WiFi Finder
Locate wireless services by a specific address, city, state, country, airport, or zip code.
Screen Tests
Big HDTVs are big news--so we lined up eight plasma and DLP models in our lab to separate the flat-out fabulous from the flops. Plus: A guide to getting high-definition programming.
Sean Captain
With HP wireless printers, you could have printed this from any room in the house. Live wirelessly. Print wirelessly.
Do you cry at the end of Cinema Paradiso, lean in to see the Nip/Tuck surgery close-up, or leap from the couch when your team scores a touchdown? Do you love TV?
With a growing number of high-definition programs and high-quality DVDs, there's a lot to love. When everything works, big-screen HDTVs deliver images with rich color and fine detail.
For this review, our Test Center examined TVs with screens measuring 50 or 52 inches diagonally. Five were plasma TVs with bright images, rich colors...and price tags of up to $9000; three were Digital Light Processing rear-projection sets. While bulkier than plasmas, DLP sets are far slimmer than tube-based TVs--and, at $3000 to $4000, cheaper than plasmas.
What about LCD TVs? Models over 40 inches are starting to appear, but the cheapest cost around $10,000. Plasma and DLP TVs, meanwhile, will get cheaper: The research firm ISuppli/Stanford Resources predicts price drops of 28 percent on 50-inch plasmas and 19 percent on DLP sets in the next year.
New TV models don't all premiere at once, so the latest sets from companies such as Sony and Samsung weren't ready in time for this review. But of the plasmas we reviewed, superb screen quality earned Pioneer's $9000 PDP-5040HD the Digital World Choice award; Panasonic's TH-50PX25U/P offers nearly comparable quality for $1200 less and wins our Digital World Value award. The Digital World Choice award for DLP goes to Optoma Technology's 50-inch OptomaTV RD50.
- Plasma or DLP: Sexy Versus Thrifty
- Living Large With Good Shows From Plasma and Rear-Protection DLP TVs (chart)
- Lab Notes: Putting HDTVs to the Test
- Setup Tips: TLC for Your HDTV
- Plasma vs. DLP: It's Not Just About Price
- Viewing Tips
- Pioneer PDP-5040HD
- Mitsubishi PD-5030
- Panasonic TH-50PX25U/P
- LG Electronics DU-50PZ60
- Gateway 50-Inch HD-Ready Plasma TV
- OptomaTV RD50
- RCA Scenium HDLP50W151
- LG Electronics RU-52SZ61D
- Programming: Getting Set for HDTV
- Page 1 of 15
- Next ยป
Laptop Showcase
Office Small Business 2007
Related HDTV Articles
- AMD Sells Digital TV Business to Broadcom Broadcom plans to acquire AMD's digital television business for $192.8 million.
- Essential HDTV Accessories An HDTV is just a TV with a pretty picture until you add a few important accoutrements. The dozen add-ons shown here will greatly enhance your HDTV watching experience.
- Intel and Yahoo Partner for Internet on TV Intel and Yahoo are partnering on a hardware and software platform that will bring widgets to TV.
- Big Screen TV Sales Soon to Slow? LG exec expects slower TV market growth in 2009, but still plenty of action for other plasma and LCD products.
- How TVs Will Get Much, Much Flatter A paper-thin HDTV that covers a whole wall? Believe it. OLEDs are coming--not quickly, but when they do, LCD and plasma are doomed.
Camcorders
Handycam HDR-SR11 60GB Hard Drive CamcorderPrice: $839.00
Handycam HDR-SR12 120GB CamcorderPrice: $977.00
Handycam DCR-HC28 Mini DV Digital CamcorderPrice: $99.96
VIXIA HF100 SDHC Flash Memory CamcorderPrice: $599.99
VIXIA HV30 Mini DV CamcorderPrice: $695.00
VIXIA HF10 16GB CamcorderPrice: $769.00
- PC World Webcast: Going Green Wondering how to make your business greener? These tips will help your business save money, and save the environment.
- The Future Sales Force - A Consultative Approach This white paper discusses the challenges of selling complex products and services, and the new skill sets sales professionals must employ in today's evolving market.
PC World's Marketplace
PC World's Free Whitepapers
