HDTV Recommendations

crmullinax recommends Samsung PN42B450 as Best Overall 42-Inch or Smaller HDTV Under $700.

2009-11-23T13:09:46Z

Overview

At a mere $700 these sets are lacking many of the interactive features of their net-capable, step-up brethren, but the feature sets they do offer are superb. Plasmas deliver, without question, the best image quality available in HDTVs today. And for $700 you’d be hard-pressed to find a set that can trump the top two picks here, but the others give them a good run for their money.

My Best In Class Pick

Samsung PN42B450

Enter the PN42B450: Samsung’s entry into the now-sparse plasma market. The plasma screen means motion-blur and wide-angle viewing are pretty much non-issues, at least when compared to it’s LCD cousins (both of which are issues in all but the highest-end models). Rest assured, this is the TV everyone will want to gather around whether its the next big game or movie night.

The PN42B450 is Samsung’s entry-level plasma screen and as such, it lacks many of the features found in step-up models. Most notably of which is the 1080p resolution that has become a standard and “must-have” feature for HDTVs these days.

But wait!

Before you turn your head and scoff at the PN42B450’s mere 720 lines of vertical resolution, know this: at 42 inches and below, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a 1080p and a 720p display. The benefits of 1080p can really only be noticed at higher screen sizes and larger viewing distances.

That said, the PN42B450 goes toe-to-toe with nearly every feature of it’s competition. It has the highly-touted (yet highly-insignificant) “600Hz sub-field motion” of the Panasonic. It has a plethora of burn-in solutions and preventions. And It has the anti-reflective screen.

To top it all off, Cnet.com says the Samsung has “nearly perfect” primary and secondary color accuracy and “excellent color saturation.” As if that wasn’t enough, the Samsung can be found on Amazon.com right now for a mere $674.

NOTE: At the time of this writing, there are no reviews available for the PN42B450 (at least, none that I could find). Thus, this recommendation is based solely on spec sheets, feature sets, and reviews of similar models

Comparison with Panasonic TC-P42S1

Most notably lacking from the Samsung when compared to the Panasonic is the 1080p resolution, but at this size, the omission is easy to overlook. Otherwise, the Samsung delivers a superior image and a comparable feature-set.

Comparison with LG 37LH40

With it’s plasma screen, the Samsung is superior to this LG in just about every respect. Aside from it’s 720p resolution (and, perhaps, picture-adjustment options), the Samsung delivers overall better image quality, screen uniformity, and off-angle viewing.

Pros

+
Great viewing angles
+
Little to no blurring
+
Very accurate color

Cons

-
720p max resolution

Product	Samsung PN42B450	2 Panasonic TC-P42S1	3 LG 37LH40
Customer Rating
Price
Screen Size	42 in.	42 in.	37 in.
Display Type	Plasma	Plasma	LCD
Display Format	720p	1080p	1080p
Display Surface	Glass	Glass	Matte
Anti-reflective Coating	Yes	Yes	n/a
HDMI Inputs (Total)	3	3	4
Component Video Inputs (Total)	2	2	2

Product	Panasonic TC-P54G10	2 Samsung PN58B860	3 Panasonic TC-P54V10
Customer Rating
Price
Screen Size	54 in.	58 in.	54 in.
Display Type	Plasma	Plasma	Plasma
Anti-reflective Coating	Yes	Yes	Yes
HDMI Inputs (Total)	3	4	4
Component Video Inputs (Total)	2	2	2
Composite Video Inputs (Total)	2	1	2
S-Video Input	Yes	No	Yes
VGA Input	Yes	Yes	Yes
PC Interface	Yes	Yes	Yes

HDTV Recommendations

crmullinax recommends Samsung PN42B450 as Best Overall 42-Inch or Smaller HDTV Under $700.

Overview

My Best In Class Pick

Samsung PN42B450

Comparison with Panasonic TC-P42S1

Comparison with LG 37LH40

Pros

Cons

Samsung PN42B450

Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices

Panasonic TC-P42S1

Comparison with LG 37LH40

Pros

Cons

Panasonic TC-P42S1

LG 37LH40

Comparison with Sony KDL-37L5000

Pros

Cons

LG 37LH40

Sony KDL-37L5000

Pros

Cons

Sony KDL-37L5000

Joey Perez recommends Panasonic TC-P54G10 as Best Overall 58-Inch or Smaller HDTV Under $3000.

Overview

My Best In Class Pick

Panasonic TC-P54g10

Comparison with Samsung PN58B860

Comparison with Panasonic TC-p54v10

Pros

Cons

Panasonic TC-P54G10

Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices

Samsung PN58B860

Comparison with Panasonic TC-p54v10

Pros

Cons

Samsung PN58B860

Panasonic TC-p54v10

Comparison with Samsung UN55b7000

Pros

Cons

Panasonic TC-P54V10

Samsung UN55b7000

Pros

Cons

Samsung UN55B7000

CNET recommends Samsung UN40B7000 as Best Overall 32- to 42-Inch HDTV.

My Best In Class Pick

Samsung UN40B7000

Samsung UN40B7000

Samsung LN40B750

Samsung LN40B750

Panasonic TC-P42G10

Panasonic TC-P42G10

Samsung UN40B6000

Samsung UN40B6000

Sony KDL-40W5100

Sony KDL-40W5100

CNET recommends Samsung LN32B650 as Best Overall 32-Inch or Smaller HDTV.

My Best In Class Pick

Samsung LN32B650

Samsung LN32B650

JVC LT-32P300

JVC LT-32P300

Sony KDL-32L5000

Sony KDL-32L5000

Panasonic TC-L32X1

Panasonic TC-L32X1

LG 32LH30

LG 32LH30

Vizio VO320E

Vizio VO320E

The New York Times recommends Sharp LC-40E77UN as Best Overall 40- to 42-Inch HDTV Under $900.

My Best In Class Pick

Sharp LC-40E77UN

Sharp LC-40E77UN

The New York Times recommends Samsung LN52B630 as Best Overall 50- to 52-Inch HDTV Under $1800.