3 comments about Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ80U 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV.

1. After spending about three months of looking at different HDTV's, I couldn't decided if I wanted projection, LCD or Plasma. I ruled out projection fairly quickly as it doesn't have the angle of view I'm used to with my tube TV (I can be sitting at my computer and still look at the TV). So it was down to LCD or Plasma. I didn't want to spend that much money on a TV so that ruled out Sony, Sharp and Samsung (I like the pictures on those but you seem to pay a premium) so I was looking for a middle tier HDTV.
   
   I had a 36" tube TV and I din't want to lose height on that, so I did the math and figured out I would need a 44" TV in widescreen. Unfortunately, they don't make those, so it was either a 42" or 46". I was going to settle on a Philips 47" and was about ready to plunk down the money.
   
   I went into the store and got a heck of a deal on this one. It looked nice enough, so I got it. So far I am pretty happy. The blacks are pretty darned close to black. HD shines on it. Even my old DVD player shines on it. I could see details in STar Wars that I haven't seen since watching it in the theater. It's not quite a Sony but I think it's better than what I was looking at.



2. I've been shopping for an HDTV for a while now, waiting for the prices to fall and/or the features and tech to improve. I narrowed my current list to the Sharp 52 & 46" LCD (LC-52D64U/LC-46D64U), Panasonic 50" 720p plasma (PX series), Hitachi 50 720p plasma (P50S601), Samsung's 46" LCDs and 50" 720p plasmas and of coarse the Holy Grail - Pioneer Kuro 50" plasma even if only at 720p. I almost bought the Pioneer Kuro 5080 when I saw it on sale for $2400. It was a tough decision not to buy it and I still regret it to this day. Now I can not find the 5080 let alone for $2400. That was the one that got away about 4 weeks ago. So I kept on shopping.
   
   I came across the Pannasonic TH-46PZ80U at ABC Warehouse and they were having a weekend only sale. These were just release to retail. I took the plunge after I saw the picture on the display model. To say it was gorgeous is an understatement and that was with less than optimal component signal in a bright showroom.
   
   I got it home and set it up on my new TV stand, I adjusted the picture (eyeballed it for now) and connected the cable and PS3 via HDMI. Threw in the Blu-Ray of "Live Free or Die Hard" and was blown away with the picture quality. Made some minor picture tweaks to suit my tastes and sat down and let it all soak in. I do believe I heard angels singing as I basked in the beauty of 1080p. Blacks were deep and shadow detail was impressive. A review said there is a red push on the PZ85U series but I did not notice it on the PZ80U. There may have been but it suits my tastes if that's the case. I was afraid of glare being an issue with the plasma screen but I really did not notice it too much. It is there if you look for it but it wasn't distracting during the movie even though it was mid afternoon in my bright sunlit living room.
   
   Since my living room gets a lot of ambient light, I was leaning towards LCD for this reason only. But the fact that the picture washes out on LCDs as you move off center really bothered me and I could not get over that issue. So I crossed off the LCDs. The Pioneer Kuro did have a slightly better picture overall as I viewed it in the showcased home theater setup @ BB. But it wasn't $1000 better than my Panny. On the PZ80U, sports was flawless on it. No motion blur at all. Not even the 120Hz LCDs can come close to plasmas here. I watch the Red Wings beat Pittsburgh in game 4 of the finals and was in heaven. Watching my beloved Wings in hi-def get a step closer to The Cup highlighted my weekend filled with Blu-Ray and HDTV glory. The PZ85U series has a higher contrast 30000:1 panel but as I compared the 2 side-by-side, I really could not tell the difference between them. Now, I could tell the difference between the PX and the PZ (720p vs. 1080p). 1080p is the way to go! Some will say that you won't be able to discern between 720p and 1080p resolution at 50" or under screen size. Bull!!! Maybe under 42" might be more accurate. But even I could tell on 42" at viewing distance. It was just on the Pioneer Kuro that it really did not matter as much - the picture was that good.
   
   The Samsung plasmas in my pricerange had really good image quality and features as did the Hitachi but could not keep up with the Panasonic and Pioneer in the most important area - the picture. Just my opinion.
   
   So now you know that the picture on the PZ80U is "all that". Connections-wise, it was a fairly standard package with 3 HDMI 1.3 (one front), 2 component and an SD card reader but no PC input. I like the looks of it but not as much as the thin bezels of the Sharp, Samsung, and Toshiba. The base does not adjust like the motorized one on the Hitachi but its not problem for me. The sound quality from the speakers are decent and will due until I get my surround system.
   
   Overall, I'd recommend the Panasonic TH-46PZ80U to anyone looking for a 1080p plasma with excellent picture quality at a reasonable price.
   
   Get it for: deep blacks, shadow detail, overall picture quality, high refresh rates
   
   Pass on it for: non-adjustable base, power consumption (628w, are you kidding me?!?!)



3. This is as good as it gets. Great TV and a great company to do business with. The TV came by special truck and was setup by them in a few minutes. White glove service all the way. Oh, did I fail to mention it was the lowest price as well. $700 less than Best Buy!

5 comments about Samsung LNT5271F 52-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV.

1. I love this tv. It has a great picture and simple to use. I compared to many other brands samsung has the best picture functions easy to use.



2. Yesterday i went to Best buy to purchase wireless router and i said to my friend, lets go see if they have my TV! Sure enough, they had the same tv for $1000 more!! Same model, same everything. Best buy is a rip off. I told a co-worker about my TV and its sensational picture and the price reduction Amazon was offering and he went and bought the same TV!
   
   Im going to be straight with you! You are interested in this TV, you are thinking to yourself, this seems risky.. Its a lot of money and AMAZON? Is it wise to order a TV from AMAZON?!?! I will tell YOU, next time i buy a TV, it will be from AMAZON! sensational service, and savings.
   
   Now about the TV. Absolutely stunning. I was watching the ATL Braves with the 120hz on high and i could see nats around the batter, bugs and flys all over the field. A friend of mine said, "this is unbelievable, i wonder if my TV can see these bugs."
   
   I had a "men-den" aka "man-room" party the other day to watch sports, drink beer and what-not. During half time, someone said to me, "Whats so special about this TV? High definition is just a hype-trend."... "GASP.." said my friends... i looked at my buddy and he said, "show him..." I knew what he was telling me to do. I switched inputs to my blue ray player, pulled out the infamous PLANET EARTH and pressed play. The rest of the night we watch the clearest picture known to man. After the night was over, my friend whispered to me, "You proved your point... Now, where can i get this TV?"
   
   -C



3. This TV was beautiful for 7 months, then it died. The Geek squad has been out a few times replacing one part at a time trying to figure out the problem. In the meantime, I'm out both a TV and $3000.00. Thank God I at least bought the extended protection, even though they don't seem to know what they're doing. Honestly, if you pay $3000.00 for a TV, it should last a little longer than 7 months. Samsung, no thanks...I'll try Sony or something else next time.



4. This TV really change my viewing ecperience its me me wow. it look really great even just looking at it i must say one og =f the bes designed in town.
   so far no dead pixex work very flowlessly.



5. I never regrets this purchase, though it is too early to say what it would be in the long run. I had an extensive research before going for this product within my budget. though the item was from the warehouse, it had all it's new look and also it came with new literature.

3 comments about ViewSonic N1630w 16-Inch 720p LCD HDTV.

1. Got the N1630w 15-inch TV for the kitchen counter, but will need to find another use for it because the speakers are totally tinny, even with full bass and treble added, or different sound preferences selected (I think Viewsonic expects you to add external speakers to this unit so the sound is as good as the picture). Unit also sits very low to the countertop, and doesn't have a swivel feature to allow it to be tilted upwards. The viewing angle is critical .. like viewing a projection TV .. you must look straight into this screen or the picture washes out. We propped a dish towel under the front of the stand in order to have the screen looking up at us ... why no swivel, Viewsonic? It won't be good for computers for the same reason it doesn't swivel up-or-down. Analog TV performance is also quite poor, but then we all need to get away from analog anyway. Buy a 19-inch or larger as you can fit into your needs .. this TV is small in size, and performance.



2. I bought this TV after reading about the poor sound on the small Sharp. I should have waited for a review here. The sound is annoying (I found the music setting to be the least annoying for listening to voice). The picture must be viewed at eye level, as also noted in the first review. On a positive note it has all the inputs and outputs you would need.



3. We have small televisions in our office. We have about 15 Sharp Aquos tv's that we are very happy with, but Sharp stopped making the smaller screens. There are really not that many options for small screen tv's. I read the reviews on the Viewsonic and at first was hesitant, but decided to try one. The picture is very good and since we watch them sitting at a desk, there is no problem with the viewing angle. The sound is not very good, but acceptable for our purpose. I would not recommend this tv for home use unless in low volume situations or use with external speakers as the other reviewer mentioned.

1 comments about Samsung HL61A650 61-Inch 1080p Slim DLP HDTV.

1. First, the Price Alert.... Best Buy will sell this set right now for $1759 !
   Just ordered one this morning, base on previous model reviews and the addition of 3D capability. (and I'm surprised the Amazon price is so high!)
   
   The salesperson at Best Buy stated that these are on "discontinued status" already. Apparently they are not selling enough of the BIG sets. They will continue to stock for the next several months!

5 comments about Sharp Aquos LC37GP1U 37-Inch 1080p LCD Gaming HDTV.

1. Yes I use this gaming TV as a monitor with Vista. I use this to: browse the web, watch DVD movies and play video games. My video card does 1660x1050 and this monitor can do 1900x1200 at 85Hertz. It took a little fussing to get this to work properly but I'm satisfied with the picture. Web browsing is acceptable. I notice a difference between running it at 60Htz and 75Htz which is the best my video card can do. I think I'll upgrade the card soon. Movies are great!!! The quality of the picture is great. Games I have to say are mediorce. There is a gaming mode which has a low latency refresh rate. I used this with Age of Empires 3. I didnt notice a difference between gaming and regular mode but then again the game is not that graphic intensive. I got this for 1300.00 which I consider a fair price. This is my first HDTV so I wanted to low ball a smaller size before I get a larger size. With 1080p this will remain i my house for a long time. I'm finding that the new LCD HDTV's coming out, improve the refresh rates to 120 hertz which upgrades the picture quality remarkably. All in all this was a good investment for the price.



2. My husband and I extensively researched the field before making the leap to HDTV. I looked at the reviews from Consumer Reports and He wanted a TV that he could plug his laptap into for programming and watching downloaded movies. This is a beautiful set that meets our needs.



3. The main selling point for this TV is a lag-free gaming TV. And guess what? It's just that, lag free! In extremely time-sensitive games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, you can play these games with zero calibration out-of-the-box, no matter which input or screen resolution you use. It even supports 1080p with Component, a big plus for us Xbox 360 users that don't have an Elite.
   
   Picture quality is good, sound quality is good, and everything else about the TV is good. The only thing is that you only have one HDMI and one Component port for the "Vyper Drive", so you should consider an HDMI, Component, and/or Composite video switch if you have multiple consoles. The other inputs are fine for your non-gaming needs such as DVD players and such.
   
   Well worth the money if you're a serious gamer.



4. This is my second LCD HDTV to use with my HTPC for games/movies/web browsing/etc. I upgraded to this set for the 1080p resolution. My previous Samsung LCD also had dead pixels... this one had none!
   
   While 1920x1080 resolution is a beautiful thing, you MUST tweak the settings after hooking it up to your PC.
   
   First, press "View mode" on your remote and enable "Dot By Dot." This will eliminate overscan and fuzzy text.
   
   You'll also want to decrease the sharpness, unless you enjoy looking at JPEG compression artifacts. Hit "MENU" and change it to -5 for optimal viewing.
   
   I also recommend flipping open the bottom portion of the remote and using "GAME" AV MODE... it's much easier on the eyes when you're sitting right in front of it.
   
   This LCD is a solid buy and I am not disappointed.



5. This TV is wonderful. The picture is so clean and sharp. It is a very good investment. I also have a 42-inch and a 32-inch HDTV Sharp LCD 1080p
   Very easy to install, and packaged very well

2 comments about LG 42LG50 - 42" LCD TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV - gloss piano black.

1. I've had this TV for a week. Hooked it up to a Comcast HD/DVR via HDMI. HD channels are spectacular as you would expect. Seems to do a good job with SD channels. Black levels seem perfectly fine to me. Overall design is very attractive with hidden speakers and a simple thin chrome strip across the bottom and a light that glows red when in standby and blue when on. Sound quality is very good for a TV. Picture quality was pretty good out of the box. I did reduce the backlighting and red a bit. Liked that it has both a USB and VGA input in this price range. Got it for $1215. Photo viewing is good. Can play background music and slide shows from folders on the USB drive. The remote says its universal, but I cannot get it to work with the Comcast box or my Toshiba DVD. Did get my Comcast remote to work with the TV so not really a problem. No regrets. Would buy this again.



2. I just purchased this TV from Circuit City on sale yesterday for $1099. Right out of the box, the picture was fantastic. I did tweak it a little--brought the brightness up a bit and the color down at bit, and it looks really good now. I have Time-Warner HD service connected via an HDMI cable--it's awesome. The black levels seem very good to me, and the clarity of the picture is excellent. The non-HD channels are very clear too, but obviously not as good as HD. I have the audio runnning via a digital optical cable to my Sony receiver. I did test the speakers on the TV itself--OK sound--not gonna rumble your living room, but that doesn't matter to me because I will never use them.
   So, in conclusion, LG has a fine product here--look at this one compared to Sony or Samsung--it is just as good or maybe even better in my opinion, because you'll save yourself $300-$500 over the price of those models.

5 comments about Sony Bravia L-Series KDL-37L4000 37-Inch 720p LCD HDTV.

1. I did a lot of research before settling on this one. Given the size of my apartment 32" was a little too small and 40" was a little too big. 37" was ideal and I settled on that.
   
   With the screen size less than 50" 1080p and 720p does not differ much in picture quality. So I decided to save some money by going with the 720p.
   
   Went to a few stores and checked out all the brands they had and decided to go with trusted and time tested Sony.
   Buying from Amazon was a no-brainer. Not having to pay sales tax and free delivery sealed the deal. The TV arrived in two business days; amazingly fast for a free shipping service.
   
   The sound quality and picture quality is amazing, especially on blu-rays and over the air digital channels. By the way I'm using an ancient regular rabbit ears antenna and still I get awesome pictures.
   
   Hope your purchase works out for you just as mine did for me.



2. After months of research, I settled on this Bravia as my first HDTV. I'm a stickler for accurate, natural color reproduction, so I expected to have to do a lot of tweaking, as I do with CRT televisions. Out of the box, however, the color was basically perfect; I needed only to change some basic settings to my taste, such as neutral vs. vivid color. The unit itself is very well constructed. It's handsome, but doesn't draw attention to itself like the mod designs from Samsung. The white-glove delivery service was professional and flawless. They assembled the base, hooked up the cables, and made sure everything worked properly.



3. Dealing with Amazon has always been a pleasure for me, and this purchase was no exception. I read the reviews, decided on this model, ordered it and it was delivered on schedule with absolutely no problems. The Sony TV is of the quality that I expected. I am very pleased.



4. The quality of TV is among the best. I recieved my order in a reasonable time.



5. I have to agree with 2 of the other reviewers that out of the box the picture was near perfect with only minor tweaking and purchasing this set on Amazon was definitely a no-brainer. Why pay sales tax and shipping? I decided on this tv for the bedroom and installed it on the wall without any problems. Acturally it went a lot smoother than I had anticipated. After comparing Sony's picture quality to other models at local stores and using Consumer Reports recommendation, I settled on the Sony Bravia 37". I have had the tv for 2 months and could not be happier.

5 comments about Sony Bravia XBR KDL-52XBR4 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV.

1. I shopped around for over a year before I made my decision to buy the Sony. It was always more expensive than the other televisions in the 52 inch size range, but to my eye it always looked the best. I have had this set since March 2008, simply becuase I wanted to give ample time before leaving any sort of review.
   
   In short, this television is hands down the best I could have bought for the money spent. Since there are a myriad of options to tweak the picture, I found some extremely helpful calibration tips at [...] that make the blacks very deep, and the colors vibrant. I currently use this television with my PS3 connected via HDMI, my TWCable HD DVR STB connected via component and optical cable, and my XBOX 360 connected via component and optical cables. The SD programming from the cable box looks ok, but it really shines with the HD content, especially Discovery HD, which broadcasts exclusively in 1080p. Blu-Ray, of course, looks amazing, although I must say that I opt to leave the 120hz Motion Flow option off when watching movies as it detracts from the graininess that, IMHO, gives film its soul. On the other hand, it works wonders for nature programs (EHEM, Planet Earth). Given the amount of reviews already here, I'm not going to go into detail as to why I love this television so much and just say that I agree with all the kudos that this set has garnered from all the other owners.
   
   The only real issue I had with this set was with dead pixels early on. About five weeks after purchase (Fry's Electronics, in-store pick up), I noticed a little cluster of dead pixels in the lower left corner of the panel. This was nothing serious as it wasn't in the direct viewing area of the screen, but I was still perturbed simply because I spent so much on the set. After a call to Sony customer service they directed me to 3 different Sony certified repair shops, one of which I called and explained my situation. They sent a repair man out to look at it that week and he verified that it was a bad panel. He called Sony from my living room, verified the problem, and had a new panel ordered within ten minutes. Unfortunately the 52 inch panels were on back order (because apparently dead pixels are a common issue from the Sharp plant because of faulty adhesive between the panel cover and the liquid crystal)so it took almost a month for my panel to come in. Once it arrived the repair shop called and scheduled a day to come and replace my tv. The gentlemen were extremely professional and the work only took about 40 minutes. This was almost three weeks ago, and my television looks absolutely gorgeous. I admit that I was bugged with this whole situation, but given the way it was taken care of I can let it go.
   
   All in all, I know three other people who own this very same tv, and we are all in agreeance that it blows all other LCD televisions of this size out of the water. In fact, I loved this TV so much that I bought the KDL-32XBR6 for the bedroom. Great product from a company who knows quality. I am extremely happy with my purchase and would, even given the issue with pixels, recommend this set to anyone looking to upgrade from a CRT or simply go to a bigger LCD.
   
   Oh, and on a side note. This set looks much better when mounted on a wall. I kept mine on the included base for a few months, but then decided to hang it since a) my little 19 month old kept touching the panel, and b) it's a little wobbly when the securing strap (provided) isn't used. I found a great deal on a wall-mounting kit at [...] (where I also bought all my HDMI cables) and it works great. Just FYI.



2. I recently made my biggest purchase ever from Amazon---a sony XBR4 lcd. I was worried that it may be damaged in shipment, but FED EX did a great job! There wasn't a scratch on the box.
   
   The TV is amazing and lives up to it's high CR rating. I bought an lcd because our room has plenty of windows and lcd's do better in well lit rooms.
   
   The HD picture is awesome thru Direct TV satelite. As you can surmise,I have been well pleased with this purchase.



3. I have had this unit for about 3 months now, loved it so far, great pictures, easy to use. 480i pictures actually looks better on this TV than any other televisions I have seen. Yesterday however, I noticed a strip of vertical line on the dead center of the TV that spans from the top to the bottom. It has to be a few pixels wide because I can see it from 25 feet away. So, I called the customer service number listed on the menu, they are going to send an authorized repair person to get it checked out. I am happy with the service, but not happy with the investment choice I made. I paid twice as much for this TV thinking I will not have to go through these product defects.
   I will update this post after the authorized personal from Sony looks at it on July 1st.
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Got a call from the Sony authorized dealer, they are ordering the LCD panel, will arrive in about two weeks.



4. After dealing with a "less-than-reputable" dealer online for the Sony XBR, I decided to go with Amazon's source for my 52" Sony XBR4. I got a very fair price and excellent delivery service. Communication about the status was excellent and they delivered the TV in a timely manner. The TV is just breathtaking. I purchased a 50" Sony plasma TV years ago and am amazed by the technological improvements in picture quality in just a couple of years. The picture quality and detail are so sharp that it almost looks 3D up on that large 52" screen. Again, I have no regrets going with the Sony knowhow.



5. Love this TV. Excellent HDTV video quality. Very good Standard picture (not many TVs of this size can do that). Initial TV configuration is not very straight forward, but once figured - picture is amazing. I wish all Sony products to be like that.

2 comments about Samsung LN22A330 22-Inch 720p LCD HDTV.

1. I have the 22 inch version of this model line (Samsung LN-22A330) for my bedroom, and am VERY impressed. The picture quality is fantastic, and it has settings where you can fine tune the settings for individual channels.
   
   I have it on every morning for the news while I'm getting ready for work, and every night as I wind down and fall asleep (very appreciative of the person who first installed sleep timers on TVs).
   
   I like everything about this unit, including the "tools" function on the remote for the most-used items in my house (including the sleep functions). There are "fun" settings, too...where you can choose not only your energy savings level, but also what type of image you're watching...a "movie" versus reg tv....it deepens the color beautifully without actually changing the colors.
   
   The only item I find disconcerting is the sheer amount of time it takes to respond to turning the unit 'on'. Once you hit Power, just ignore it and ...................................................THEN you'll hear the tones turning it on (tones may be set at different volumes and even turned off if you poke around in the menu long enough to find it).
   
   Given time, I'll certainly get used to the amount of time it is, but for now it's bothersome as there is no other indicator that you actually hit the button correctly (the light on the power button on the tv doesn't flash at first, nothing).
   
   If I needed to replace this 22" unit for some reason, I'd buy the same model again in a heartbeat. Very pleased with Samsung's 330 line. Excellent value for the price for a bedroom tv.



2. no complaints except that the volume on this TV can be a little too low.

No comments about Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-52V4100 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV.