- Aol.
-
- You might also like:
- Health,
- StyleList,
- and HuffPost Style.
- Main
-
Get Inspired
-
Style Series
-
Hot Topics
-
Weekly Inspiration
Knife Sharpeners -- Keeping Your Edge On
My son, and his wife, gave me a very nice set of kitchen knives for Christmas; my old ones were, to...
Tres Magnifique: Pastels Perfection
Early spring is the perfect time to put on pastels to wean your wardrobe off of winter darks while...
The Apple MacBook Pro -- Lightweight and Lightning Fast
Never one to rest on their laurels, Apple is always on the hunt to make their products faster and...
-
- Blog
- Valentine's Day
Top Rated HDTV's
In today's world, televisions keep getting bigger and better. There are so many options out there, it can get confusing, so let us take a look at a couple of top rated HDTV's and find one that is perfect for your needs.There are two main types of HDTV's. Plasma and LCD high definition televisions are the main options on the market, although if you have a decent sized budget you may also consider a new LED television. Both plasma and LCD televisions are great options for your HDTV, but there are a couple small differences we should discuss before looking at a couple of each.
Plasma televisions typically have better viewing angles, meaning the picture holds true even if you are sitting at a sharp angle to the television. This reason alone makes plasma televisions more attractive in rooms where seating is more of a circle around the television as opposed to right in front of the screen. In the past, plasma screens have been better during fast moving scenes, such as sports, but recent LCD technology has dramatically reduced the difference, which is now hardly noticeable if at all. LCD televisions tend to weigh less, use less energy, and in the past had a longer life span. Recent plasma technology however has resulted in plasma televisions having basically the same lifespan as LCD televisions, which is about 60,000 hours, in other words, they should last 7 years if left on 24 hours a day. Plasma televisions also tend to perform better when you are buying really large televisions (50 inches or higher).
Our first top rated HDTV is the Hitachi 42 inch LCD Television (offered at $1485). Hitachi makes some really nice HDTV's and I personally have one in my house right now. Everyone that sees my Hitachi comments on how great the picture looks, and I have not been disappointed one bit with my Hitachi HDTV. This 42 inch plasma LCD television is really thin at only 1.5 inches, and features a 360 degree high gloss finish. This television supports 1080p which is key in today's world.
We should have discussed the differences in 720p and 1080p televisions earlier, but it is a long discussion, and if you are not familiar with the differences here is a great article that discusses the differences in 720p and 1080p HDTV's.
If you are thinking that you would prefer a plasma television one top rated plasma HDTV is the Panasonic VIERA 50" Plasma HDTV (offered at $1749). Since we are looking at plasma this time, we have moved up in size to 50 inches, and this television will work well in a large living room with seating that wraps around the television. A great centerpiece for a room, featuring digital cinema color which offers 120 percent of the conventional HDTV standards. This top rated HDTV has Viera Cast which provides exciting web content and PC is required. This is a great television that will bring you the picture that you have been waiting for.
If you are looking for a top rated HDTV for a smaller room in your house, you should consider the Sony Bravia 40" LCD Television (offered at $891.76). This is a great "little" television that brings top rated picture quality into your living room. It features Motionflow 120Hz refresh rate technology that allows it to handle fast action video games and sporting events with ease. This HDTV will easily handle any components that you want to hook up with its 7 HD inputs, including 4 HDMI, 2 component and 1 PC input. Broadcasts in 1080p so you know you will always get the best possible video quality.
As we briefly mentioned earlier, the newest television technology is LED HDTV's. These are definitely providing the best picture quality on the market, but unfortunately their high quality results in high prices. However, if you have an unlimited budget, then one of the best top rated HDTV's on the market today is the Samsung 55" LED HDTV (offered at $2587). These televisions offer picture perfect video and are an ultra slim 1.2 inch deep. Get great 3D effects, amazing resolution, contrast and brightness. This top rated HDTV will change the way you view television forever!So there are a few of today's top rated HDTV's on the market. Each of these televisions provides superior picture, and if you have never owned a high definition television will really change your life. What brands of HDTV's do you like the best? What television do you own, and would you recommend it to others?
Comments page 1 of 1
Neutral
Randy said 10-02-2009 @3:08PM
We shopped long and hard and settled on a 55-inch LG 1080p 240hz LED for only $200 more than the exact same unit with LCD. The picture quality of both is spectacular, but whereas the LCD units range from 30,000 to 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, the LED TV's DCR is 3,000,000 (yep, million) to 1. Picture quality is stunning. We found it at Conn's at a regular price of $2,999 but it was on sale for $2,099. Plus the LED TV's use much less energy. We're delighted with the new set.
replyNeutral
Carroll Casey said 10-02-2009 @3:23PM
Randy...
I agree with your assessment of LG.... I bought my daughter an LG for Christmas and got a Sony for myself.... they are both nice but the high resolution of the LG picture is a lot crisper than the Sony.
Casey
Neutral
Helene said 10-02-2009 @7:44PM
Hello Randy. Could you tell me what brand your TV is?
Thank you
Neutral
cebracher said 10-02-2009 @3:15PM
If you are a Comcast cable subscriber, its really too bad about all these great features because their equipment completely disables them other than the picture quality. Their cable boxes are now the default tuner for signal reception including the remote that you use.
replyNeutral
edward ash said 10-03-2009 @1:24PM
please explain further the problem for comcast users. Im about to buy a new big screen led hdtv, should i spend the extra money. Thanks for the info.
Neutral
george rovolia said 10-02-2009 @4:48PM
I'M STILL TRYING TO ADJUST TO THE "SKINNY" WIDE SCREEN !!
replyI HAVE A MAGNAVOX 32 INCH REG. OLE TV THAT IS 15 YEARS OLD AND HAS A GREAT PICTURE AND NEVER
(neveR) HAD ANY TROUBLE AT ALL!!!!NOT ONLY THAT I HAVE 3 MAG.TV 19",19"& 23"AND GAVE AWAy A 19" THAT WAS 13 YEARS OLD AND SPENT ONLY $ 50.00 ON IT!!!!!ALL MAG.!! SO I THINK IF I EVER GET A WIDE SCREEN,I WILL ATLEAST LOOK AT A MAG/PHILIPS W/S FIRST!!
THANKS
GEORGE ROVOLIS SAVANNAH, gA.
Neutral
tvman said 10-02-2009 @6:05PM
I am Amazed at the things that are not the whole truth in your article.I have been selling and servicing tv's for over 40 years.I just am shocked at the bad info on the web today.The LED tv's you are talking about are LCD tv's that use LEDs for the backlight.I just sold one of the new sets rated 2,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio.I put it next to a LCD fluorescent lamp backlight set rated at 100,000 to 1 contrast and there was a shocking need for more contrast on the LED backlight set.Writing is easy, but results are harder.We peak all sets before they leave our store like some stores charge you $299.99 to come back and do.We earn our living on results.
replyNeutral
Randy said 10-05-2009 @2:17PM
Helene, LG is the brand name. It's the new incarnation of the old Gold Star brand, a Korean company that had a not-so-hot reputation years ago, but they've come a long, long way and their sets stand toe-to-toe with anyone's now. They're in the top 5 manufacturers of TV's now. And I misspoke in my earlier comments - the DCR of my set is TWO million to one, not THREE million; still a world better than standard LCD in terms of brightness, whiter whites and blacker blacks.
replyI saw in the paper yesterday that this week Conn's has my set on sale for $1999, a hundred less than I paid a few weeks ago. If you can go the 2K, it's the best buy out there. LG's 47-inch TV that's exactly the same class as mine is on sale for a good price at Conn's this week, too. But for a few hundred less, one could be very, very happy with the LCD units. I know I could have, I just decided to go top-of-the-line for a couple of hundred more.