Crave

Another Monday and another hot holiday giveaway here on Crave. We've given away Sony, LG, and Vizio 32-inch TVs, and now we have a Samsung 32-incher, the LN32B360.

Editor David Katzmaier reviewed this set and says that although it isn't as feature-heavy as some models in its class, "Samsung's LNB360 series takes the picture quality cake among entry-level LCDs." (Read the full review).

Special thanks to Shopper.com, which powers CNET's price-comparison engine and is a great site for finding the best prices on products. (See all of Shopper's deals, coupon codes, and rebates).

Normally, the Samsung LN32B360 would cost you about $500, but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win this Samsung 32-inch LCD TV? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Samsung LN32B360 32-inch LCD TV. Retail value is $500.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, December 8, at 6:59:59 a.m. EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 7 AM ET on December 8, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

Come back tomorrow for our next holiday giveaway. Tomorrow's prize will be a set of Targus Crave laptop bags.

A couple of days ago we gave away a Sony Bravia 32-inch LCD TV. For all of you who didn't win, don't despair. Now we're serving up an LG 32-inch LCD TV, which is just as good. It may be an entry-level model, but our video guru David Katzmaier had some nice things to say about it in his review.

"While its light shade of black won't win over bargain home theater sticklers, the LG H20 series' features and adjustability stand out among the entry-level crowd," he said.

Normally, the LG 32LH20 would cost you about $499, but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win this 32-inch LCD TV? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) LG 32LH20 32-inch LCD TV. Approximate retail value is $499.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, November 30, at 7 a.m. EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 7 AM ET on November 30, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

Come back Monday for our next holiday giveaway. Monday's prize will be a Vizio 32-inch LCD TV.

Sony's 46-inch KDL-46V5100

(Credit: Sony)

If you had been waiting for a low price on a midlevel LCD to make the jump to a flat-panel set, Sony may have what you are looking for.

Sony Style has a refurbished 46-inch KDL-46V5100 for $799.99 with free shipping, a good $150 cheaper than the closest low price for a new unit. This 1080p (full HD) unit has a 120Hz refresh rate and a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000 to 1. This TV comes with plenty of connectivity, featuring four HDMI inputs, two component video inputs, and one PC input.

CNET's David Katzmaier gave this TV three and a half stars, saying that while its design was a bit pedestrian, it produces relatively deep black levels and accurate color in bright areas. "The commendable picture quality of Sony's entry-level 120Hz-equipped LCD makes it a very good value," Katzmaier wrote in his review.

The model is listed on the site at $1,379.99 but the price drops to $799.99 when you add it to your cart. It comes with a 90-day warranty.

I've written articles in the past explaining various TV technologies, including the differences between 720p and 1080p and 120Hz and 240Hz LCD TVs. But with Samsung, LG, Sony, and other manufacturers pushing so-called LED TVs these days, it's high time that I--with an assist from our resident video guru, David Katzmaier--sort through all the marketing mumbo jumbo and provide some insight into just what an LED TV is. Here goes.

1. An LED TV is not a new kind of TV.

I appreciate a good marketing ploy as much as the next guy, but an LED TV is just an LCD TV that's backlit with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of standard cold-cathode fluorescent lights (or CCFLs). And while they've become best-known this year with Samsung's ultrathin models, LED-backlit LCDs have been on mainstream store shelves since 2007, when Samsung's LN-T4681F debuted.

Unlike plasma and OLED, which are emissive technologies where each pixel is its own discrete light source, LCD is a transmissive technology where each pixel has to be illuminated from behind, or backlit.

2.There are two types of LED backlighting.

Initially, LED-based displays like the Samung LN-T4681F were backlit by what's referred to as a "full array" of LEDs behind the LCD across the back of the panel. But to create superthin TVs, engineers needed to eliminate that extra layer of LEDs and move it to the sides of the display. With this form of backlighting, the LEDs are affixed to all four sides of the TV and light is projected inward to the middle of the TV via "lightguides." These types of TVs are commonly referred to as "edge-lit" LED-based LCDs.

Samsung is the main maker of such sets this year with three series of edge-lit sets, although Sony did release one model earlier this year, the KDL-40ZX1M, and has another flagship series, the KDL-XBR10 models, waiting in the wings. Samsung, Sony, Sharp Toshiba, LG, and Vizio all have non-edge-lit, or "full array" models, available today. See our comparison of edge-lit vs. local dimming for more info.

Edge-lit LED-based LCD by Samsung explodes--photos

3. Of the two, local dimming can produce deeper black levels, but also creates "blooming."

Local dimming LED backlights can dim or turn off individually as needed.

The type of backlighting can impact how deep a shade of black a TV can produce. All current LED-based LCDs with rear-placed, "full-array" LED backlighting--except the Sharp LC-LE700UN series--feature a technology called "local dimming." With local dimming, specific areas of the backlight can be dimmed or brightened when different areas of the picture get darker or brighter.

With fluorescent backlighting and edge-lit LED backlighting, by contrast, the entire backlight dims or brightens at once, if at all.

Being able to dim specific quadrants helps reduce the amount of light that leaks through to darkened pixels, and the end result is blacks that appear darker and more realistic. Since black levels are crucial to contrast ratio, the deeper the blacks, the more the picture--and colors--appear to pop. Also, the image as a whole will seem crisper. A great example of local dimming done right is Samsung's UNB8500 series, which is one of the best-performing TVs we've ever tested.

One downside to local dimming is an effect called "blooming," where brighter areas bleed into darker ones and lighten adjacent black levels. ... Read more

(Credit: Samsung )

Is a 55-inch screen just not big enough for you? Don't worry, Samsung's riding to the rescue with its largest flat-screen to date: the 65-inch LN65B650. In terms of features, the new model is identical to that of its smaller siblings: 1080p native resolution, 120Hz refresh rate with dejudder processing, four HDMI inputs, Energy Star 3.0-compliant, and support for Internet content via Yahoo Widgets. Note that this model uses good ol' CCFL (fluorescent light) backlights, not the LED backlighting that Samsung and other manufacturers have been touting this year.

If we had to guess, we'd expect the 65-incher to offer little performance differences from the 55-inch LN55B650, which garnered a positive CNET review earlier this year. The supersized display edges out Samsung's 63-inch plasmas by a nose. Unfortunately, those extra 2 inches on the LN65B650 will cost you almost double the price: the new megasized LCD model will retail for $6,000 when it becomes available later this month. (On the other hand, that's downright cheap compared with Panasonic's 85-inch plasma, which retails for $30,000.)

The Eviant T7 is currently available in white, black, and red.

(Credit: Eviant)

With the transition to digital TV now complete in the U.S., all those compact portable TVs that were toted to sporting events or kept around for emergencies when the power went off became obsolete--turn them on now, and you'll get nothing but snow. Stepping in to the void is a new breed of portable DTVs, most of which currently aren't made by name-brand manufacturers, including the Eviant's T7 7-inch Portable TV.

The T7, which online costs slightly more than $100, comes in a variety of colors, including black, white, and red, and all of them have a glossy finish that gives the TV an elegant look at the expense of attracting fingerprints. You can watch the TV by either holding it in your hand--or rather both hands since it weighs 1.5 pounds--or you can prop it up on a flat surface using the built-in kickstand that supports the unit nicely (there's also a pair of keyhole slots if you want to mount it on a wall). The translucent shield that covers the display is reflective and creates some glare issues if you have the TV at the wrong angle--but at least the screen is protected.

Read the full review.

Here's your chance to score a 52-inch LCD for less than a grand.

(Credit: CompUSA)

You missed your chance to nab a big ol' TV in time for the Super Bowl, but March Madness is just around the corner (go Spartans!).

Here's a pretty sweet deal to satisfy your hoop dreams, Lost lust, and more: CompUSA has a 52-inch Vizio VX52LF LCD HDTV for $999.99.

That's a mighty big screen, folks. It's a refurbished model, meaning that its warranty expires after just 90 days. But given that new 52-inchers routinely sell in the neighborhood of $2,000, I'd say it's a risk worth taking.

The VX52LF is a 1080P LCD with three HDMI inputs, two component inputs, and a universal remote that can control a VCR, DVD player, and a cable box.

Too good to be true? Well, maybe. I can't find any trace of this model on Vizio's product pages (though it is listed in the Support section), and reviews are few and far between.

As it happens, I'm in the market for a new TV, and I've been seriously eyeballing this one. Also in contention: Vizio's 47-inch GV47LF, which CompUSA has for $749.96. It's also a refurb, but there are reviews aplenty, and they're mostly stellar.

Update: As of today, Feb. 10, the GV47F is down to $699.99. Think my decision just got a little easier.

Decisions, decisions. Either set will run me $99 for shipping. Is it worth $250 to make the jump from 47 inches to 52? That's the kind of question that keeps me up at night. If anyone owns either model, please hit the Comments pronto, and share your thoughts, please.

A 42-inch LCD for $500? That's a rare find indeed.

(Credit: Newegg)

It's NFL playoff season, so I've been keeping an eye peeled for good deals on big TVs. Alas, the discounts just aren't there. However, there's one bright spot: Newegg has the Corion Digital Lifestyles FA2B42323 42-inch LCD for $499.99.

It's a new set, not a refurb, and shipping will run you about $50. Even with that painful charge, it's still a couple hundred dollars less than you'll pay for, say, Wal-Mart's lowest-price 42-incher.

Ah, but is it any good? CNET hasn't reviewed the cleverly named FA2B42323, but nearly 75 percent of Newegg customers rated it 4 or 5 stars. That's a damn good score for an off-brand TV.

Keep in mind, however, that it's a fairly low-end TV. It tops out at 720p (which I think is fine for a 42-inch screen) and comes with only two HDMI inputs. Plus, various user reviews indicate mediocre speakers.

Still, this looks to be the best HDTV deal going right now. I'd prefer to watch the Super Bowl on something a bit larger, but cheapskates can't be choosers.

Now, if you don't mind a refurbished LCD that's even lighter on the inputs, the 46-inch Westinghouse LTV-46w1 I profiled a year ago (!) can be yours for $649.99 (plus shipping).

This is the same model that's been sitting in my living room for a couple years, and I have few complaints.

Thanks to reader sluggotor for sharing this deal!

(Credit: ILVE)

Can't be away from the TV screen for long?

Australia's ILVE has a solution for you: an LCD TV built into a rangehood.

While it's certainly not the most heinous attempt at integrating a home appliance with electronics, I honestly can't think of a worse way to watch TV: standing over a hot stove and craning my neck ceilingward. Ouch.

Designed by Italian Marco Valerio Agretti, the Vela rangehood is stainless steel and glass and does fancy stove-assisting duties like increasing the interior fan's speed as the temperature over the stove rises, filtering out grease, and self-cleaning.

But the appliance seller is light on details when it comes to the LCD hardware. We do know it's a 10-inch LCD panel, and comes with a remote and RCA cable outlet and DVD input.

(Via Engadget)