5 comments about Samsung HLT5076S 50-Inch UltraSlim 1080p DLP HDTV.

1. I did quite a bit of research on HDTVs before buying this one; I read all that I could find about important features, size vs distance to the tv, and the pros and cons of LCD, Plasma, and Projection. After all of this research, my conclusion was that I could not afford the TV that I truly wanted. When I was just about to give up hope, I saw this beauty on sale with a free dvd player and 12 mo same as cash. It was an awesome deal and is an awesome tv. LCDs are nice, but to get the same quality features (i.e. 120hz refresh rate and 1080p) you will be spending upwards of $2500 for a smaller tv. If hanging your television on the wall is not important to you, give up on the LCD and get this DLP.
   
   BTW- Don't worry about the shipping, Eagle was great. They delivered on our appointment date and took it out of the packaging. If there were any issues, we could have rejected the shipment on the spot. I was originally concerned about buying such a large item without seeing it and then having it shipped. If you have the same concerns, do what I did- go to your local retailer and see it in all of it's glory (and the additional $300-400 the retailer wants), then remember that all these retailers also have to have the TVs shipped to them.



2. I bought this tv about 3 months ago and it is incredible how clear it looks.I even had to get rid of my ancient dvd/vcr combo and get a 1080p upconverting dvd player to make it look better. never had any bowing as they put itthe screen always seems to be normal at all times. I love this tv and it was a lot lighter than my 19" tube set which was surprising



3. Read the good review on Samsung TV and got it finally from Amazon with a good price. Took 10 days to receive the TV, the TV was ok, while it worked, that was, for one week. Then the TV was dead. That was only the beginning of the nightmare. Called amazon and they do not have any replacement but said I could either have it fixed by Samsung or send it back to amazon. Since it is too much trouble to return, I decided to have it fixed by Samsung. Called Samsung and they offered to have it fixed at the local service center. When they picked it up, they said it will be fixed in one week.Then after two weeks, did not hear from them. I called and they said they just got the parts and is working on it, and should be ready in a couple of days. I called one weeks later, they said, they could not fixed it after replaced many parts. I said then maybe I should get a replacement. Service guy said I need to call samsung for that. I called samsung immediately, and they transfered my call a couple of times, then some custom service said the replacement should be requested by the service center, and they called service center while I waited and them told me, the service guy is working on the repair and if not fixed in two days, they will offer a replacement. I then called the service center in one week, and of course, the TV is not fixed. Again,I called samsung and asked for a replacement. They totally denied the promise to replace the TV, and asked me to wait two more days while the service guys "working on it", I said I would have to return it to the vender then, the custom service guy said no, the vender will not accept a TV which had been serviced. At this point, I am pissed off already. They made a defective TV, and it is dead after one week of use, I tried with good faith to have it resolved,now service center could not fixed, samsung did not want to replace it and they told me amazon will not take it back! two weeks later I called samsung again, and this repeated once again and they wanted me to wait some more time. I fed up on this and called amazon. Gladly, Amazon could take it back. I called the service center and told them I wanted the defective TV back, and, only at this point, they offered to replace it. i said no, I did not want samsung product anymore. This is the first time I bought a samsung product and it will be the last time too. Buyer be aware, DO NOT BUY SAMSUNG PRODUCTS. Too much hassle to deal with a company with horrible custom service.By the way, one of the time I called Samsung I was put on hold for EIGHTY minutes before I gave up!



4. I've had it for about 2 months now and it is an Awesome TV! My only gripes are that shadows or dark areas of subjects on the screen tend to black out instead of shadow, the other is that is has a lamp instead of LED, but hey, at $999 it still earns 5 stars. Other than that the picture is AMAZING. The TV has a slim bevel which is VERY nice, color is vibrant and very sharp. The TV's light engine is not noisy at all. High def signals (from Xbox360 or satellite box) looks so incredibly crisp. The TV does not have the bowing issue I have read about.
   
   The sound from the TV is not good but I never bought it for the sound (I have a sound system).



5. I bought this samsung DLP tv refurbished from secondact.com for 799 plus shipping. First impressions were that the picture through my xbox was beautiful (switched from crappy old 36 in sdtv). I can actually read the words on my games now :)
   
   The second day I realized that I had the problem that a lot of people had. The screen was bowed or pincussioned... not sure which one. If there's a perfect horizontal line on the screen, when it gets to either the left or right edge it goes up, creating a kind of smile shaped effect. I was immediately beside myself as I had just spent quite a bit of money on this tv.
   
   The tv has a 90 day warranty from samsung so I began by calling their customer support. I called and got through to an easy to understand American representative very quickly and explained my problem. Even though it's refurbished all i had to do was fax in my receipt and tomorrow I will be calling to set up an appointment for a technician to come directly to my house to fix this problem. I will update this after the tech comes to see what happens but the customer support from samsung was amazing and I love that i don't have to ship out my tv somewhere and not get it back for a month as other manufacturers might.
   
   If that gets fixed perfectly the only thing wrong with this tv is the audio. If turned up to normal to high-normal listening range it has a definite buzz, which the technician may also fix when he gets here. This isn't a huge deal to me because for the price i payed i wasn't looking for great audio without getting outside speakers anyways.
   
   If on a budget this is a great tv to get as i see it!
   GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

2 comments about Philips 42PFL7403D/27 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV.

1. Pros:
   Great picture and sound with the speakers that are with the TV. I use my own surround sound system right now though. It has enough input ports for all of my Gaming systems, (Xbox 360, PS2, Wii.) I get full 1080P with just my Component Cable with my Xbox 360 and the picture is great no problems with the action looking jumpy.
   Cons:
   Only con that I have so far is that it does not come with a normal analog stereo out connection. My surround sound system only uses analog stereo connection and this TV only has 1 coax Digital out.



2. Very happy with this TV I have only had it now for 2 days. It is a the best LCD TV I have watched. Even 480i SD looks stunning thanks to the perfect pixel HD engine in this beast. The only con I can say so far is when an Ipod is hooked up it is very hard to pick out the songs. and I havent figured out playlists. But its a small objection compared to the tons of pluses of this TV. I have gotten tons of compliments on it from every friend that has seen it which is cool. I really am impressed in this TV.

5 comments about Samsung FPT5884 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV.

1. This was sold by vans and came a day early. There was no damage and was in perfect condition. The TV itself is as good as I expected. The black-levels are the best I have seen (this is my 3rd flatpanel) and picture quality is fantastic. When watching hi def content, I do not see any artifacts. The speakers are on the side and face the rear of the TV, causing poor sound quality. They have a very weak sound, but I usually use my home theater speakers anyway. I hung this on the wall with a PeerLess mount myself. I also use it play my Xbox 360 and have not had any problems with burn-in. The picture quality is just stunning and at 58" it just sucks you in.
   
   Overall, I am completely satisfied with the purchase and got it at a great price.



2. I bought this TV last month and it is great! My recommendation is to
   buy the Plasma and not the LCD.



3. There is still a somewhat limited market for plasmas larger than 50"; basically you have Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Samsung, then maybe a Vizio or a Hitachi, depending on model year.
   I compared the 58" 1080p versions from Panasonic and Samsung against the 60" from LG and Pioneer. The color, contrast, moving images, and contouring on this Samsung was obviously better than the LG, about the same as the Panasonic, and maybe a little less color intensity than the Pioneer.
   THE difference with Samsung comes down to price. A very comparable picture with the Panasonic for $300 - $500 less on Amazon or other sites, and over $1,500 less than the 60" 1080p Pioneer, which was still over $4,000 as of May 2008. If you can see $1,500 of difference from the Pioneer to the Samsung, then God Bless ya' and you should opt for the Pioneer. 98% of us can not see a $1,500 difference from the Pioneer, and that's what the Samsung came down to for me. I couldn't notice a single difference from the Panasonic picture side-by-side in Circuit City, and the Samsung was even $400 less than the Panny. Everything else between the two was basically even, so the $400 lower price on Amazon pushed me to the Samsung.
   
   Features are pretty darn close on most of these models, so the option this Samsung had that 2 others did not was PIP. Not having PIP isn't a deal breaker for most people, but it's pretty darn nice to have since each side-by-side picture is the equivalent of over a 30" TV sitting there.
   In conclusion, the SD and HD pictures on the Samsung were just too equal to the Panny and the Pioneer, and it costs much less with the same warranty. If you can find a better 58" plasma picture for less than the $2,500 I paid for the Samsung, the calendar will say 2009 or beyond by the time you find one.



4. I did not buy the TV from (or through) Amazon.com. Instead I purchased it from another West Coast retailer, because back in February, 2008 it was cheaper.
   In 5 months since I bought it the only problem I'd had was a single flickering pixel close to the middle of the screen, and it was visible only in 1080p "Just Scan" mode. After two visits from a Samsung technician, the central logic board was replaced, and that issue does not happen anymore. For settings, I am using slightly modified CNET recommendations. Picture quality is just perfect in HD mode and very good in SD. Even VGA input from my HTPC looks fine at 1920X1080 resolution. I wish the TV had 4 HDMI inputs like this year Samsung models, and that is the only complaint so far. Otherwise, I see no improvement in the picture quality comparing it with 2009 58" models. Pretty sure that the super-high contrast ratio all new plasma models claim is just that - claims :)
   And, since nowadays the cost of this TV dropped to below $[...] (I paid way more) - I wish I waited a bit. On the other hand, I've thoroughly enjoyed this plasma for some time now. LCD TVs picture quality is not even close, especially for movie watching.



5. This is the first time I have purchased a big ticket item on the internet. I was a little nervous about it at first, but had to try. I found the tv I wanted on Amazon and went to my local Circuit City to check out the tv in person. The price on Amazon was $1500 cheaper than in the store and on Amazon I also saved on sales tax and had free delivery, so that is another couple hundred easy. 6ave did everything as promised and the delivery was within a 4 days.
   
   The tv has an awesome picture. We are huge sports fans and this is the ultimate for sports watching and gaming. I was a little concerned about glare and almost went LCD because the opposite wall from my tv is all windows. No glare at all, the anti glare screen works great. I would and will recommend this tv, amazon and 6ave to everyone, I actually have a neighbor that has purchased the same setup.

No comments about JVC LT32P689 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV with iPod Teledock.

5 comments about Philips 42PFL7432D 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Ambilight.

1. Does anyone know if this TV has the same HDMI compatability problem when connecting a Dierctv HD receiver as the Philips 42PFL7422D 42" 1080p LCD HDTV? Several of the reviewers of that TV said they had to use the composite video connection to work with the Directv or Dish network HD boxes. Other than the ambilight feature, these two TVs appear to tbe the same, but no one mentioned a problem with this model. Thanks



2. This is a great tv. Picture if fantastic and the hd is sharp!! Sound is great. Love it!!



3. I bought a Philips 42" Ambilight last month and it has exceeded my expectations. This is a great product, and the Ambilight feature makes the screen size seem larger and eliminates eye strain. The picture is sharp, clear, and has great color. Setup was very easy. I'd recommend this TV to anyone.



4. I purchased this Phillips 42PFL7432D 42 " and I am very pleased. I don't know enough about what it can even do to rate it higher. I found it easy to use and I like the picture and and the ambilight. It has been a pleasure. I have to say I haven't hooked it up to HD yet and am just using a regular DVD player but I think it looks great. I'm sure when I finally get that together it will be so much more, but currently it is much better than what I had before



5. If you are in the market for a new LCD screen TV then the Philips Ambilight might be something worth considering. The TV is a excellent one that compares very favorably to comparably sized LCD screens. Overall setup of the TV is very straight forward and and the image setup process when you turn it on is very helpful.
   
   The Ambilight system is a little bit gimmicky but when used to watch films in the dark is is effective. It does wonders to reduce the eye strain one would receive if you want to watch movies in pitch dark. Color levels of the screen are very good as well, but black levels are not the best. The black levels are improved when watching in a dark setting however as the scree will automatically adjust the brightness appropriately to how dark the room is.
   
   The TV has excellent HDMI support with three inputs but unfortunately does not offer cable card support. Be aware of that. The only other drawback to the set is that the the naming options for your video inputs are stuck to only a set of predefined labels. You cannot label them yourself and if you have multiple devices that are the same, such as two video game systems or something unique such as an Apple TV hooked up you cannot label the inputs as such.

3 comments about LG 60PC1D 60-inch 720p Plasma HDTV.

1. We bought this TV three weeks before Super Bowl 2007. I didn't want to write a review right away having read many plasma/DLP big-screen TVs run into some problem or other within 3 months of purchase. It is about six months since we bought the TV and so far it has had no problem at all! When plasma/LCS TVs have yet to gain maturity in terms of reliability, making a big investment such as for this TV is always associated with some risk or other. But so far, I am extremely happy with this purchase.
   
   The 60 inches of screen space is enormous - Ginormous, in my son's lingo. We compared with the 50" Hitachi side-by-side in the showroom. I wanted it to compare to the best-of-class Panasonic 50" side-by-side, but the showroom didn't have a Panasonic. We liked the black border. The picture looked great. We couldn't distinguish much of the sound with all the accoutrements in the showroom attached to all other TVS.
   
   The TV is HEAVY! We wanted it for the Super bowl and hence ventured to haul it ourselves. With the packaging, it fit okay into our minivan with the middle and rear seats folded. Once at the home, hauling it from the garage to the family room took us about 90 mins - I am not kidding. My back was hurt for two weeks! So get someone to deliver it and setup and plan in advance.
   
   After a few weeks, we had it professionally wall mounted. Boy, the picture looks awesome compared to what we saw in the showroom! If you watch 'Winged migration' or other HD shows on this TV, you will be mesmerized by the detail and vivid colors of the picture. The green is somewhat richer than natural, but doesn't distract you much. The sound is also awesome and I sometimes feel there is no real need for an expensive surround-sound system. The TV comes with various modes of sound including surround-sound mode which isn't all that filling, but makes a slight difference. The looks of the TV is slick and the blackness makes it look very sophisticated on our wall. Everyone who has seen the TV in our home has appreciated it over and over again.
   
   The remote is pretty neat with easy buttons for screen-ratio (16:9, 4:3, etc) and picture brightness adjustments. The buttons are well spaced out. The only quib I have of this TV is that there is no option to display closed captioned text - yes that we miss a lot! Watching DVDs is no issue as most of them have sub-titles, but watching broadcast TV programs takes a small hit if you prefer the captions on.
   
   The reflection off the screen is minimal and doesn't take away from your viewing pleasure. We have eight large windows in our family room and more in the kitchen space behind.
   
   In summary:
   Pros:
   =====
   - Beautiful addition to your decor - sleek and sharp
   - Breathtaking HD picture.
   - Great sound output.
   - Minimal reflection.
   - All advantages of a plasma TV.
   
   Distractions:
   ==============
   I wouldn't like to call it cons but these are more slight distractions:
   - Slightly richer than normal green hue
   - Absence of display of close captioning on broadcast TV program (where applicable).
   - Slight hum when volume is very high.
   
   By the way, playing the Wii on this 60" is way to fun. We have enjoyed every cent of the 4K spent (and more for installation) on this TV.



2. Found my 60inch plasma TV on Amazon at an amazing price. To put icing on the cake, the shipping was free. Gets even better, the man brought it inside and helped me lift it into place - too heavy for one person - that was a real plus.
   The TV is beautiful, we are quite happy with Amazon.



3. We decided to go for size over pixilation. What a great move. We saved thousands of dollars going for 720p over 1080p. Did you know that HD is broadcast in about 480p? Everything from HD to DVD on a regular player looks spectacular. We watched the convention speeches last week and the speakers were life sized. How cool is that!?!

5 comments about Mitsubishi LT-46149 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Integrated Sound Projector.

1. Here is a mom's perspective on this TV. In audiofile land, they talk about a component's "WAF" -- "Wife Approval Factor". In other words, if a system looks crummy, it doesn't matter HOW great it is -- it is still not a joy to have in your home. While I'm pretty tolerant in terms of the whole WAF thing -- even I was reaching my limit with our GINORMOUS Projection TV. I kept PRAYING that the thing would die so we would have an excuse to replace it!
   
   We have had a HUGE (think sports bar HUGE) rear projection TVs since 1997. We splurged on the big screen TV when our first child was born figuring that we wouldn't get out much any more -- and we were right! We upgraded to a projection Toshiba HDTV a couple of years ago which we bought used on Craigslist and while the picture was ok, it didn't knock us over. The colors were washed out; the brightness was ... well, not very bright (difficult viewing during the day), and the screen showed handprints, nose prints (dogs and humans) and other dirt to where you could barely focus on the picture.
   
   The sides of the screen were beginning to reflect "burn-in" -- or something along those lines since the edges were significantly darker than the rest of the picture. So we decided the time had come to enter the modern age and go for an LCD panel display. We spent a lot of time going online to do research on the latest and greatest models and went to the Big Box stores to see side by side comparison of the various pictures.
   
   We ultimately selected the Mitsubishi LT-46149 (46" LCD). We selected this based on a few factors: the Mitsubishi image quality was far superior to virtually any other manufacturer. We were interested in the Integrated Sound Projector feature, which is new to this model. Also, the flexibility and extensability of peripherals and ease of setup was a plus.
   
   The TV set arrived last week via Amazon's "White Glove Service". Note -- if your system is any more complicated than the co-ax cable coming out from the wall, "WGS" doesn't help you very much -- they basically just hooked it up on the floor to the co-ax cable, turned it on to prove that it wasn't DOA and then left me to fend for myself! Fortunately, I was able to figure it out (as my screen name implies -- I'm the "wife" in the family and my husband usually handles all things technical but since he wasn't home, I REALLY wanted to try out my new toy and didn't want to have to wait -- my point is if *I* could figure out how to set it up properly, anyone can!).
   
   At first, we hooked it up using the native sound. There is sub-woofer support so we hooked up the subwoofer based on the manufacturer's recommendation. We quickly disconnected the sub-woofer because the TV was sending sound at too high a frequency to the sub-woofer. The Sub should be used to amplify the base. However, it was being treated like an "auxillary speaker" and you could actually here dialogue and normal sounds coming from the sub which kind of defeated the purpose of the ISP feature. Perhaps the frequency that sound is sent to the sub is configurable but we weren't able to figure that out (so that part failed the "ease of use" test).
   
   Overall, the sound quality in the ISP is decent -- much better than a typical TV. Because of the placement of the speakers, the soundstage is much wider than a TV which usually has your standard woofer and tweeter. As I indicated, the sub-woofer was a bit disapointing but we could live without it.
   
   We ultimately wound up hooking the TV up to our stereo system and running the sound through the amplifiers and our stereo system. If you can do this, I would highly recommend it since there really is a significant improvement. Think of the difference as the difference between listening to a CD via a clock radio versus a full stereo. While the Clock Radio may be adequate -- for full enjoyment, you are going to want the full audio experience of a real stereo.
   
   Where this TV REALLY SHINES is the superior picture. The picture quality out of the box is outstanding. The colors are gorgeous. The picture is BRIGHT (so you can view it easily with all the lights turned on or in the middle of the day (we have four big windows in our family room so there is a lot of natural daylight). The images are crisp -- even on channels that are not broadcast in HD. The viewing angle is extremely wide -- you can be sitting directly to the side of the TV and still see it well enough to keep up with the on-screen activity.
   
   The picture is just as good regardless of input source. The DVDs look phenomenol (all the nuances to High School Musical 2 we have been missing all this time /* rolling eyes */ ). We also have a Netflix Roku box which provides streaming video on demand and the quality of the image is DVD quality.
   
   The great thing about this set is its flexibilty. If you need a barebones system and don't want to mess with home theater speakers, you won't be disappointed in the sound quality. However, if you want to use this as the cornerstone of a full system including DVD, Sound system, ROKU, Home video -- you have all the connections you need to make it work.
   
   Overall, I STRONGLY recommend this system. If you can't afford a full sound system now, buy this TV and you'll have a system you can enjoy straight out of the box. Then as you upgrade your sound system or DVD system, you have a TV that will be able to keep up with your technology and will not be obsolete in a year or two.
   
   The price that you get from Amazon (especially with the Free Delivery feature) is a great deal. The prices in the big box stores are much higher and you have to haul it home yourself and pay sales tax etc.
   
   While my husband was reluctant to replace the Projection tv, once he saw the quality of the picture, he could not quit gushing. As for the WAF (Wife Approval Factor), I feel like I am no longer living in a sports bar yet I have the "sports bar" viewing experience. Let the Hockey Season begin! (Go St. Louis Blues!!)



2. The name doesn't exactly set the blood rushing through your veins and your pulse pounding: Mitsubishi LT-46149 LCD Flat Panel HDTV.
   
   But from the moment you see the picture, even with an ordinary digital cable or DVD signal, you're going to flip. I certainly did - and the picture was only the beginning of the fun.
   
   If you're looking for a super-fast and concise review, here it is: superb video and beyond-belief sound.
   
   And a lot of bells and whistles that I'll get into. After a few minutes with the LT-46149, I was thinking of Blu-Ray and HD cable, both of which I had little interest in until shortly after turning this unit on.
   
   It was delivered via Amazon's White Glove service, which is a real convenience. They give you a delivery time window and then call when they are about 30 minutes away, a nice touch. The delivery service unboxes the unit - which is a marvelous thing, because the box is quite large. They mount the panel on its stand, make sure it works and will remove the box, if you like. Overall, it takes the pain out getting this unit into your home.
   
   Before I get into the really fun part, all the features of this unit and the user experience, I have to comment (profusely) on Mitsubishi TV's customer and support: it is absolutely outstanding. Even though it is based off-shore, the representatives speak flawless, almost unaccented English. They listen carefully. They ask questions. When they don't know something, they say so and get an answer. I don't know if they're working from a script or not, but they sure sound interested in you and your problem. You've probably guessed already that I encountered a problem (defective user - me) and had to call. Outfits like Dell could learn a great deal about treating customers well from Mitsubishi.
   
   The unit itself is stylish. A very thin bezel around the screen. Even though the screen is much larger, it seems that the unit isn't as wide as the 37" conventional TV it replaced. It's only a few inches thick from front to back.
   
   On the bottom of the screen is an unobtrusive bank of small speakers behind a grille - which you'll soon learn is a dynamite feature.
   
   1080p resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. There is 1080p upconversion.
   
   Setup is simple and fun: input sensing is good at recognizing what device you are attaching and letting you identify it by name (i.e., DVD, DVR, etc.)
   
   The picture is magnificent - and remember, I don't have Blu-Ray or HD. The grandkids were over, so I put the Pixar "Cars" DVD on and sat transfixed with them from beginning to end. The video is simply stunning.
   
   Mitsubishi boasts of a number of video related features, like their Smooth120Hz Film Motion which virtually eliminates judder (image vibration in fast action scenes). Film Mode corrects movies filmed at 24 frames per second. The "Deep Color" feature, Mitsubishi says, renders billions of colors - and I believe them. There's also a feature called "xvYCC (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color"" which they claim expands the color range beyond what the eye can recognize. I'll have to take their word on that one.
   
   The LT-46149 (I love the way that name just rolls off my lips) has several other video related features. The three level brightness adjustment allows for viewing in bright, sunlit rooms to darkened rooms. "PerfectColor" gives you surprisingly fine control over color adjustments, though I haven't found a need for it except to experiment.
   
   The second huge feature of the LT-46149 is the Integrated Sound Projector (ISP). Remember those 16 speakers I mentioned? Well they can be aimed and balanced for a specific room size and acoustics. Mitsubishi says ISP delivers true 5.1 sound and that the sound is delayed at varying intervals to each of the 16 speakers.
   
   With a relatively inexpensive sub-woofer, the sound is truly fantastic. Makes you want to turn it up to the point where the neighbors complain and the spouse leaves, but does it ever sound great.
   
   Obviously I am very, very impressed - and will shortly have HD cable and a Blu-Ray player (probably as part of a Playstation 3 - this unit cries out to be used as a game display).
   
   The picture and Integrated Sound Projector are the big stories here. Fantastic is not too strong a term to apply from a person who hasn't paid much attention to LCD TVs before.
   
   There are lots of other features, like a plethora of inputs: 2 coax, 3 composite video, 2 component video, 4 HDMI, S-Video, USB (for flash drives and digital cameras), AVR audio output, sub-woofer (shared with the AVR) and digital audio out.
   
   After a couple of weeks, I am still enthralled with the LT-46149. I keep trying different DVDs of material from different eras just to see how the unit handles them. Last night, for example, I watched "Victory At Sea", a famous TV documentary series from the 1950s, compiled entirely from black and white film from the 1940s. The 1080p up conversion really does work, even with mediocre input like this. Amazing.
   
   I live, breathe and eat technology. It is how I make my living. I am not the most easily impressed guy around. The Mitsubishi LT-46149 is very cool - in fact, awesome - technology.
   
   Jerry



3. Really, my wife and I were in no hurry to upgrade to HDTV. Yeah, most of our friends had taken the plunge months or years ago, but we reasoned that our two old picture-tube TV's were still plugging along, so why bother? Then our bedroom TV went belly-up, and we installed a small, basic LCD TV to replace it. We found ourselves watching TV more and more in the bedroom. By golly, there really was something to that high-definition stuff. What really prompted us, though, was our recent installation of indoor plumbing. Suddenly, we felt inspired to modernize our lives.
   
   Just kidding about the indoor plumbing. Actually, we'd been talking about getting a high-def TV for a good while. I felt a little bewildered by the choices in HDTV: LCD, plasma, rear-projection, front-projection, or picture-tube. (Picture-tube TV's aren't going away just yet, as new models are available in HDTV.) Of all the HDTV options, LCD and plasma have dominated in sales.
   
   LCD and plasma both have their pros and cons. LCD TV's tend to be brighter than plasma models, with less-reflective screens, so they usually offer better viewing in brightly-lit rooms. They tend to be lighter, and they use less power. They also aren't prone to burn-in from static images such as video games or computer displays. That's an important consideration for us since our son plays video games.
   
   I've leaned toward getting an LCD TV for a good while, but with earlier models, the cons gave me pause. Just a couple of years ago, when I first began cruising the big-box stores, plasma TV's definitely had the edge in "wow factor." They were better at displaying dark colors and contrast, and unlike the "old" 720p LCD's, I noticed no blurring of motion with action scenes or sporting events. Plasma TV's looked better at an angle than did LCD's, and they usually cost less than an LCD of the same screen size.
   
   For us, however, the real deal-breaker with plasma TV's was the fact that they were decidedly inferior to LCD's in a brightly-lit room. Our living room is very bright during the morning hours, so that weighed heavily.
   
   Enter the Mitsubishi LT-46149. The idea of a top-quality LCD HDTV with an integrated sound system really beckoned us, because we have a small, odd-shaped living room. Never mind the fact that we wanted to avoid exposed wire, and we weren't happy with the idea of snaking wires through walls or floors. The real problem was that, given our living room, a surround sound arrangement of separated speakers was just impractical. Thus, for years, we've settled for a basic stereo set up with our old analog TV.
   
   The LT-461149 has good sound right out of the box, with it's included 16-speaker array. Add a modestly priced subwoofer, and it really does approach the quality of a top-notch array of separated speakers. We have a friend who lives nearby with a cost-is-no-object surround system at his house, with an ideally-shaped living room and hardwood floors. The room looks as if it was designed with an audio buff in mind. Does our Mitsubishi TV with the integrated sound system match up to our friend's? Well, no. But it certainly approaches the quality of sound he enjoys, and the experience is close enough that I'm glad that I didn't choose his route. I suspect lots of folks moving into HDTV would feel the same.
   
   As for the viewing experience, I've found it superb. The limitations of LCD TV's had already been largely whittled down with the the progression from 720p to 1080p, and to my admittedly non tech-geek eye, the LT-46149 looks to be at the top of today's LCD HDTV's. The color accuracy looks spot-on, the contrast seems right up there with plasma TV's, and there seemed to be scarcely any loss of viewing quality when changing viewing angles. I saw no blurring during action scenes, whereas it's evident on our bedroom LCD TV. Also, the cost difference between a plasma HDTV and an LCD HDTV has narrowed considerably since I first starting comparing them.
   
   As other reviewers have mentioned, the LT-46149 offers a wonderful display, even with non-HD sources. My eight year-old son was awe-struck the first time he played a Wii game on the new HDTV. Then, we borrowed a friend's Blu-Ray player. Sheesh, the results were dang near stunning.
   
   The LT-46149 has satisfied our desires for a home theater system, and then some. If you're looking for a top-notch home theater experience, and you can't or don't want to run wires to speakers arranged around your room, it's a great choice.



4. I have used this Mitsubishi LT-46149 1080p LCD HDTV set for three weeks, and am more impressed with it the more I use it.
   
   Without doubt the greatest strength of this set is the exceptional quality of the picture right out of the box. It's bright, clear, noise free and extremely well lit in both HDTV and standard definition presentations. This is not a TV that videophiles will be able to spend hours playing around with to get the ultimate cinema like picture with fine gradations of contrast and ultimate color accuracy. Unlike my Samsung, it does not provide advanced video controls for elements such as gamma (middle grayscale), black level, dynamic contrast, RGB tweaking, edge definition et cetera. If I am willing to spend a little time customizing the picture for every different DVD I rented or own, I believe that I can usually get a slightly more impressive picture with the Samsung. On the other hand, the Mitsubishi will give me about 95% of the quality without having to do a single adjustment. I would say it's something like the difference between a Porsche with an automatic transmission and one with a six speed manual. Purists will eschew the automatic, but for 99% of the population the automatic transmission will get them to well above the legal speed limit with a lot less fuss.
   
   Another high point is the exceptional quality of the sound system. The "Projector Sound System" of 16 speakers blows away the Samsung in both clarity and fidelity, but it really needs the subwoofer to demonstrate its truly exceptional quality. I like to watch opera on DVD, so initially I set it up so that the sound would play through my high end, vacuum tube audiophile stereo set rather than the Mitsubishi sound system. I soon found that I was getting a more realistic effect using the Mitsubishi's TV's own sound system with the subwoofer. This is because the Mitsubishi "Projector Sound" uses a sophisticated audio matrix system to synthesize convincing surround sound effects that can be customized to the room, a feature lacking in my admittedly very good audiophile two speaker stereo system.
   
   Another feature that I absolutely love is the 480i "Stretch Plus" format that my Samsung unfortunately does not have. It's exceptional for watching non-letterbox programming in the most realistic possible manner on widescreen. I use Stretch Plus for watching all of my favorite non-letterbox DVDs, such as The Wire, which was shot in 4:3 format (non-letterbox) instead of the more common 16:9 widescreen that is becoming more popular today. Normally, you can watch these older TV shows in 4:3 format, which keeps the picture undistorted but that leaves large black areas on either side of the picture, or you can watch them in wide format, which has the unfortunate effect of squashing and stretching faces and bodies etc. to fit the screen. Mitsubishi has done an incredibly clever thing with "Stretch Plus," by keeping the aspect ratio more or less undistorted in the middle of the screen where most of the action happens, and subtly stretching out the corners where you don't notice the distortion most of the time. It's a lot harder to describe than to watch, but let me tell you that if you own a large number of non-letterbox DVDs, this makes them a lot more fun to watch.
   
   More than anything else, I am impressed with the robust engineering and design of this set. Instead of adding a lot of bells and whistles than 99% of the population will never use, Mitsubishi has put its money into an exceptional sound system and excellent out-of-the-box video picture that will please anyone looking for a top quality HDTV set. I am very happy with this set and would recommend it to anyone except the dyed in the wool videophile who wants to have every possible tweak possible to the picture. For everyone else, this would be a superb choice.



5. I didn't used to watch much TV. Ever. Until today.
   
   Sitting inside of the Mitsubishi, fueled by the base coming out of the accompanying sub-woofer, and watching The Fifty Best Amazing Catch, I think I see a new recreational habit developing.
   
   The LT-46149 sports a handsome black-and-silver presentation that blends well with a variety of room decors. The picture is remarkably crisp, all that you'd expect in a high-end television and perhaps a little more.
   
   It's the sound that stands out. Sixteen speakers aim to give you true surround sound without all the clutter. It works. If you want an authentic room theatre, you'll want to spend the money for that. But if you want exceptional near-surround sound quality without the expense or in a room that's not big enough or experiences more foot traffic than a purpose-built home theatre, this television will pull it off for you.
   
   An extremely convenient function lets you tweak the out-of-the-box 'sound projector' function to fit your exact room measurements and layout. It all happens right from the remote control.
   
   You'll definitely want to invest in the HDMI cable, which is not included. Without that modest extra investment, you're wasting the machine's capacity. I also recommend you pair this television with a subwoofer. The difference it makes is astonishing and it elevates the television's sixteen-speaker potency onto a whole new platform.
   
   With the LT-46149's superb visual qualities and its cutting edge soundworks, Mitsubishi has placed a new kind of small-to-medium-room television viewing within reach of the sub-room-theatre crowd, of which this reviewer is a card-carrying member.
   
   I think I'll stay home tonight.

5 comments about Toshiba REGZA 32HL67U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV.

1. Lots of people have written about the picture and sound quality of this TV. I will write about the feature that I like best about this TV.
   
   It's the option to set the picture size as "native". What this option allows is to display the entire computer screen when connected through an hdmi input.
   
   No I don't use this TV as a computer monitor. I use this as a good media center TV. All my home videos, dvds, songs, photos are on my computer. Hence it makes sense to connect my computer to this excellent TV to enjoy all the media in its full glory instead of on the tiny laptop monitor.
   
   I have used the hdmi output on my laptop to connect it to the TV. The hdmi cable carries both the video and audio signal and hence hooking up the laptop to the TV is very clean and easy. You can do this with pretty much any TV that has a hdmi input. However most TVs are subject to overscanning and display only part of the computer screen. This is where the Regza stands out.
   
   After setting the 720P (1280x720) resolution on your laptop, select "native" as your picture size. You can now see the entire computer screen with no clipped areas.



2. Gave this as a gift. Finally, recipient confessed that unit failed and has been waiting for repair for over 3 months. Unit is at authorized service center since. Toshiba knows that some part is deficient but never made recall. Keep away. It works for a bit and then fails and their after market support is the worst. Why take a chance? As a gift it was an embarrassment. Instead of giving something to enjoy, it resulted in an unimaginable problem for the recipients to take care of. Toshiba could not care less even though they know the specific component is a problem.
   Go SONY or something else.



3. This TV has a nice picture when working, but in the last 3 months I had to replaced 2 times, due to problems with the the picture (no picture at all). This is not a reliable TV.



4. After 6 months the power supply failed and the TV will not power up normally. If you hold the power button in for 1 minute it may 'reset' and power up, but not always. So, I have a TV that works only when it wants to. It does have a nice picture, but that's not exactly useful if it doesn't power on. I am currently working with Toshiba to get it fixed under warranty. I have seen this complaint from other customers, so it does not appear to be an unusal problem. I would guess there is a systematic quality/design issue with the power supply.



5. I did alot of research and comparisions and for the price and the picture i got from this LCD TV it was well worth it. The three HDMI inputs and other ports are excellent for a gamer and movie watcher that I am. The complaint i have with the two that i purchased is reliability. I purchased the tv and within a year i experienced power issues with the system. I bought an extended warranty and was able to replace it with the same model. I thought it may have been my surge protector so rather than taking a chance i bought a 70 dollar surge protector to protect my second tv and wouldnt you know it 6 months later i experience the same problem the tv would not power up. rather than getting the same one again i decided to spend an extra 500 dollars and went with samsung. I would recomended this tv but you'd be taking a chance. in all i spent 300 dollars on two extended warranties when that could have gone to a bigger tv. Buyer beware

1 comments about Sony Bravia M-Series KDL-19M4000/D 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV, White with Orange Accent.

1. This tv is beautiful and easy to set up.The worst of it is that it's best viewed when fully vertical, and the prop in the back isn't long enough for that, so I needed a piece of wood under it to raise it. It doesn't have its verticality worked out - unless you mount it on a wall. It has outlets and inlets for seemingly any device, and suggests hookups. It's been a daily part of my life for a month, and it's beautiful, and easy to control and hook up. I would highly recommend it.

5 comments about Panasonic TC-26LX70 26-Inch 720p LCD Flat Panel HDTV.

1. Received the set about a month ago through Amazon and JR Music World. Absolutely no problems on order or delivery (within 5 business days).
   
   I was not planning on using the set for HD right away so was looking for an upgrade over my 20 inch analog. I am extremely pleased with the Standard Definition reception. Has it all over the old TV which wasn't bad. Set up was simple and straightforward. The TV is located in a sun room so viewing the picture during the day can be a problem but not with this baby in Vivid mode. No fade or distortion with viewing angles either. I think Panasonic rates it at 160 degrees or so and I would agree. Sound is very good. Never have it cranked up over half-way.
   
   Overall an excellent choice so far.



2. This TV is EXCELLENT. Great sound and picture. It sync'd with my digital cable box fairly easily. No dislikes. I bought this TV sight unseen based on reviews and was not disappointed.
   
   The only concern was the condition of the the box when it arrived. The package came embedded within a larger package with popcorn styrofoam in between. The outer box looked pretty beat up (DHL was the shipper) in fact I took pics of the box prior to opening it for documentation purposes if there was damage. In the end, all was well. I ordered on a Sunday night and it arrived by the following Thursday.
   
   To evaluate this TV, just watch CSI Miami in HD. The colors and clarity are amazing. I will finish by saying that I normally don't do these product reviews unless I am truly impressed by a product.



3. I purchased this TV at my local Circuit City store at Christmastime when there was a good sale promotion going on. Like many of the reviewers, I did some preliminary research beforehand and found the Panasonic to be a good value for its features and price range. Sure, we'd all like the bling, bling of Sony! But since this was a second TV for our bedroom, we based our decision more on value/price. (Previously we had an ancient 12-inch tube TV/VCR combo so to us this was a major upgrade.) With that said, overall this has been a good purchase and I would recommend this TV as an addition to the home. Not sure I would want it as my primary TV, but for someone just starting out and on a budget it would certainly be a contender. The picture is clear and the controls are straightforward. Good sound quality. This is also the TV that our family plays PS2 on, so from a gaming perspective, it's also a winner. A couple constructive criticisms: 1) I'm constantly hitting the volume instead of the channel button because they are opposite of all the other TV remotes we have or have had in our house. 2) I found the instruction manual to be less than helpful. It's great for "out of the package" set up. But for trying to figure out some of the advanced features or delving deeper into the menu settings, forget it. And the Panasonic website wasn't a help either. When I typed the model number into the category search, this TV didn't even come up. Strange, since it's only a few months old. After digging around, I found some information, which was not much more helpful than the manual. 3) Lastly, I don't use this TV with a cable box, and I had some difficulty receiving/setting up the HD channels. Not everyone is aware that you can receive HD channels without a cable box. And this TV is capable of picking up the HD channels without a box. However, because the manual is not very helpful in explaining how to program analog and HD channels, I had some difficulty. With some tinkering and guesswork, I was able to eventually get them programmed. Panasonic has a solid reputation and is rated pretty well for reliability. They just need to put a bit more time and thought into writing their manuals!



4. I'm new to this HDTV thing, so I was expecting a super crisp, clear image. I'm using a DVD player which is connected using either s-video or component. It seems to me the image could be crisper. Not sure if this is a failure of the TV or the DVD.
   Also, I don't enjoy watching movies that are stretched out. We change the aspect ratio each time we watch a movie to see what works best. We may need an HDTV DVD player... not sure if that will allow us to use the full resolution it's capable of.



5. I bought this set in Oct 2007..We had been living with a 19" color set in the living room for many years, and it was time!
   I had to choose a set that would fit in our small living room, yet give
   good quality color and sound.
   It is now June 2008, and this set is wonderful! If you have a living room that is 12x17 or smaller, this is great! . The controls are good, however, if you use playstation, or need to connect video, not too convenient..On the side... I love Panasonic..The sound is great, the picture is great.I am still very happy with this set. I can now see this set without my glasses! (well except for letters)
   Highly recommended for a great view and sound! Sound is very very important to me...I have extremely sensitive hearing. Panasonic is the best in this category.