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Just Tell Me What to Get: Sub-$1,000 LCD for the Living Room

by Chris Chiarella on November 11, 2009 at 01:35 PM

A reader writes: I need a good TV for my living room specifically, and I've decided that LCD is the way to go. I definitely want good video quality and I'd like to keep it under a grand if I can. Please... just tell me what to get!

What up, reader? While the screen-size arms race is destined to continue forever (We fully expect to see a 120-incher any day now.), it turns out that the sweet spot for a typical living room is 40 or 42 inches. A TV around that size is big enough to let you lose yourself in a movie, but won't squat in the corner like an electronic elephant once you turn it off. With that in mind, we're pretty hot for Samsung's LN40B550 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV ($950 list, but lower at many places).

Beyond the 1080p resolution (which is as good as modern high-definition allows), Samsung has been coming on particularly strong in LCD for several years, meaning the LN40B550's picture quality is terrific right out of the box without any tweaking necessary (If you happen to be an uncontrollable tweaker, you'll be happy to know that, like all recent Samsung models, it offers an outstanding control menu.). There are four HDMI inputs, plenty to accommodate your cable/satellite box, a Blu-ray player, and a game console or two, as well as an included swivel stand. And to round out the package, it looks good, owing to Samsung's snazzy "Touch of Color" bezel design, which adds a subtle hue to the black frame.

If you have a larger room or sit farther back from the TV (more than 10 feet or so), or simply can't resist the allure of a giganto screen, you may want to reconsider your loyalty to LCD and pick up a plasma set on the cheap. Panasonic makes some of the best, and its VIERA X1 Series TC-P50X1 50-inch HDTV brings plenty of bang for the buck at just $1,000 (and much less if you shop around). Granted, it's only a 720p set, but the picture quality and stunning blacks in particular make it a real standout.

Tags: features, justtellmewhattoget, panasonic viera x1, PanasonicVieraX1, samsung lcd, samsung ln40b550, SamsungLcd, SamsungLn40b550, top

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