A motherload of great products passed through the February/March 2006 issue, resulting in six adds to The List. Among them are Pioneer's 50-inch Elite plasma, JVC's new 70-inch HD-ILA rear projector, and Control 4's affordable whole-house music/automation system. RCA’s DRC8060N DVD recorder is the killer of all commercial killers, and HP's z556 Digital Entertainment Center proved to be no ordinary Media Center PC. Also new is Yamaha's YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector. Unless noted, all prices are manufacturers' list, which may bear no resemblance to actual selling prices.
Pioneer Elite PRO-1130HD 50-inch plasma
$6,500 (street price), February/March 2006
Pricey, but its truly outstanding picture makes it the best 50-inch plasma TV we've laid eyes on.
www.pioneerelectronics.com
JVC HD-70FH96 70-inch HD-ILA
$6,000 (street price), February/March 2006
A gargantuan 1080p picture with oodles of detail and the deepest black we've seen on an RPTV.
www.jvc.com
HP Pavilion MD6580n 65-in DLP
$5,500, October 2005
A loaded feature set combined with a mammoth 1080p picture that holds its own against Sony’s $13,000 Qualia 006.
hp.com
Sony KDS-R50XBR1
50-inch SXRD
$3,999, November 2005
In this 1080p LCoS set, Sony managed to bring most of the superb performance of its Qualia 006 to a smaller, real-world screen size at less than a third the price.
sony.com
Mitsubishi WD-52627 52-in DLP
$3,699, October 2005
1080p resolution, a super-smooth picture, deep blacks, and vibrant color create a winning combo.
mitsubishi-tv.com
Sharp XV-Z2000 DLP
$4,000, July/August 2005
Fine HDTV home theater performance with the benefits of DLP at a sensible price.
sharpusa.com
Sony Cineza VPL-HS51 LCD
$3,500, April 2005
There’s terrific value in this LCD projector that delivers great HDTV and progressive-scan DVD images.
sonystyle.com
