely a good buy.”

Smarthouse Reviews Late 2007:
BEST LCD TV 36″ to 50″: Toshiba 42WL68A

They say: “Toshiba has made a string of excellent LCD TVs, and this 100Hz W Series is top-notch. Thriving on high definition content, this series produces spotlessly clear picture, surprisingly great audio and plenty of connectivity.”

Highly Commended: Sony KDL40XBR

Well Worth Buying: LG 47LB2DE

LCD vs Plasma Shoot Out
In late 2007, Sound and Vision took took the best Plasma TV they could find (Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD Kuro) and the best LCD TV they could find (Samsung LN-T5281F) and compared them in a carefully calibrated match.

The winner as the Pioneer Elite which at the time they rated as “the best flat panel ever” and “the best TV ever”.

The main difference was how much better the Pioneer plasma displayed blacks compared to the Samsung LCD. The Pioneer “made the blacks on the LCD look gray, even though the Samsung had the best blacks ever seen from an LCD”. On the plasma, objects appeared more etched and dimensional against the dark background, thanks to the extra low-level detail.

Summary:

If you can think rationally through the haze of upgrade fever, remember the Buying Tips:

1. Decide what features of an LCD TV are most important to you.
2. Make a shortlist of models that meet your criteria in #1.
3. Set your budget.
4. Go and see a few TVs before making your decision.