Consumer Reports Top Rated LCD and Plasma HDTVs: Samsung and Panasonic

Samsung & Panasonic Top Rated HDTVs

The two best selling HDTV brands Samsung and Panasonic came out on top in almost every screen size in the latest Consumer Reports ranking of HDTVs. Several models from other manufacturers scored high as well but the top two were consistently highly ranked across various screen sizes. HDTV technology has reached the point where differences between the top ranked sets are minimal, so value shopping does not necessarily mean a sacrifice in image quality. Here are the Consumer Reports top ranked HDTVs and current prices (HDTV-News picks are indicated by Editor's Choice):

Top Ranked LCD HDTV

Samsung 55-inch LN55A950 $3844 Free Shipping

Samsung 52-inch LN52A650 $1817 Free Shipping
Samsung 52-inch LN52A750 $1927 Free Shipping Editor's Choice
Sony 52-inch 52XBR6 $2509 Free Shipping
LG 52-inch 52LG50 $1499 Free Shipping
Toshiba 52-inch 52XV545U $2308 Free Shipping
Sony 52-inch KDL-52W4100 $1897 Free Shipping Editor's Choice

Samsung 46-inch LN46A850 $1776 Free Shipping
Samsung 46-inch LN46A550 $1127 Free Shipping Editor's Choice
Sony 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 $4699 Free Shipping
Sony 46-inch KDL-46Z4100 $1568 Free Shipping

Top Ranked Plasma HDTV

Pioneer 60-inch PDP-6020FD $3701 Free Shipping Editor's Choice
LG 60-inch 60PG30 $2699 Free Shipping

Samsung 58-inch PN58A550 $2380 Free Shipping Editor's Choice
Panasonic 58-inch TH-58PZ850U $3149

Samsung 50-inch PN50A550 $1350 Free Shipping Editor's Choice
Samsung 50-inch PN50A760 $1799
Panasonic 50-inch TH-50PZ800U $1999 Free Shipping Editor's Choice
LG 50-inch 50PG60 $1729 Free Shipping
Samsung 50-inch PN50A450 $999 Free Shipping Editor's Choice

Panasonic 50PZ800U 58PZ800U Ranked Best Buy

Panasonic's highly regarded THX Certified plasma display prices are dropping into the Best Buy range. Earlier this year CNet awarded the 50-inch Panasonic TH-50PZ800U their Editors' Choice among 50-inch plasma TVs, and the newly released 58-inch version received equally high praise, with an identical score and Editors' Choice award. Part of the reason has to do with color accuracy, for which the TV's THX Display Certification deserves credit. These THX certified sets look fantastic right out of the box.

If you're shopping for a large-screen plasma, the other high-end option is the 60-inch Pioneer PDP-6020FD. However it's significantly more expensive than the 58-inch Panasonic. The Panasonic's THX-certified color accuracy is a huge plus. Couple that with super crisp picture detail, black levels as deep as the 60-inch Pioneer, and a newly discounted price and you've a no-brainer Best Buy recommendation.

50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1859 at Amazon Best Buy
58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ800U $2408 at Amazon Best Buy

New Price Drops on Panasonic THX-Certified HDTV

Great Price on Panasonic TH-50PZ800U

Several months ago we tagged the great THX-certified Panasonic TH-50PZ800U as the best-value 50-inch HDTV, offering oustanding image quality at a reasonable price. Since then the 50PZ800U price has plunged and it's now available for $1728, less than the smaller 42-inch TH-42PZ800U! The price on the 46-inch TH-46-PZ800U also dropped—more than $400—but is still about $500 more that the 50 inch set. At the current price the TH-50PZ800U is a terrific bargain. The larger TH-58PZ800 also offers great value at about $2600.

42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PZ800U $1799
46" Plasma Panasonic TH-46PZ800U $2206
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1728 *** Hot Deal ***
58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ800U $2607

Sound & Vision 2008 Editor's Choice Awards

Pioneer PRO-111FD is Product of the Year (Again)

The Pioneer Kuro Elite Pro-111FD keeps it in the family (in 2007 the PRO-110FD was product of the year). No surprise considering the overwhelming praise lavished on this stunning set. In addition to the blackest-blacks the 111FD has outstanding color balance and excellent detail. This is the last in-house generation of Kuros. The plasma screens for future generations will be manufactured by Panasonic. Pioneer says that future sets will be as good or better, but are you willing to gamble? If not, pick up one of the current generation sets. If you can't quite afford the top-of-the-line Kuro Elite consider the excellent PDP-5020FD or PDP-6020FD.

Other top ranked HDTVs include the outstanding Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8, the THX-certified Panasonic TH-50PZ800U (one of our faves), and the top-of-the-line Samsung LN55A950 ($2000 less than the 55XBR8!).

We love their pick for audio product of the year, the Definitive Technology Mythos STS SuperTower home theater speaker system. The previous winner was the Mythos ST system, and the Mythos STS steps it up a notch at a lower price than its predecessor. Nice.

Selected 2008 Products-of-the-Year:

Pioneer Kuro Elite PRO 111FD 50-inch Plasma
Pioneer PDP-5020FD 50-Inch Plasma Free Shipping
Pioneer PDP-6020FD 60-Inch Plasma Free Shipping
Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U 50-Inch Plasma Hot Deal!
Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8 55-Inch LED LCD
Samsung LN55A950 55 inch LCD
Mitsubishi LT-46149 46-Inch LCD
Sony VPLVW70 BRAVIA SXRD Front Projector

Definitive Technology Mythos STS Supertower (Black)
Definitive Technology Mythos STS Supertower (Silver)
Onkyo TX-SR706 7.1 Channel Receiver Hot Deal!

More Sound & Vision Top Picks:

Mitsubishi L65A90 65-Inch LaserVue HDTV
Yamaha RX-V3900BL 7.1-Channel Receiver
Denon AVR-989 7.1 Channel Receiver

2008 Top Rated HDTVs

Amazon Ranks the Best of 2008

Amazon has ranked the top rated HDTVs of 2008 by Editor's Picks, Highest Customer Reviews, and Best Selling HDTVs. Many high ranking sets are currently available at substantial discounts with free shipping.

40" LCD Samsung LN40A550 $949
40" LCD Samsung LN40A650 $1240
46" LCD Samsung LN46A650 $1518
52" LCD Samsung LN52A650 $1944
52" LCD Samsung LN52A850 $2456
52" LCD Samsung LN52A750 $2053
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1749
50" Plasma LG 50PG60 $1917
60" Plasma LG 60PG60 $2919

Pioneer Kuro Elite PRO-111FD Product of the Year

Sound & Vision Magazine has awarded the 50-inch Pioneer Kuro Elite PRO-111FD plasma HDTV product of the year for 2008. Sound & Vision called the PRO-111FD "the best all-around TV that money can buy." We love the PRO-111FD but it's a bit pricey and the same great picture quality can be had at lower cost with the outstanding Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD.

Also honored in the video categories are the Sony XEL-1 11-inch OLED TV, Samsung’s LN55A950 55-inch LCD HDTV, the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 50-inch plasma TV, Panasonic’s DMP-BD55 Blu-ray Disc player, the Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8 55-inch LCD HDTV and Sony’s VPL-VW70 SXRD front projector.

The Pioneer PRO-111FD is the top-of-the-line 50-inch Pioneer Kuro. Outstanding picture quality including incredibly deep blacks is a hallmark of the Kuro line. Related models include the 50-inch PDP-5020FD, and the 60-inch PRO-151FD and PDP-6020FD. Sound & Vision prefers the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U to the Pioneer PDP-5020FD, but we rank the PDP-5020FD slightly higher.

The 50-inch Panasonic TH-50PZ800U is one of four THX-certified sets in the PZ800U line. The others are the 42-inch TH-42PZ800U, the 46-inch TH-46PZ800U, and the 58-inch TH-58PZ800U. Picture quality is uniformly excellent across the PZ800U line. In an interesting pricing quirk the current prices for the 50-inch and 58-inch sets are less than the smaller 46-inch model, and the 50-inch set is also priced below the 42-inch model! If you have the space go for the larger 50-inch TH-50PZ800U or 58-inch TH-58PZ800U.

Pioneer Kuro Elite PRO-111FD $4399
Sony XEL-1 11-Inch OLED Digital TV $2499
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1749 Hot Deal
Sony KDL-55XBR8 $6149
Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray Disc Player $399
Sony VPLVW70 Home Theater Front Projector $7299

Related Models:

50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2773 at Amazon
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2499 at J&R
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2799 at OneCall

60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3812 at Amazon
60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3999 at J&R
60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3999 at OneCall

42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PZ800U $1779
46" Plasma Panasonic TH-46PZ800U $2608
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1749 *** Hot Deal ***
58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ800U $2694 *** Hot Deal ***

Panasonic THX Certified HDTV Price Drops

Great Prices on 50" and 58" Sets

Prices have dropped on the highly regarded THX HDTVs from Panasonic. CNet ranks these sets above the so-called World's Best HDTV, the Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD.

At Amazon the 50-inch TH-50PZ800U is currently available for $1859, less than the 46-inch TH-46PZ800 and about the same price as the 42-inch TH-42PZ800U. The 58-inch TH-58PZ800U is currently available for $2699, about the same price as the 46-inch TH-46PZ800U. At these prices the TH-50PZ800U and TH-58PZ800U are terrific bargains.

42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PZ800U $1779
46" Plasma Panasonic TH-46PZ800U $2608
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1859 *** Hot Deal ***
58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ800U $2699 *** Hot Deal ***

For reference here are some prices on the Pioneer Kuro:

50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2382 at Amazon
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2499 at J&R
50" Plasma Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2799 at OneCall

60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3999 at J&R
60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3869 at Amazon
60" Plasma Pioneer PDP-6020FD $3999 at OneCall

Amazon Top Selling Plasma HDTV

Great picture quality, low price, and free shipping make these the best selling plasma HDTVs at Amazon (January 2009) :

1. Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42-Inch Plasma HDTV
2. Panasonic TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch Plasma HDTV
3. Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
4. Samsung PN50A550 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
5. Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
6. Panasonic TH-50PZ85U 50-inch Plasma HDTV
7. Panasonic TH-46PZ85U 46-Inch Plasma HDTV
8. Panasonic TH-58PZ800U 58-Inch Plasma HDTV
9. Samsung PN50A650 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
10. Samsung PN42A450 42-Inch Plasma HDTV

All Amazon Top Selling Plasma HDTVs

Consumer Reports Top Rated Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42-Inch Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH-42PZ800U 42-Inch Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TH-46PZ80U 46-Inch Plasma HDTV

LG 50PG60 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH-50PZ85U 50-inch Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U 50-inch Plasma HDTV
Pioneer PDP-5020FD 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
Pioneer PRO-111FD 50-inch Plasma HDTV
Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
Samsung PN50A550 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
Samsung PN50A650 50-Inch Plasma HDTV
Vizio JV50P 50-inch Plasma HDTV

Samsung PN58A550 58-Inch Plasma HDTV

Pioneer PDP-6020FD 60-Inch Plasma HDTV

December 2008

Panasonic THX Certified HDTV Raise The Bar

Panasonic's highly anticipated THX Certified plasma displays are now widely available and they don't disappoint. Earlier this year CNet awarded the 50-inch Panasonic TH-50PZ800U their Editors' Choice among 50-inch plasma TVs, and now the newly released 58-inch version receives equally high praise, with an identical score and Editors' Choice award. Part of the reason has to do with color accuracy, for which the TV's THX Display Certification deserves credit. These THX certified sets look fantastic right out of the box.

If you're shopping for a large-screen plasma, the other high-end option is the 60-inch Pioneer PDP-6020FD. However it's significantly more expensive than the 58-inch Panasonic, and judging from our review of the 60 inch Pioneer, the Panasonic color accuracy is a huge plus. Couple that with the fact that the 58-inch Panasonic delivered even deeper black levels than the 60-inch Pioneer, the Editor's Choice and higher rating compared with the Pioneer is a no-brainer.

42" Plasma Panasonic TH-42PZ800U $1779 at Amazon
46" Plasma Panasonic TH-46PZ800U $2608 at Amazon
50" Plasma Panasonic TH-50PZ800U $1799 at Amazon Hot Deal
58" Plasma Panasonic TH-58PZ800U $2694 at Amazon Hot Deal