Rumors are still flying about the next great TV technology: organic light-emitting diode.
It's difficult to pry info out of the companies involved, but I figured it was worth putting down what we know, what we think we know, and what we know we don't know, ya know?
OK, go.… Read more
CNET reader Doug asks:
Hello! I was watching a movie on Blu-ray the other day filmed in the 21:9 aspect ratio and I realized that it technically wasn't "1080p" since about 1/4 of the screen was taken up by the horizontal black bars (called "letter boxing," correct?). Anyway, I was just wondering how many pixels were being used on the TV. Thank you!Ah, letterboxing, how I love you.
To understand letterboxing, we have to talk about aspect ratio. HDTVs are 16x9, or 1.78:1. Slightly wider than they are tall, they're pleasantly rectangular. Old-fashioned tube TVs were 4x3, or 1.33:1, so closer to square. … Read more
Editors' Note: An updated article entitled Why Ultra HD 4K TVs are still stupid was published on January 28, 2013.
A few months ago, hot on the multitude of 4K TV announcements at CES, I wrote an article called "Why 4K TVs are stupid."
I was shocked, shocked to find so many angry, contrary opinions on the subject. I mean, this is the Internet. Surely everyone is cordial and like-minded.
The comment section was the usual bog of ad hominem, straw man, and plain nonsense arguments. But buried deep within the chaff were a few good questions worthy of rebuttal. So if you'll indulge...… Read more
In 2012, we made some changes to the way we rate televisions, with the biggest one being the new Value score. CNET now apportions 40 percent of the total TV score to value. Whether it's worth $300 or $3,000, you want to know that the TV you're buying represents the best you can get for the price, and that's where Value comes in.
The following models scored superbly on Value, garnering either a 9 or a 10 on the scale. We've spoken at length about how good the Panasonic ST50 is for the money, and so it's only natural that it gets a 10. But it's not the only awesome value out there. Below you'll find five others, too, starting at a mere $250 and arranged in order of Value and overall CNET score.… Read more
Back at the January Consumer Electronics Show, Roku showed off a prototype of its Streaming Stick -- a version of its streaming box miniaturized to the size of a USB drive, and designed to work with any TV equipped with an MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) port. We thought it was cool enough to bestow it with a nomination as one of the best home theater products of the show.
The good news is that the Streaming Stick is on track for its promised 2012 release. Roku today affirmed that the product will be released "in the coming weeks." … Read more
CNET Reader Mike Smith asks:
Is there some kind of burn-in procedure to run on new plasma TVs? I've read some crazy stuff online that says all sorts of things and I just don't know what is real from what is nonsense. Please let me know. Thanks.You aren't kidding, there is some crazy stuff out there.CNET Reader R. Savoy asks:
I recently purchased a 60-inch plasma and used your recommended picture settings. Question: I have my picture settings set to Screen Fit instead of 16:9 and on some stations when they go from hi-def to 4:3 I get a white flickering line right above the top of the picture. This problem doesn't present itself on the 16:9 settings, please advise, thank you.Good question. Annoying answer, sadly.… Read more
Rear-projection TVs used to be the only way to get the "big-screen" experience at home. With the advent, and diminishing price of, large flat-screen LCDs and plasmas, the RPTV has become something of an endangered species. In fact, only one company, Mitsubishi, still makes RPTVs.
Many people still enjoy their RPTV, and I've received several letters recently asking if it was time for them to upgrade.
Are RPTVs a viable alternative to flat panels? When should you upgrade your old RPTV? Let's break it down.… Read more
CNET reader Jerry asks:
I recently bought a 40-inch LED LCD. I like it a lot, but over the past few months I've noticed my eyes hurt after watching the TV. Mostly it seems to happen at night. This can't be normal, right? Before I spend money on an eye doctor (I've never been), I figured I'd ask if there was something about the TV that was causing it. I never had this problem with my old TV.An interesting, and surprisingly common question.Maybe you don't care how many features a TV has. Maybe you just want to see the coolest design going. Maybe all you want is the best bang for your buck, or the best picture regardless of cost.
Lucky for you, CNET's reviews have subratings. All of our TV reviews are rated according to four criteria -- Design, Features, Picture quality, and Value -- that are weighted, sifted, and centrifuged into the overall star rating.
Unfortunately you can't sort CNET's TV reviews by subrating on the Web site yet, so in the meantime I present the four TVs that would be perched at the top of those sorted lists. Each scored the only "10" we've awarded so far this year in the subratings mentioned above; they're not perfect, but a "10" is as good as it gets. I also list runners-up and potential challengers in each subcategory.
Disagree? Sound off in comments! TL;DR? Click here!… Read more
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