Best HDTVs of 2008-2009! From HD Reviews

So you want to know the best HDTV deals of 2008-2009 eh? Well you have come to the right place. I am considered a television fanatic, and money is no limit. I upgrade my HDTV whenever a noticeably better opportunity arises, which happens to be every 2 or so years. I -KNOW- my stuff when it comes to television, but, thats not important I suppose I am rambling. Ok, lets just see the cold hard facts and jump right into it, no need to keep you waiting!

I give you, the best in HDTV, as of, 2008-2009! DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

Number One, Look at this: The Mitsubishi
WD-C657 DLP HDTV. Yes your read that right, I said SIXTY-FIVE inches! Is that not the most incredible size you have ever heard of?? This is huge, and I love hugeness. Size is one thing, but look at the price on this thing: 1600$. I couldn't believe that when I first saw it. DLP is a technology made exclusively by Texas Instruments, I'm sure you've heard of them. It stands for Digital Light Processing, which
happens to be the main technology used in the production of computer monitors. Lets keep this simple, here is a chart of the advantages and disadvantages of DLP:

Advantages of DLP
* The main advantage of DLP is that is can provide excellent picture quality.
* The images are sharp and are not blurred or faded.
* Bright images allow clear viewing even in a brightly lit room.
* Since DLP is digital, it provides consistent performance over their lifespan. Analog sets dim over a certain period of time.
* Excellent contrast and color depth.

Disadvantages of DLP
* DLP lamps have a short lifespan and must be replaced every 6,000 to 9,000 hours.
* Uh, I guess thats it?

Number Two! Best Plasma HDTV, hands down: THE LG 60 1080p HD Plasma TV. The problem with this one is its price, its 3500$. Now ok I'm sure your wondering: "But Jack whats so great about this TV?". And I am going to answer that right...now! First off, SIXTY INCHES PEOPLE, size matters, and this ones a keeper. Sixty inches of pure pleasure that will make your head explode. Ok that doesn't sound right but oh well we don't do rewrites. Its very flat, thus the name flatscreen. It can fit in just about any normal sized room and be out of the way and convenient, I live in a studio apartment (by choice) and I quite enjoy it. Its LG, as in LG Electronics, only the obvious leading brand in HD Television, and for good reason. Now, its 1080p, and while I dont know everything about what that means, I do know that it gives you 2,000,000+ pixels of resolution, and a very high frame rate, which means not only do you have a crispness and clarity that seems almost otherworldly, but the image is far "smoother" than any other television due to the increased frame rate, its like there is no longer a wall between the real world and your television, you feel like you could just jump right in. Its just amazing, you'll never have a more real television experience in 2008, whether it be movies, or video games, they just look amazing, pure and simple. Words cannot adequately explain it, especially if your a fanatic like me.

Ok so you don't have 3500$ for a television, like the one above. Now there are two ways to lower that price, get a crappier tv, or get a smaller tv. I'm going with smaller, sixty inches isn't what you would call "necessary", but it sure is nice. So in that respect, I give you, choice number three! The LG 50 1080p Plasma HDTV - FREE SHIPPING. You read that right, 50 inches. Now here is the real surprise, remember the first choice was 3500$? And 60 inches? Well for this one you sacrifice 10 inches, but you have nearly HALVED the price. Its 1800$. The nice thing is that this model has nearly identical specifications as the first model, its flatscreen, 1080p, and so forth. This can fit in even a tiny room, thank goodness for flatscreen technology huh? Whichever one you can afford, they are all great.

So you dont have 1800$, much less 3500$. Then your in the boat most of us are in. It took quite a lot of saving before I was able to snatch up my 65" baby. Now I know, I said this was the top THREE choices, but I lied. I have one more recommendation for a budget-conscious buyer, and its just 1000$. Introducing the Westinghouse 47 1080p LCD HDTV. This gem is 47", very nice, very big. Boasts the latest HDTV technology, same as the rest of my choices, but this one has an LCD screen. I'm sure your wondering, what does this mean? Well, it stands for Liquid Crystal Display, and its an alternative to Plasma Television. Plasma is more popular, but of course more popular can mean more expensive. Here is a very useful chart comparing LCD and Plasma:

Plasma advantages:
1. Larger screen size availability. (If I wasn't a fanatic for screen size, I would have went LCD from the start)
2. Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.
3. Better color accuracy and saturation.
4. Better motion tracking (little or no motion lag in fast moving images).

Plasma disadvantages:
1. Plasma TVs are more susceptible to burn-in of static images.
2. Plasma TVs generate more heat than LCDs, due to the need to light of phosphors to create the images.
3. Does not perform as well at higher altitudes.
4. Shorter display life span (about 30,000 hours or 8 hrs of viewing a day for 9 years) than LCD. However, screen life span is improving to as high as 60,000 hours due to technology improvements.

LCD advantages:
1. No burn-in of static images.
2. Cooler running temperature.
3. No high altitude use issues.
4. Increased image brightness over Plasma.
5. Longer display life (about 60,000 hours - at which time all you may need to do is replace the light source, not the entire set). This can vary according other environmental and use factors.
6. Lighter weight (when comparing same screen sizes) than Plasma counterparts.

LCD disadvantages:
1. Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks.
2. Not as good at tracking motion (fast moving objects may exhibit lag artifacts) - However, this is improving with the recent implementation of 120Hz screen refresh rates in higher-end LCD sets.
3. Not as common in large screen sizes above 42-inches as Plasma. However, the number is growing fast, with 46 and 47-inch screen sizes becoming more common, and some LCD sets having a screen size as large as 65-inches now available to the general public.
4. Although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen
would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you.
5. LCD televisions are typically more expensive than equivalent-sized Plasma televisions (although this is changing), especially when comparing EDTV Plasmas to HDTV-LCD Televisions.

My personal opinion says that choice one is the best. But the others are worthy choices in their own right. Happy watching my friend. And thanks to TigerDirect for their great prices. Cya!