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The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
Panasonic's 1-Inch Thin Z1 Plasma Deemed Beautiful, But Pricey in First Review
Sexiest Plasma (Still) Alive: Panasonic Z1 Priced at $6000

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--Core--
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
Well its good to know my TV would have been on the list if..6 spots had existed.

Seriously, nice list.
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alexmg2420
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
What, no Vizio?
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crackel
11/23/09

@alexmg2420: even though they're not "the best", there's a lot to be said about value.
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my favorite car is a motorcycle
11/25/09

@crackel: not to nitpick, but when making a "best of" list, you ignore the dollar signs.

... and if you are making a "best value" list, then you must calculate (total performance + service)/(total lifetime cost). You will find that Vizio's horrible reliability ratings nock it quite far down the value chart too.
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crackel
11/25/09

@my favorite car is a motorcycle: similar top lists coming from that website will sometimes include TV's that are really good looking for a lower price. I see your point, but you can't just ignore dollar signs, we always have to have some regard of value. Otherwise, these lists will turn into the like of audiophile lists where people are paying thousands of dollars for a CD player or special power wires.

#tips
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my favorite car is a motorcycle
11/25/09

@crackel: not sure what website you're referring to. every smart shopper must assess value based on his own needs, not on some magazine salesman's most recent issue. the dollar sign on day 1 is only one of many variables. If the price tag really was more important than anything else, then you wouldn't be looking for sales at retailers -- you'd stick with garage & estate sales or the classifieds.

it is always true that undiscerning electronics buyers can find bigger shinier brighter things for cheaper prices than ever before. Sadly, most of these "values" are trashed quicker than ever before because of cheap design and horrid construction.

"looking good" today doesn't mean it's worth 2 nickels tomorrow. a wise shopper looks at upgradeability, compatibility, warranty, service, and so on, and weighs these performance values every bit as much as how bright the thing is in the loud megastore with harsh fluorescent lighting and uninformed sales staff. most people would be surprised when they visit those overpriced a/v-phile stores where tags don't end with .98, to find really good sale prices on gear that lasts more than one holiday season -- as well as service like free trial periods and other benefits.
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crackel
11/26/09

@my favorite car is a motorcycle: sometimes I wish I could reply to a troll without approving his commenter account and promoting his comment. Not talking about you by the way, since you've already been approved.

Anyway, back to our conversation, cost is always a concern. Wise shoppers will also assess their risk and return, which involves the cost of the unit and how much they'll get out of it, for example, features and usability.

As far as no website could ever possibly do that for every shopper out there I completely agree with you. Top-n websites are useless. And this particular site that's referred to in the OP seems like a Panasonic shill to me.
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aniteshj
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
First off, THX mode has to be gods gift to TV's, because this thing works wonders. It is truly worth it, let alone the TV itself which is jaw dropping crazy.

But, I am still going to go with my Kuro. Because fuck everything else my Kuro is goddamn amazing. Yes, it doesn't come with speakers, but it isnt like you were going to pair crappy TV speakers to this TV in the first place. There is no tuner. Seriously run your HDMI you don't need one. No stand included either (yea you need to buy it seperate) So two things (speaker, stand) are optional when most people would want them included and it doesn't even have a tuner but by shits who cares.

Words can't describe how good this looks out of the box. Forget fuddling with settings just pop it on Optimum and let the light/color sensor do its work regardless of where you are.

Back then I would have a hard time recommended the severe price tag if you were only doing casual use, but fortunatly you can find these beasts for well below MSRP at many places so before you look for anything else, do yourself the biggest favor and try and find one of these, because besides the XBR8 and Mitsubishi's LaserVue, there isn't any other TV that can beat a 141.
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Robotronic
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
Wow. You know, considering that Gizmodo is a free blog, your target audience might not be interested in spending $4000 on a freaking TV.
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whatne1wuddo
11/20/09

@Robotronic: I don't think the word "Best" means "best for people without a lot of cash." 4k isn't an unreasonable amount of money for something that's supposed to last 10-15 years. And most of the TVs in this list only cost that much in their largest iterations.
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irfan
11/21/09

@Robotronic: i pay a nigerian king some money each month for my gizmodo access... you dont?
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nunyafishness
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
No mention of any TV smaller than 40"? I have a small loft space and I'd love a smaller TV in the space. Any suggestions?
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Canoehead
11/20/09

@nunyafishness: Yes, here's a suggestion: Cowboy up and buy a big TV anyway. You know you want to. Anyway, that's why these ones are so flat - sure they'll cover your whole wall, but they won't consume much depth.

Kidding aside, most of these models have little buddies too.
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nunyafishness
11/22/09

@nunyafishness: Ehh... sorry, should have mentioned-- already have a 40" in the main room, and this room is small enough that a 32" would be just fine. The iMac would be lovely, but I'm not paying that price for something I'll use for playing movies.

#tips
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Ferndawg69
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
No mention of Sony's XBR10?
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Wilson Rothman
11/20/09

@Ferndawg69: XBR10 was never sent to reviewers and will be unavailable by January if it's not already. It wasn't really a serious sales initiative for Sony. Plus, XBR8 has better technology and is widely accepted as a better picture.
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nikko1221
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
Oh no! "...a non-glossy anti-glare screen coating (rare for 2009)". Anti-glare is going away? That used to be listed as one of the top "cons" of plasmas, and all LCD's were anti-glare.

Who in the hell is buying shiny screens to make the manufacturers drop anti-glare? Are these maroons that tolerant of seeing everything in their rooms reflected on top of whatever they're watching?
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LaVacheQuiRit
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
The LG 47LH90 is available for less than $1300. BB had it for that price with the LG BD390 BluRay-Player last weekend.
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colewheeler
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
I walked into Fry's and saw the Samsung 240 HZ LED playing a blue ray of Transformers and it was the first time in the HD generation that I literally gasped. It was like looking through a 55 inch window at real people on the other side. Insane.

I fell in love and I am ready to sell a kidney to get one.

How do you convince a girlfriend that we should invest in a TV instead of a home down payment?
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burningsensation
11/20/09

@colewheeler: I don't trust any TV that makes Shia Labouf and Megan Fox look like real people
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MacRule36
11/20/09

@colewheeler: Marry her...
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jmg2003
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
I feel like the correct list is more like:

1.Pioneer Kuro 141
2. Pioneer 151
3. Pioneer 600M
4. Pioneer 6020 FD
5. Panasonic Z1

Nothing against those other TVs, but all of Pioneer's models are way ahead of the game in terms of quality. I hope they will get back into the business.
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Ridley
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
Yeah considering this article isn't that old [gizmodo.com]
I agree with Chris Langro that there should be mention of the V10 as well.
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Serpent2
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
Gosh I am trying to decide between the sammy 46"8500 led or the 50"sammy 860 plasma.. _< the plasma is a whole lot cheaper (tons) but some complain about the buzzing it makes with low volume and the heat output (consumes a lot of wattage).. gahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I need to go to bestbuy and chekc them out for myself... I am sure that will help out.. not that I will be getting one any time soon
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Wilson Rothman
11/20/09

@Serpent2: I'm gonna recommend the 8500. Gary is a huge plasma fan, and if he sees fit to choose Sammy's LCD over its plasma, then the LCD must have one freakin' stellar picture.
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Serpent2
11/20/09

@Wilson Rothman: That is a good point and another reason to sway me towards that delicious 8500.. yum
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LEWD98
11/20/09

@Serpent2: Go check out the LED at Best Buy or similar store and ask them to put a BluRay on with lots of action. You will make your decision in about 5 seconds. I was amazed at the clarity.
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Nick
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
The 5 Best TVs I Can't Buy

/fixed
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Chris Langro
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
You probably should mention that the Z1 series is the same as the V10 series, except it's much thinner due to much of the electronics being stuffed in a box that sends signal to the TV wirelessly instead.

And the V10 series is about half the price as well.
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Finchypoo
11/20/09

In reply to The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy
I think I'll stick with my 34" Sony XBR 1080i CRT, it weighs a ton but damn does it look amazing.
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OMG! Ponies!
11/20/09

@Finchypoo: Indeed it does. That's what I currently have. 5 years-old and still going.

#tips
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