Cheap and cheerful, the
ST30
was without a doubt the best bang-for-buck TV in 2011 and we’re
expecting big things from the follow-up. The TV is shipping now, and you
can look forward to seeing the full review very soon.
The good: The affordable
Panasonic TC-PST50
series exhibited outstanding overall picture quality, characterized by
exceedingly deep black levels with great shadow detail, accurate colors,
and solid bright-room performance. Unlike LCDs, as a plasma it has
superb off-angle and uniformity characteristics. The styling is
attractive and the feature set well-chosen, including excellent onscreen
help options.
The bad: The ST50 uses more power than competing LCD
TVs, and doesn’t perform as well in bright rooms as those with matte
screens. It doesn’t include 3D glasses, and 3D picture quality showed
more crosstalk than many competitors’ models. The ST50 is only available
in 50-inch and larger sizes. Three HDMI inputs is one fewer than most
midrange TVs offer.
The bottom line: With flagship-level picture quality
for a midlevel price, the Panasonic ST50 series sets the value standard
among videophile-grade TVs.
Read CNET’s Full Review
Speaking of “full review” and “bang for the buck,” this Sharp has
both. It served to introduce our new “Value” score with an excellent
score of 8. No, it’s not going to reach the picture quality or features
scores seen on the other TVs we’re previewing, but we doubt most of them
will hit its value.
The good: The relatively inexpensive
Sharp LC-LE640U series
delivers accurate color thanks to ample picture controls, as well as a
matte screen that works well in bright rooms. Its feature set hits all
of the right notes for the price, including excellent help and support
options, built-in Wi-Fi, and a remote with three programmable keys to
easily access favorite apps. I appreciated its understated styling,
especially with such a large screen.
The bad: I noted lighter black levels and uneven
lighting across the screen, both especially obvious in dark scenes under
home theater lighting. The Sharp also failed to properly handle
film-based (1080p/24) sources, causing slight stutter in certain scenes.
The bottom line: With decent picture quality and
great pricing, the Sharp LC-LE640U series makes a strong case for
mainstream TV shoppers who want to go bigger.
Read CNET’s Full Review
The Samsung E8000 is the follow-up to last year’s excellent
D8000 plasma,
and Samsung promises that this model has even better picture quality.
Look out for enhanced features such as Smart Interaction with built-in
Skypeing and gesture control.
The good: The
Samsung PNE8000 series
exhibited outstanding overall picture quality, characterized by
exceedingly deep black levels, accurate colors, superb video processing,
and very good 3D. Unlike LCDs, as a plasma TV it has superb off-angle
and uniformity characteristics. Its massive feature set includes a
touch-pad remote, IR blaster, two pairs of 3D glasses, motion and voice
command, and the industry’s most capable Smart TV platform. This Samsung
is also one of the best plasma designs around.
The bad: Samsung charges too much for extra features
that are largely unnecessary and poorly implemented. Its picture
delivers slightly worse shadow detail and bright-room performance than
some competitive plasmas, and its maximum light output is somewhat dim.
The bottom line: The expensive Samsung PNE8000
series comes through with stellar picture quality, but its main appeal
is to people who crave the latest gadgetry in their plasma TV.
Read CNET’s Full Review
