Under 32 Inches (LCD)
Toshiba 26HL47 ($750): Properly processes 1080i signals — most under-30-inch sets don’t. Panasonic TC26LX70 ($750): Wide-angle viewing, also processes 1080i signals properly.
32 Inches (LCD)
Panasonic TC-32LX700 ($1,100): Smallest and lowest-priced LCD flat panel with 120-hertz refresh rate for better motion resolution.
Toshiba 32HL67 ($900): Low price … 10-bit panel with 14-bit processing eliminates image artifacts seen on 8-bit panels. (Color resolution, measured in bits, refers to the amount of data in the pixels that make up an image. The higher the number, the more accurate the picture.) … also available in a 42-inch model.
Panasonic TC-32LX70 ($900): One of the widest views with uniform brightness … properly processes 1080i signals.
40 To 42 Inches (LCD, Plasma)
Samsung LN-T4081 ($3,000): Best LCD ever tested … accurate color, fastest motion response of any LCD panel tested (by 33 percent) and lowest power consumption. Uses white LED backlights. Full-resolution 1080p (1920×1080) … also available in 46- and 52-inch models.
Pioneer PDP-4280HD ($2,700): Best black levels and performance of any 42-inch, non-1080p panel … also available as a 50-inch model and in Pioneer’s higher-end Elite series.
Panasonic TH-42PZ700U ($2,000): 12-bit plasma … anti-reflective screen (shiny coating) … also available in 50- and 58-inch screen sizes.
Panasonic TH-42PZ77U ($1,800): 12-bit plasma panel … 1080p set properly processes 1080i … anti-glare screen (dull coating) … also available in a 50-inch model.
Sony KDL-40S3000 ($1,500): Full 10-bit panel eliminates image artifacts seen on 8-bit LCD panels … properly processes 1080i signals … also available in a 46-inch model.
Panasonic TH-42PX77U ($1,499): Similar to TH-42PX75U, uses anti-glare dull screen coating … also available in 50-inch model.
Panasonic TH-42PX75U ($1,400): Second-best performance for a 42-inch, non-1080p plasma. … anti-reflective screen coating … also available in 50-inch model.
46 to 50 Inches (LCD, Plasma)
Pioneer PDP-5010 ($4,500): Best HDTV flat panel — LCD or plasma — available with the deepest blacks, highest contrast, very accurate color, fine signal processing. Full 1080p plasma … also available in 60-inch model.
Panasonic TH-50PZ750U ($3,499): Panasonic’s top-of-the-line plasma … full 1080p … also available in 58- and 65-inch models.
Samsung LN-T4671 ($3,400): 1080p LCD shares the same panel as Samsung’s top-of-the-line series … substitutes fluorescent lamps for LEDs and uses 120-hertz refresh rate for reducing motion blur … also available in 52-inch model.
Sony 46KDLXBR4 ($3,300): Top-of-the-line LCD, with 10-bit panel, 120-hertz refresh rate … full 1080p … also available in 40- and 52-inch models.
Toshiba 46RF350U ($2,400): 1080p LCD properly processes 1080i signal … thinnest frame in industry … 10-bit panel with 14-bit internal processing … full 1080p … also available in 40-inch model.
51 To 73 Inches
Pioneer Elite 60-inch PRO-150FD ($7,500): Top-of-the-line Pioneer plasma has additional control settings to custom-tweak the image and a fancier external finish than the 5010 series with the same top-quality 1080p image … also available in a 50-inch model.
Mitsubishi LT-52144 ($3,900): Thinnest 52-inch LCD frame … 10-bit panel with 12-bit processing … 120-hertz refresh rate … full 1080p … also available in 46-inch model.
Sony KDS-60A3000 ($3,400): SXRD three-chip rear-projection set, with 12-bit chip and 120-hertz refresh rate … full 1080p … also available in 50-and 55-inch models.
Mitsubishi WD-57833 ($2,500): DLP single-chip rear-projection set with 12-bit processing, six-color palette, 120-hertz refresh … 3D ready (for computer content) … fullest array of inputs, including FireWire, of any rear projection television … also available in 65- and 73-inch models.
Budget Best Bets
Samsung LN-T4053H ($1,500): Lowest-priced Samsung with its best LCD panel (10 bit; also used in its 71 and 81 series).
Toshiba 42HL67 ($1,400): 10-bit LCD panel with 14-bit processing.
Season’s Hottest Buy
Panasonic’s 42-inch plasma sets: The TH-42PX75U.
from HDGURU.Com
As if anyone expected anything different, New Line confirmed with Variety Magazine that it'll follow Warner to the Blu-ray promise land. While this is a no brainer considering the relationship between Warner and New Line, (also owned by Time Warner, just like Engadget) other studios remain up in the air. When, and if, Universal makes the switch as well is any ones guess, but at this point we doubt many would expect otherwise. But, as we've learned in the last few days, anything's possible, but the idea of having one HD format to adopt is something even most members of the red camp can get behind.
The HD DVD camp has announced that it is canceling its press conference at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. The group mentioned that this was done so that they could have time to discuss the impact of Warner Bros. Entertainment's recent announcement that all their films will be Blu-Ray exclusive after May.
Though it's widely expected that Warner Bros. subsidiaries New Line and HBO will follow Warner Home Entertainment to Blu-ray exclusivity, for the moment they remain format-agnostic.
That's according to Warner Home Entertainment President Kevin Tsujihara, who said that the studio's announcement that it would drop HD DVD support does not extend to titles released by New Line, HBO or the BBC (which Warner distributes here in the US).
"They'll be making whatever decision they're going to make," said Tsujihara. "I assume they'll let people know very quickly, but they are not covered by this initial announcement."
Tsujihara's comments came in a post-announcement conference call with various members of the media, including High-Def Digest.
Stay tuned for more news from the Warner conference call...
Dear Xbox LIVE Members:
During this past holiday season you helped us break a number of Xbox LIVE records. This included our largest sign-up of new members to Xbox LIVE in our 5 year history and just yesterday you broke the record for the single biggest day of concurrent members ever on the service.
As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.
At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.
Thank you again for helping make Xbox LIVE everything that it is today!
Sincerely,
Marc Whitten
General Manager, Xbox LIVE
Gamertag: Notwen
Like Babe Ruth, I'm raising my controller in the air, calling the shot. (Granted, Babe Ruth called the homerun before it happened, but let's not sweat the details). I'm going to go on record and say what we're all thinking, but way too afraid to admit: The Xbox 360 won 2007. The console might not have sold the most units or captured the attention of the mass media, but as a platform, it's provided the most complete experience of the year while executing titles with the most successful track record.
The Most Games You Want To Play
Let me make a little list for you: Bioshock, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Crackdown, Guitar Hero II & III, The Orange Box, Halo 3, Forza 2, Skate, Rock Band, COD4. Are all these Xbox 360 exclusive? No. But you can play them all on the Xbox 360 (along with a 2006 catalog that had some decent titles as well). And in the case of quite a few of these games, they are running better on Xbox 360 than other consoles. There's simply more good stuff to play on the 360 than any other modern console and, for the most part, that content is running better on the 360.
Xbox Live Is Still The King
Even with all the alternatives on the market, no one can look Microsoft straight in the eye and claim that there's a service more complete or polished than Xbox LIVE. And their arcade titles are complimenting the service, not just through spec-sheet pleasing "leaderboards," but massive amounts of co-op injected into new and old titles alike. I have huge hopes for Home and the few PSN titles out there are fantastic, but LIVE tips the scales of me buying/playing a game on the 360 instead of the PS3...daily. As for Nintendo, their infrastructure is the equivalent of a 1991 AOL member homepage with animated mailbox gifs and site counters. It's shamefully outdated, and not in the ironic way.
Speaking of XBLA
Nintendo's Virtual Console has been cooking all year and maybe every game that's hit PSN should be played this year. But the XBLA releases are just so damn smart and diverse that the experience trumps its competitors. Let's take a case in point: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 1989 arcade game. The Wii's Virtual Console picked up the title from their NES library. XBLA grabbed the full, uncompressed arcade source code...and then they added the co-op LIVE experience. But this isn't about one case, it's about a trend. We see both the same polish and variety in XBLA titles as we do their Xbox 360 counterparts, be they remakes or original titles (Battlestar Galactica and Wing Commander Arena excluded, of course).
DivX Darkhorse
Frankly, I'm a lot more excited about the PS3's future as a media hub than maybe any electronic device on the market today. But Microsoft matched what may have been Sony's biggest attack of the year: DivX and XviD support. As of right now with limited but decent movie downloads and new codec streaming capabilities, the 360 has found a respectable balance in the ecosystems of most home theaters (even if the DVD playback quality has been panned).
Why DIdn't I Pick the DS??
The DS has won sales and invigorated the public. But as a gamer (technically a "hardcore" gamer maybe, but not nearly the level of some) I can appreciate that the stuff that drops your jaw, turns your stomach and makes you spaz out to friends over—that content is found on the full-sized consoles. And XBLA fills some of those casual gaming gaps and 2D arcade action to round out the experience. Besides, I'm not saying that you should ONLY play the Xbox 360, but I am saying that if you could only play one system in 07, the 360 was probably your best bet.
Why Didn't I Pick The [Fill In Console I Own]
I clearly hate you, your family and your dog.
