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Top flat-panel LCD Televisions for Home Entertainment
Best LCD TV Reviews

A series of LCD TV Reviews covering some of the best yet affordable LCD televisions presently available on the market under the so-called 'value category'. In the process, we also take a look at a few cheap LCD TVs selling at under $1,000!

Samsung LNT4665F 46" 1080p LCD HDTV

LCD Televisions: Sleek, sexy, and more affordable than ever...

Up to not long ago, plasma ruled the flat-panel TV world. If you wanted a screen size above 40 inches, plasma TV sets were readily available at a more affordable price tag than their LCD counterparts. What's more, plasmas offered superior picture performance.

But things are changing, and as you will soon see in the LCD TV reviews featured on our site, they are changing fast. The gap between these two flat-panel display technologies is simply disappearing.

And it is not just the price difference between the two that have vanished for screen sizes up to around 46-inch. Equally important, picture performance of LCD TV sets has improved to the point that issues like high refresh rates, supported wide angle of view, and high contrast levels, are no longer a prerogative of plasma displays.

It is true that for larger screen sizes, plasma TV sets are still substantially cheaper. Yet, as the price gap continues to vanish, LCD TVs are turning out to be more of a favorite choice in home entertainment as the advantageous of LCD TV sets become more apparent.

For example, most 42 to 47 inch LCD TV sets support 1920 x 1080 pixels - meaning that they can resolve all the information contained in a 1080p HDTV signal. On the other hand, 50-inch plasmas are mostly 1366 x 768. Burn-in is not an issue with LCD TVs though under certain circumstances, LCD televisions may still exhibit some form of image retention. And if you want a bright enough screen to show in a brightly lit room, LCD is the way to go.

Mind you, LCD TVs have their downside as well. [For a detailed discussion on the main differences between plasma and LCD, check our plasma vs. LCD TV article]. Their relatively bright screen and the inherently technical limitations to completely block the light from the backlight, from reaching the surface, make it difficult for LCD panels to handle dark images correctly. In particular, it is not easy for LCDs to handle shadow detail in dark scenes. In this respect, plasma displays has the upper hand.

But...

As already stated earlier on in this LCD TV reviews article, things are changing fast - even when it comes to black level detail and shadow performance. A case in point in the 2007 line-up of LCD televisions is the LNT4665F 46" Samsung LCD HDTV - reviewed on our site here. This 1080p LCD TV can produce solid blacks with excellent shadow detail and accurate color even with off-axis viewing. Furthermore, its picture performance can be defined as excellent not only for an LCD, but even with respect to top-level plasma TV standards.

The Samsung LN-T4665F forms part of a series that includes a 40-inch (LNT4065F) and a 52-inch (LNT5265F), all of which come with a similar specs sheet except for a different screen size.

Similar excellent 1080p LCD TV sets also come from Sony and Sharp. In particular, the Sharp Aquos LC46D62U 46" LCD HDTV has constantly emerged in various LCD TV reviews as capable of delivering the best black-level performance for any non-CRT TV. The Sony KDL-46XBR4 (click on link for this Sony LCD TV review) is also another solid performer.

In this series of LCD TV reviews, we look at some of the best LCD HDTV sets presently available on the market for home entertainment use. The best does not necessarily mean expensive; in our selection, we try to keep an eye on affordability as well.

What about a cheap LCD TV for your home entertainment?

During the last years, we have seen a drastic fall in prices of flat-panel displays. Today, it is even possible to get a brand new 40-inch LCD HDTV set at just under $1,000.

The reality is that this LCD TV review article would be incomplete if we were to skip over the so called cheap LCD TV sets as if these are not worth considering for serious home entertainment use. The reason is that in the mist of all the fierce competition in the industry between new entrants and major manufactures, we have started to see some really cheap LCD TVs from a few leaders in the industry.

The Samsung LNT-42H Series of LCD HDTV Sets

Samsung LNT4042H 40" LCD HDTV

A case in point is the Samsung's 2007 LNT-42H series of entry-level LCD TVs. This series comprises five different models, starting from 23-inch up to 46-inch diagonal.

The features on the Samsung LNT-42H series are typical of what one would expect for LCD TV sets in the value category from a name-brand LCD manufacturer.

All have the standard LCD native resolution of 1,366x768 - supporting up to 720p HDTV, and come in a glossy black case and speakers mounted to the sides.

What's more, they also include a couple of extras that other entry-level LCD TV sets skip, like picture-in-picture on all models and a swivel stand on the 32, 40, and 46 inch models.

In addition, the 32-inch, 40-inch and the 46-inch models also come with three HDMI inputs (including one on the side), instead of the usual two HDMI inputs found on most cheap LCD TVs.

Other important specs include a high contrast ratio (4000:1 for the 23 and 26 inch models and 7000:1 for the larger models), and a wide angle of view of up to 178/178 for the larger models. This is possible thanks to the use of S-PVA (Super Patterned Vertical Alignment), which divides each sub-pixel into two segments per color for a more refined consistency in colors, contrast, and brightness at the wider viewing angles.

But the real nice part of it is that these models come at an extremely affordable price tag for a top-brand in the industry. The 40-inch model in the range, the Samsung LNT4042H LCD HDTV, is selling online at $1,140.

Equally affordable are the 32-inch and the 46-inch modes, which are selling at amazon for approximately $740 and $1280 respectively.

For the latest price offers from different sellers, availability, and additional product information on the Samsung 42H series, we suggest to visit the amazon portal; just click on the following links to access the respective product page:

Samsung 2007 Entry Level LCD TV Models

• Samsung LNT2342H 23" LCD HDTV

• Samsung LNT2642H 26" LCD HDTV

• Samsung LNT3242H 32" LCD HDTV

• Samsung LNT4042H 40" LCD HDTV

• Samsung LNT4642H 46" LCD HDTV

Note: The 42H series comes with a similar specs sheet as Samsung midlevel series for 2007, the LN-T53/54H. A detailed LCD TV review of the 53/54H 720p series of Samsung LCD TV sets is available on our site here.

More Cheap LCD TVs...

Sony KDL-S3000 Series: Surely, your options for cheap LCD TV sets from major suppliers in the industry in the sub-$1,000 price tag for screen sizes in the 40-inch range are still somewhat limited.

For example, Sony's entry-level series of LCD TV sets for 2007 come at a slightly higher price tag than their Samsung counterpart. Just to get an idea, the Sony Bravia KDL-40S3000 40" 720p LCD HDTV is selling online at around $1,300 while the 46-inch model within the same KDL-S3000 series, the KDL-46S3000 Sony LCD HDTV, is selling at amazon for $1,750.

All models in the KDL-S3000 series of 720p LCD HDTV sets come with a  native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, and two HDMI inputs other than standard connectivity inputs like PC and component video. For more information, check out the following links at amazon:

Sony Bravia KDL-S3000 Series

• Sony Bravia KDL-46S3000 46" 720p LCD HDTV

• Sony Bravia KDL-40S3000 40" 720p LCD HDTV

• Sony Bravia KDL-32S3000 32" 720p LCD HDTV

• Sony Bravia KDL-26S3000 26" 720p LCD HDTV

Note: We expect to complete a detailed LCD TV review article of this Sony series in the coming weeks. So check back soon.

Other brands: There are several models from the not-so-top brands that are still worth considering if what you are after is a cheap LCD TV that comes with all the basic features normally associated with entry-level LCD TVs.

The Westinghouse SK-42H240S 42" LCD HDTV set is probably one of the few 42-inch 720p LCD televisions from a relatively known supplier that is selling at under $1000.

The JVC LT-42E478 42" 720p Flat Panel LCD HDTV (pictured here), is another entry level-option that is selling at just over $1,000.

Of course, one has to be very careful when opting for a cheap LCD TV set - especially when this comes from some unknown brand. It is always better to go for a bare-bones model within the value category from some major LCD manufacture like Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Philips, etc. Major name brands would normally be trading off features not picture quality, for that lower price tag.

LCD TV Reviews - Article Index

As more manufactures compete to come up with feature-packed LCD HDTV sets, larger screen sizes, and improved picture quality at lower prices, the consumer is being faced with a never-ending list of models and brands to choose from.

We therefore hope that the LCD TV Reviews featured under this section will be of some assistance in your choice of a suitable LCD television.

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