Do you cry at the end of
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.
Even turned off, almost any plasma TV looks cooler than a projection set. Ironically, these skinny sets have a lot in common with good old CRTs. Both form color pictures by illuminating combinations of phosphor dots that glow red, green, or blue. But instead of lighting phosphors with an electron gun at the end of a long tube, as CRTs do, plasmas use electrically charged gas--the plasma--in tiny cells, one cell for each phosphor dot.
Plasma TVs are so thin you can hang them like pictures. But they can weigh 100 pounds or more, so you need heavy-duty hardware (sold separately) and a good carpenter to wall-mount them.
Projection TVs all magnify a small image with lenses and mirrors and project it onto the back of a translucent screen. Older sets generate the image with CRTs; newer ones shine light through small LCDs or bounce it off mirrored, LCD-like chips called liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS). But the most popular projection technology today is DLP. A lamp shines light through a spinning wheel made up of red, green, and blue filters, producing color pulses that hit a chip containing nearly 1 million pivoting mirrors--one for each pixel on the screen. The more often a mirror pivots, the brighter the pixel will appear.
But the projector and mirrors take up space, so while DLPs don't weigh more than plasmas, they are taller and deeper (around 15 inches for our models). You can't wall-mount them, but on a table, they don't need more space than plasmas.
Viewing angle is a big differentiator between plasma and DLP. Plasmas look the same wherever you sit; DLPs lose brightness and contrast as you move off center. Our DLP sets retained good picture quality throughout a side-to-side viewing-angle shift of at least 90 degrees; the up-and-down range was tighter, so setting the TV at the right height for your viewers is key.
Another DLP problem is a rainbow effect. The pulses of red, green, and blue light come and go so quickly that you usually perceive them as appearing all at once. But you may occasionally see flashes of individual colors, especially in a very dark room. On the other hand, images on both plasma and DLP TVs suffer under intense light, especially direct sunlight.
Overall, plasmas have a slight edge in image quality, and their thin profiles give you more setup options. But DLP's disadvantages are not huge, and the lower prices are a big plus.
Also, DLPs age more gracefully. Phosphors on a plasma screen gradually lose brightness, and after brightness drops by about 50 percent, your TV image is only a shadow of its former self. But the vendors of our reviewed plasmas estimate so-called half-lives of between 20,000 and 30,000 hours for their screens. That's seven to ten years of watching TV 8 hours per day, every day--enough for even
But some phosphors on plasma sets may fade faster than others, leaving ghostly patterns on the screen--an effect known as burn-in. If you're addicted to CNBC, the ever-present ticker tape at the bottom of the screen will eventually leave a mark--as will static elements in video games (such as boxes showing your score) or the blank panels you get when programs don't span the full width or height of the screen. You can still watch this content, but if any single one dominates you risk burn-in.
Some plasma TVs have tools to combat burn-in. An orbiter feature in the Mitsubishi and LG models slightly (and imperceptibly) shifts screen images back and forth and up and down. The inverse function feature in these sets reverses the colors of programs, much as a film negative displays light in dark areas and vice versa. This causes the screen to age more evenly, so patterns are less likely to persist.
You can break in a plasma screen by evenly burning off its first 5 percent of brightness; LG's plasma can display a pure white screen for this purpose. A professional installer should also do this (see "TLC for Your HDTV").
DLP sets don't suffer from burn-in, but their lamp bulb will certainly die. The vendors in our review estimate half-lives of about 8000 hours (2.7 years) for their bulbs; replacements run about $250 to $400 and you can install them yourself.
Both types of TVs are subject to defective pixels. Five manufacturers in this group provided a pixel-defect policy. The best was Panasonic's, which provides coverage if more than three pixels are defective. But Mitsubishi's guarantee that 99.99 percent of its pixels will function would allow up to 104 defects on the 50-inch TV's 1365-by-768-pixel screen. Most warranties provide coverage for only a year.
Four models in this review--the LG, Panasonic, and Pioneer plasmas and RCA's DLP--are true HDTVs, with integrated ATSC tuners that can receive HD signals over the air. The other models are "HDTV monitors" or "HDTV-ready": They require third-party receivers for HD content (see "Getting Set for HDTV"). Except for the Mitsubishi, the other TVs have one or two NTSC tuners for receiving standard analog television. Because most television is still low-def and analog--and because even high-def channels broadcast a lot of standard-definition content (broadcasters simply upscale the 480 lines of these shows to HD's 720 or 1080 lines of resolution)--we included several clips of it in our tests. However, our test material consisted mainly of recorded off-air HD programs and two DVD movies. We strongly recommend using digital sources--via a DVI or HDMI cable--with your digital TV, but some cable boxes and most DVD players have only analog outputs. Component video is the best of these (see the Descrambler column this month for a guide to audio and video cables).
Color quality was the most important measure in our tests, and probably the area in which the TVs varied the most even after we calibrated each using Digital Video Essentials, a $25 tool on DVD.
Among the plasma models, Pioneer's PDP-5040HD took top honors for color, scoring 65 out of a possible 100 on our scale; the Mitsubishi PD-5030 was close behind, at 61. LG's plasma TV took some knocks for overblown colors. But Gateway's plasma is the real loser. While only 9 points separate the top-scoring Pioneer and the fourth-place LG in our color tests, 20 points separate the LG from the Gateway. Basically, images were the sickly yellow of photographs left in the sun for weeks. The Gateway also scored 11 points less than the LG in our brightness and contrast tests and in our judges' overall-impression rating.
Good performance, moderate price, a built-in HD tuner, and good control options earned the Panasonic our DW Value award. Among the projection TVs, the OptomaTV edged out the RCA, primarily for color quality.
Image quality and ease of use vary a good deal among today's plasma and DLP projection sets. But with proper upkeep, the latest high-end models will deliver big, beautiful pictures. So if you are ready to invest in a big, flat screen, one is ready for you.
Lab Notes: Putting HDTVs to the Test
Someday all content sources and all TVs will be digital. And our Test Center relied primarily on digital technology in order to display identical material in side-by-side quality tests.
For our DVD tests, we played
We used Milori ColorFacts software and GretagMacBeth's professional-grade color analyzer to pick the preset color-temperature mode on each TV that most closely matched the TV and DVD standard of 6500 Kelvin. We then used the Digital Video Essentials DVD calibration kit.
Six judges rated recorded standard-definition, high-definition, and DVD content for color quality, detail, brightness and contrast, and overall impression. All scores were on a scale of 1 to 7, 7 being best; we then converted the sum of the scores to a percentage of a possible perfect score. The highest score achieved in any of the tests was 67 out of 100.
We ran most tests under lighting with a color temperature of about 5000 Kelvin to simulate evening viewing conditions, but repeated several tests with brighter lighting from combined 5000 Kelvin and 6500 Kelvin sources to simulate daylight conditions. We also informally checked DVD image quality using analog audio and component video connections.
Setup Tips: TLC for Your HDTV
At default settings, most TVs exaggerate color and brightness in order to grab attention on a showroom floor. But you probably want something subtler in your living room. Once you buy, invest in full-blown calibration. Colors will be richer, details will pop out, and your TV is likely to last longer.
To adjust brightness and contrast, choose content with shadows or other dark details, then turn down the brightness until the blacks are truly black. If light areas look too dark, turn up the contrast.
If your HDTV's image mode is something like Vivid or Dynamic, try out a more subdued setting--Standard or Cinema, perhaps. Then check the Color Temperature or the White Balance. A low, or warm, value adds a reddish tint; a high or cool value adds a bluish tint. Choose a middle setting, which should come closest to 6500 Kelvin--that's the industry standard for displaying all TV and DVD content.
Finally, make sure the sharpness isn't set too high, which can create an artificial shimmer on textures or a halo effect around details.
These adjustments, while helpful, aren't as good as full-scale calibration.
Calibration's goal is to make content on your TV look the way its creators intended. You can do basic calibration yourself using DVDs such as Avia Guide to Home Theater ($50), Digital Video Essentials ($25), and Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up ($16). These kits walk you through the process using test screens with known colors, contrast levels, and the like. Sound & Vision is best for newbies, Avia is more advanced, and DVE is the geekiest of the three.
Professional calibrators can make tweaks to your TV that you simply cannot. They can precisely measure color intensities and color temperature, and they have the codes required to access the set's service menu. (Even if you can reach those menus, using some controls without proper training can blow a power supply, cause a plasma screen to crack, or inflict other serious damage.)
The Imaging Science Foundation, which trains and certifies calibrators, says you should expect to pay $250 for basic calibration of a plasma or LCD TV and $275 for a rear-projection model. Prices go up for multiple content sources (such as an HDTV and a DVD player). Those fees aren't unreasonable for a set costing $5000 or more. You can find ISF-certified calibrators at www.imagingscience.com.
Plasma vs. DLP: It's Not Just About PricePlasma TVs cost more than rear-projection DLP sets, but that doesn't mean they are better across the board; the best choice for you depends on what you're looking for. If DLP turns out to be the better bet, you'll save a bundle. If you choose plasma, you should at least know what you're paying for.
Dim lighting is good for watching TV, but a completely dark room is bad for the picture and terrible for your eyes. If the TV is your only source of light, shifts from very dark to very bright scenes have an effect similar to what happens when you suddenly flip on an overhead light--you won't be able to see most of the detail in a scene while your eyes are adjusting. The same thing happens when you switch from a very bright to a very dark scene. Such jumps occur frequently in TV shows and movies.
Be good to your eyes by adding a little light--at least enough so that you can make out the contours of the room. Screen glare also hurts, however, so don't let lamps or sunlight shine directly on the TV. And as the room gets darker (say, at night), you'll get better picture quality by turning down the TV's brightness level.
If you can see the ocean outside your window, any plasma TV should be fine for you. But if your view is of the mountains, be careful: At high altitudes (about 5000 feet or more), where atmospheric pressure gets low, the difference in pressure between the gas inside the plasma screen and the surrounding air can cause plasma displays to produce an intolerable humming or buzzing noise. Manufacturers have found a way to remedy this problem, but not all models include the fix. If you live in the mountains and are buying a plasma screen, check the model's specs and talk to the seller to make sure you get one suitable for operation over 5000 feet. Of the products we reviewed, only Panasonic and Mitsubishi gave us definitive answers on this issue: Panasonic said its TH-50PX25U/P model is suitable for use at up to 7200 feet; and Mitsubishi said the PD-5030 should be fine at up to 9000 feet.
Unlike PC vendors, who update products every few weeks or months and typically offer their latest and greatest products online first, TV makers usually keep the same models for a year or more. So what you see at a reputable vendor's store is probably the newest equipment (though you should always check manufacturers' Web sites to make sure). And shopping at brick-and-mortar stores is smart: With video devices, seeing before buying is critical.
Many big retailers--such as Best Buy and Circuit City--do have extensive Web sites where you can comparison shop for the best deals. But beware of sites with bargain-basement prices. Often they are hawking older models that were unsellable in regular stores. And always make sure that the seller is an authorized dealer of the brands it carries. If not, you probably won't be eligible for the manufacturer's warranty.
Pioneer PDP-5040HD
Price when reviewed: $9000; Current prices (if available)
The 5040HD was the top-scoring plasma for color and brightness and contrast. And the wide range of its sharpening control let us remove virtually all noise and ghosting from our HDTV recordings and DVD clips.
That control, plus the MPEG noise-reduction feature, did an exceptional job of removing video artifacts from Chapter 2 of the
But the Pioneer costs a lot of green. It also gives back a lot of green--the color, that is. Grass in a scene set in a meadow looked a bit like Astroturf; flesh tones often had a greenish or yellowish cast. Professional calibration might have fixed this, though.
The 5040HD's ATSC digital and two standard TV tuners are housed in a box that attaches to the TV via a two-cable umbilical cord that carries video, audio, and control signals. This setup lets you add or detach inputs without crawling behind the TV or removing it from the wall.
Mitsubishi PD-5030
Price when reviewed: $7000; Current prices (if available)
Mitsubishi's PD-5030 tied the Pioneer in overall image-quality tests and beat it in displaying detail. Our judges liked the way DVD movies and standard-definition TV looked on this HDTV monitor. Images were crisp and bright; colors were also rich, though some judges found them a bit too red, as evinced sometimes in overly pink flesh tones. The Mitsubishi offers sophisticated controls such as gamma adjustment (which changes midtone brightness), independent high-end (gain) and low-end (bias) adjustment for each of the four color-temperature presets, and separate controls for levels of red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow in images. An excellent--if intimidating--manual describes these options.
But the unit has no stand or speakers, and only basic audio-processing circuitry. It was the only set in our review without a TV tuner, ATSC, or standard NTSC. While it has DVI and component inputs for attaching HDTV and NTSC cable or satellite boxes or a DVD player, you would have to spend a lot to turn this HDTV monitor into a true HDTV set.
Panasonic TH-50PX25U/P
Price when reviewed: $7800; Current prices (if available)
The Panasonic plasma's middle ranking in our quality tests may understate its appeal for some viewers. For example, although their rich hues earned the Pioneer and Mitsubishi plasmas the highest color marks, a couple of judges found those colors a bit too rich. In general, the Panasonic provided neither too much nor too little of any color. This Goldilocks appeal also applies to price: At $7800 (complete with HD tuner and speakers), the Panasonic is cheaper than the Pioneer, better equipped than the Mitsubishi, and worth the extra investment when compared to those that scored below it.
The TH-50PX25U/P is not merely about compromise. Its first-rate features include easy-to-navigate video and audio controls. On-screen menus include a helpful schematic of the remote control. The thorough, clearly written manual has a handy troubleshooting section.
This cutting-edge set has a built-in HD tuner and a CableCard slot (see Seen/Heard/Tried).
You can view digital photos on this TV by inserting SD (Secure Digital) memory cards or PC Cards into integrated slots. An optional mode called CATS uses an optical sensor to match the screen brightness to the ambient light conditions, which can reduce eyestrain and prolong screen life.
LG Electronics DU-50PZ60
Price when reviewed: $6499; Current prices (if available)
The LG has a smart, clean-looking design, great adjustment options, and a pleasing sound system--but our Test Center rated its image quality as simply mediocre.
Our judges scored this model second to last (though substantially ahead of the Gateway 50-inch HD-Ready Plasma TV) in three of our four image quality tests. And it ranked last on detail, due for the most part to excessive image sharpening that we could not completely turn off.
Oversaturated color was another persistent problem--a shirt that looked pale green on other TVs was a deep green when viewed on the LG set.
But while the DU-50PZ60 fumbles in its handling of color, it does offer some handy anti-burn-in tools--and shows considerable nuance with sound. The side-mounted speakers produce clean tones and convey complex subtleties of sound, such as the faint, ominous strings that surface when the cursed Black Pearl is first mentioned in the
Also, choosing this model's Theater equalizer preset further enhances movie soundtracks. LG Electronics offers this preset and others for sports and music under the manufacturer's EZ Sound menu option.
Gateway 50-Inch HD-Ready Plasma TV
Price when reviewed: $6000; Current prices (if available)
Our judges debated the relative merits of some TVs, but they were unanimous in their assessment of the Gateway, rating it substantially lower than its competitors in most of our tests. Colors were not only feeble, they also had an amber or yellowish cast that made nearly all content look like a faded film print from decades past. No matter how many ways we tweaked the settings (via the rudimentary on-screen controls), we couldn't pump more life into images. And because the DVI input doesn't support copy protection for high-definition resolutions, you'll have to use analog inputs for some HDTV content. (Gateway reports that it's working on a solution.)
Audio quality was equally low. The integrated speakers produced muted, flat sound. However, you can attach separate stereo speakers and a subwoofer via the set's analog audio-out ports if you like.
Gateway's support policies and documentation are good, and the set costs less than the other 50-inchers here. But we can't recommend that anyone invest $6000 in a TV that is destined to disappoint. You'd be better off spending the money on a projection TV that would likely have better image quality.
OptomaTV RD50
Price when reviewed: $3200; Current prices (if available)
Overall, the OptomaTV RD50 finished neck-and-neck with the RCA in our image-quality tests. But the OptomaTV is the better choice for certain conditions. It excelled in our DVD tests, where its richer colors gave it a clear edge in normal lighting conditions, and it scored only a bit lower than its rival in the high-def TV and bright-light tests.
In most cases, the RD50 struck a good balance between the LG's oversaturated hues and the RCA's slightly muted shades. And the OptomaTV has the best user-accessible image-quality controls, with adjustments for individual color intensities (red, green, blue, and yellow) and gamma, which affects midtone brightness. For each input source, you can program three different color parameters, plus the Normal and Cinema presets.
The set has some design flaws. The large on-screen menu makes it hard to see the effects of adjustments; time-out periods for on-screen controls can't be changed and sometimes seems short. The cheap-looking remote has mushy, rubbery buttons, and is the only one in this group that can't also control other devices. We liked the thin, gray bezel, but found the speakers, big buttons, and textured plastic panels below it distracting.
RCA Scenium HDLP50W151
Price when reviewed: $3899; Current prices (if available)
Color deficiencies dampened our enthusiasm for this otherwise swanky TV. In an HD clip from an auto show, for example, a sports car that looked candy-apple red on the other DLP sets appeared orange-red on the RCA. Likewise, some skin tones were a bit sallow. RCA says it deliberately uses less-intense reds to make images look more realistic, but we found the reds a bit too weak.
Though the RCA Scenium trailed the OptomaTV in three of our image tests, it jumped far ahead in brightness and contrast. A glossy screen filter gives images a vibrant appearance that helped this RCA TV excel in our bright-light torture test. But it showed distracting reflections, especially in a very bright room.
Built-in speakers sounded rich and powerful. The TV's impressive options include seven presets for specific content, a seven-band graphic equalizer, and ports for adding speakers or using the built-ins in a home theater setup.
The RCA has two standard and one HD tuner. You can connect other devices via two FireWire ports; an Ethernet port lets you connect to a network and surf the Web using the built-in browser and remote. But text viewed this way looked blurry, so don't chuck the PC just yet.
LG Electronics RU-52SZ61D
Price when reviewed: $3250; Current prices (if available)
As with its plasma screen, LG oversaturates the color on its 52-inch DLP rear-projection set. This unnatural effect earned it a lower score than the other two DLP TVs in our color test. In addition, the LG's slightly dim screen garnered a low score in our contrast and brightness test.
And unlike the OptomaTV and RCA sets--each of which had its strong points--the LG RU-52SZ61D ranked a distant third for both high and low lighting and for all content types: HDTV, standard TV, and DVD.
The subpar picture quality contrasts with this DLP set's handsome industrial design. With a matte-black screen bezel and bottom-mounted speaker grille, the LG Electronics has the neatest appearance among the DLP TVs reviewed here. This clean design carries over to the solid-feeling remote control and the bright on-screen menus.
The menus offer an impressive array of adjustment options, including seven EZ Picture presets for specific content, such as movies and sports, or viewing conditions, such as dim lighting.
This LG DLP set also has five audio presets for different content. You can toggle easily through audio and video modes via buttons on the remote.
Programming: Getting Set for HDTV
When I bought an HDTV in 2000, I was shocked to discover that there was almost no HDTV to watch. DVDs looked great on the high-res screen, but standard TV shows looked no better than on my 20-year-old Trinitron. By 2002 not much had changed. Satellite services had a few high-def channels, but only a handful of cable operators had taken the plunge--and fewer still bothered to tell customers about it.
Now, two years later, it's another world. All the major networks--including PBS, Discovery, WB, and the premium channels--produce several programs, and in some cases a majority of them, in HD. And a growing number of affiliates carry the programs that way. Three-quarters of the nation's cable markets--and 99 of the top 100--offer at least some HD programming. In 173 cities, at least one local station beams high-def signals over the air; in 80 cities, at least three do.
But getting HDTV isn't simply a matter of plugging in an HD-capable set. You need a satellite dish, cable hookup, or antenna (for those local stations) to get the HD signal--and a decoder (either integrated or in a set-top box) to unscramble it.
As for sources, satellites reign supreme in the HD realm. Even the most bountiful cable companies, such as Time Warner in New York City, offer a mere 7 high-def channels. DirecTV offers 8, Dish Network has 9, and upstart Voom boasts 37.
A few caveats: Of Voom's 37 channels, 21 are originals, not offered anyplace else, and for good reason: Most are filled with very bad movies (the sort of stuff Mystery Science Theater 3000 used to make fun of) or cheesy extreme-sports events. Still, Voom carries HD broadcasts of Bravo, Starz, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, Encore, Cinemax, and Playboy (channels other satellite companies carry only in standard definition), as well as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, TNT, and Discovery (which the other satellite services have in HD, too).
DirecTV and Dish also both carry HDNet and HDMovie Channel--which often show legitimate sports such as NASCAR racing, boxing, and NHL hockey; concerts; and good movies--while Voom does not. Dish has the high-def NBA channel, which neither of its rivals carries. For what it's worth, DirecTV is alone in carrying Spice HD, an after-midnight soft-core porn channel.
Dish and DirecTV both throw in the national CBS-HD broadcast. Some cable services, including Time Warner in New York, include local channels in their HD options; some don't. If yours doesn't, or if you go the satellite route, you'll have to put up an antenna. (Voom's package includes one.)
In any case, you'll need an HD decoder. Cable and satellite companies generally offer set-top boxes that include both a decoder and input jacks for an antenna wire. Some TVs have integrated HD tuners, and those with CableCard slots can bypass digital cable boxes. But you'll still need to hook up, whether to cable, satellite, or an antenna.
High-def has advanced so quickly, other popular gizmos--TiVos, for instance--have been slow to catch up. Dish offers an HD satellite receiver with a built-in high-def digital video recorder; it stores 25 hours of HD, 180 hours of standard def, or some mix of the two. DirecTV just came out with a device that offers 30 hours of HD and 200 hours of SD. Voom is scheduled to release its own product by year's end; it will come with a base station that lets you record a show on one TV and play it back on another.
Cable has lagged in this regard. Motorola recently rolled out two models of HD-DVRs--they're being offered by some cable operators in the Comcast, Insight, Armstrong, Bresnan, and MediaOne chains--but the boxes record only 10 to 15 hours of HD programming. LG makes a stand-alone HD-DVR that records 15 hours in HD, but it's clunky, costs over $1000, and doesn't let you watch one show live while recording another.
You can't have everything just yet. But at the rate things are going, you will soon.
(For local HD services, see www.ce.org/hdtvguide.)
Sean Captain
