TV Reviews

HDTV television sets come in all sizes and with many different features, but the Panasonic TC-P50V10 is one that stands out among the many varieties available. With a small 2 inch width and a low profile design it can easily fit into any home but its simple design masks its actual technological wonders.

The TC-P5oV10 is able to offer a Digital Cinema Color quality that offers every color you would need for a movie theater experience and also has a Neo PDP panel that allows for a large 1080p resolution. Even better for your monthly budget, Panasonic carefully crafted the TC-P50V10 so that it can provide all these perks using half the energy of previous models.

The TC-P5OV10 also provides for a 40,000:1 contrast ratio which will make everything you view on it from a movie to a video game to even JPEG photos a majestic viewing event. Even better, it is not hard to view items such as JPEG photos due to the fact it has an SD memory card digital slot so that you do not even need a special cable.

Additionally, if you use other input devices on the Panasonic TC-P50V10 you will not have to concern yourself with an overflowing supply of remotes, since the set has a VIERRA link which allows you to use all components of your home system with just one button on the television remote.

This is due to the fact that the HDMI cable is equipped to handle digital video and audio signals alongside control signals as well. Thus, when you use VIERRA you can easily access everything in your home system and not just the television set.

The TC-P50V10 also has internet access that is available through the VIERRACAST line as well so that you can open your email or watch YouTube from your front room television set if you like. This also enables you to get all updates for the Panasonic set via the television as well.

If you aren't impressed with the Panasonic TC-P50V10 than you may be after you hear that it also offers THX display certification so that you get images that are above standard frame by frame. With a resolution of 1920x1080p you get one of the highest pixel resolutions without blurring or color distortion. Standing at 50 inches, the images you watch on your Panasonic will be hard to beat unless you are seated in a cinema.

LCD's and Plasmas are currently competing for the title of best monitor in terms of which can offer the best picture quality. LCD's have been lagging behind in the competition which has caused manufacturers to step up their game which has of course also stepped up the price of the LCD sets.

In exchange, the new LCD models have better refresh rates that even reach 240Hz which helps to reduce the blurring. One of the newest LCD sets that have a lower price tag than its counterparts is the Toshiba 55ZV650OU. It also is able to produce a 240Hz rate using Toshiba's own trademarked technology.

One of the most appealing factors outside of the technology of the Toshiba is its slim design as it is a flat panel that is edged with a silver frame that surrounds a silver background until the black bulk support of the television.

The corners have a black fade above the silver that can be seen through the transparent edges that creates a nice visual effect making it look like a television from the future. For those who are more concerned with the actual picture on the television, it also offers five picture modes that are adjustable or a sixth mode in which the monitor will adjust between the modes itself based on the set parameters of the set known as Auto View.

Outside of appearance and viewing, the Toshiba 55ZV65OU offers a few features that are pleasing as well such as the Clearscan 240 which uses the a backlight scanning system with its 120 frames per second capability to create the 240Hz effect that he 55ZV65OU is known for. It also is able to double frames to create a 120 Hz LCD effect which is what most stations broadcast in and will help reduce blurring in the set picture.

Toshiba also uses a technique of dejudder processing they refer to as Film Stabilization to correct viewing problems as well. Further adjustment can be done manually with a gamma slider that allows for 31 positions to fine tune and it can be set to lock into the color management mode you choose so that in case the color mode button is accidently selected you will not have to worry about remedying the problem.

The 55ZV65OU also offers input slots such as a component-video, VGA style PC, and an AV input with S-Video. Of course, it also has the typical digital and analog audio outputs that you would expect from any set.

Hitachi is responsible for introducing monitors that are slim and streamlined back in January at the CES conference. Due to the fact most of the monitors are only 1.5 inches thick they bare one of the thinnest monitors available on the market next to Sony's XEL-1 which is only 1.1 inches thick. Of course, the main difference between these two is the price tag, as the Sony weighs in at a very large price of $2500, and for that price you may as well buy a completely new stereo system let alone just the monitor.

Outside of the lower price, there are also many other reasons that the Hitachi UT37X902 is a good choice, one of which is its 120Hz dejudder technology that provides for a 1080p solid picture quality.

The design is also a positive for many people as it has curved edges all around and has a sleek chrome strip around the speaker slit underneath the screen adding to its sleek design. The design also has a little pimped out touch with a translucent slightly opaque frame that lets the wall supporting the monitor show through the back around the frame edges.

Of course, although it has a decent design, good visual quality, and dimensions of 36.9x23.9 and a width of 1.6 inches there are some drawbacks to the Hitachi UT37X902. One of the most noticeable ones is the fact that there are two simple inputs for the PC and HDMI. It also is lacking an HDTV tuner and the PC input is a VGA style input which may be a large factor for some viewers who want to be able to use HDTV technology as it is advancing fast. You can purchase an adaptor for the VGA input to make it composite but it may be better depending on how much you want to use the monitor to simply buy a model with an HDMI switcher.

What the UT37X902 lacks in connectivity it makes up for in features as it has an astounding resolution of 1,920x1080 with the dejudder processing rate of course. It also packs in picture controls as it has three picture modes so that you can choose to watch how you like. The UT37X902 also competes well against LCDS with dark black levels but it does have a few problems with blue color differentiation in darker areas of the screen. However, usually by switching color modes this can be adjusted.