PIONEER
Elite Kuro PRO-110FD
50-inch plasma HDTV
February/March '08
After reviewing Pioneer's Kuro PDP-5010FD 50-inch plasma TV (November '07), my first thought was, "Could an HDTV get any better?" As it turned out, a superior option was just around the corner: the Elite Kuro PRO-110FD ($6,000). Both of these 1080p-resolution plasmas deliver crisp high-def pictures with detailed shadows and incredibly deep blacks — the deepest I've seen on a flat-panel TV by a long shot. High-def is what makes these Pioneer TVs sing, but their exceptional video processing also ensures that low-rez standard-def programs look good, too. Choosing one model over the other will mostly come down to color: The Elite TV offers a wider range of adjustments to fine-tune its color reproduction, allowing tweaky types to dial in those settings to near perfection. Pioneer says its intent with the Kuro project was to redesign its highly regarded plasma TVs from the ground up, to make them even better. From what I can see, the company easily achieved that goal, and in the PRO-110FD, created an extraordinary HDTV any enthusiast would love to own.
pioneerelectronics.com
-Al Griffin
SAMSUNG
LN-T5281F
52-inch LCD HDTV
February/March '08
Among all the TV technologies, LCDs got most of the attention in 2007. Reviewing these models in the past yielded mostly predictable results — good performance with bright pictures, not so good with dark ones — but several new models we checked out in '07 performed extremely well. At the top of that list was Samsung's 52-inch LN-T5281F ($5,000). The company chose to shake things up for its 81 Series sets by replacing the standard fluorescent backlight with an LED array. Several of the TV's processing modes successfully take advantage of the advanced backlight's modular structure to improve performance. LED SmartLighting, for example, dims select areas in the picture to deepen blacks and enhance contrast, while LED Motion Plus cuts down on motion blur. The LN-T5281F isn't perfect: Picture contrast shifts noticeably when the set is viewed from off-center seats, and its screen is highly reflective — a drawback in well-lit rooms. But by pushing the LCD-performance envelope with the LN-T5281F, Samsung has staked a bright future for the technology in the high-end segment of the flat-panel TV market.
samsung.com
-Al Griffin
SONY
VPL-VW60
SXRD front projector
January '08
Sony's VPL-VW50 "Pearl" projector created quite a stir when it first came out — mostly because the company managed to package the same technology driving its high-end SXRD projector line into a model costing less than 5 grand. But as good as the Pearl was, Sony's new "Black Pearl" VPL-VW60 SXRD projector exceeds it in many ways. At $5,000, the VW60 is priced the same as its predecessor, and you get the same 1080p-rez picture, low fan noise, multiple Iris modes, and handy array of installation features. But the new projector also brings two advancements to the table: higher native contrast ratio and improved picture uniformity. That first one means that the picture looks exceptionally bright and punchy for a budget front pro. And the second one guarantees that all manner of movies you watch will show a pure, unadulterated range of colors. Add to the list the VW60's crisp high-def picture and impressive standard-def upconversion, and you've got what amounts to the year's best value in front projectors.
sonystyle.com
-Al Griffin
LG
BH200 Super Blu
Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD player
February/March '08
LG's first Super player, the BH100, was by far the year's most exciting product concept — a single player that could handle both the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc high-def formats along with standard DVDs. And while the BH100's concept ultimately proved better than its execution, most of the initial player's shortcomings are addressed in the company's second, more successful stab at a dual-format player, the BH200 Super Blu ($999). Finally, a single machine that plays everything: HD DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, standard DVDs, and even CDs. Picture quality is excellent with all formats, and the BH200 can also hook up to a home network to let you take advantage of interactive features found on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. The major area where this second-gen Super Blu machine comes up short is audio performance, where it's still limited in its support of the new high resolution formats. But while it's not yet the ideal solution, the BH200 still single-handedly delivers almost everything a high-def home theater requires, and LG deserves props for being the first to float a dual-format player on the market.
us.lge.com
-Al Griffin
JVC
DLA-HD100
D-ILA front projector
February '08, Web
My review of JVC's DLA-HD1 front projector (May) concluded that it offers "great picture quality with almost no compromises." You'd think it would be tough for JVC to one-up itself, but the company manages to pull that off with its newest D-ILA front projector, the DLA-HD100. This 1080p-rez model's picture looks unfailingly crisp and clean, with deeper blacks and more eye-popping whites than any other projector I've tested since the old CRT days. Most impressive of all, the picture retains its punch through both bright and dark movie scenes. Overall, the DLA-HD100's brightness measured slightly less than its predecessor, but a sizeable contrast-ratio boost balances that drop. (The HD100's native contrast is so good that there's no need for JVC to cook the numbers with Auto Iris modes like other manufacturers.) At $8,000, the HD100 costs more than the HD1. But with stronger contrast and more flexible picture adjustments — not to mention a pair of HDMI 1.3 inputs — it provides a step-up in both features and performance to help justify the jump.
jvc.com
-Al Griffin
TOSHIBA
HD-XA2
HD DVD player
May '07
We declared Toshiba's inaugural HD-XA1 HD DVD player our 2006 Product of the Year on the strength of its breakthrough audio/video performance. But it suffered from sluggish and quirky operation, not to mention an atrocious-looking 720p output that demanded you mate it with a 1080p set. Shortly after, though, Toshiba roared back with the XA2 ($999), a successor that addressed nearly every problem with the original. Boot-up and disc-load times are vastly reduced, connections are more robust, and a Silicon Optix video processor not only fixes the 720p problem but turns this into one of the best upscaling DVD players we've seen. The company is now onto its third-generation players, but the universally praised HD-XA2 still deserves recognition for its outstanding performance.
tacp.toshiba.com
-Rob Sabin
PHILIPS
42PFL7432D
42-inch LCD HDTV
September '07
Between going to trade shows, browsing stores, and hunkering down in our lab with various test samples, I saw an awful lot of LCD HDTVs last year — too many, in fact. But the big surprise of the lot turned out to be this affordable ($1,799) Philips 42-inch. First, the image, even with less-than-stellar sources, proved highly stable and film-like, most especially for an LCD. (Some of these TVs have a sparkly, unstable quality and tend to exaggerate noise.) Second, the color was unusually accurate and natural for an LCD — in particular, the highly sensitive reds. Third, the set was outstanding at cleaning up standard-def material like DVDs and cable broadcasts and showing them to best advantage. Throw in 1080p detail, a huge number of picture tweaks, a user-friendly remote, and Philips's trademark Ambilight feature, and it's easy to see why the 42PFL7432D can be declared a winner on all counts.
consumer.philips.com
-Rob Sabin