Tag: HGG-1000

Toshiba 46RV530U 46 inch LCD 1080p $899.99 at Costco (up to $1,000 elsewhere) WHAT'S A DEAL: It's hard to find a flat-panel LCD television this big for less than $900, so if you really don't want a plasma instead, then this is your best bet. A generous four HDMI inputs means you'll be able to hook up plenty of HD sources, from your Xbox 360 and Apple TV to your Blu-ray player and cable ...

Panasonic THC50HD18 50-inch plasma 720p $899.99 at Costco WHAT'S A DEAL: A whopping 50-inch flat-panel from plasma pro Panasonic for less than $1,000, generous 3 HDMI inputs, realistic color and black levels. Great for sports, since plasmas handle action scenes better than LCDs. Optimized to work easily with other Panasonic components (DVD players, Blu-ray players, A/V receivers, etc) ...

LG 42LG30 42-inch LCD 720p $799.99 at BestBuy WHAT'S A DEAL: The sound is probably the best we've heard on all the sub-$1,000 TVs we considered. LG has done a nice job of building speakers into this thing, and it has developed something called Clear Voice, which makes it a lot easier to hear dialogue, even with lots of background noise or music in the movie you're watching. WHAT'S THE ...

Philips 42PFL3603D 42-inch LCD 1080p $748 at Target WHAT'S A DEAL: Top-of-the-line 1080p resolution; sexy modern design with rounded edges; accurate color. WHAT'S THE CATCH: The sound is lackluster, but our main beef is that all of the inputs are on the back of the unit, which means it'll be tough to hang this unit on the wall unless you feel comfortable taking it down every time you ...

Westinghouse W2613 26-inch LCD 720p $449.99 from Best Buy WHAT'S A DEAL: Sexy styling, day and night settings depending on room light, energy efficient. Can be used as a computer monitor. WHAT'S THE CATCH: Only one HDMI input; only 720p resolution; regular TV only looks so-so. BOTTOM LINE: This 26-incher does just enough that's right to make it a decent buy for $449. It's ideal as a ...

Dynex DX-LCD32-09 32-inch LCD 720p $429.99 from Best Buy WHAT'S A DEAL: This 32-incher from Best Buy's other house brand has some basic good features like volume leveling (so you're not hit with loud fluctuations while watching a show) and a PC input so you can use it as a computer screen. WHAT'S THE CATCH: It's only 720p resolution and only has two HDMI inputs. BOTTOM LINE: Dynex is ...

Sylvania LC195SL9 19-inch LCD TV 720p $299.99 at Best Buy WHAT'S A DEAL: This one has a built-in DTV antenna, which means you don't even need a cable or satellite box to get HDTV, as it'll pick up free over-the-air HD broadcasts. Since it's so small, even standard definition TV looks good on this small baby. Also, it works as a PC monitor, thanks to a PC input. WHAT'S THE CATCH: At ...

Apple LED Cinema Display (Creative, Under $1000) The increases in productivity and relief on the ol' eyes offered by additional screen real estate have been touted for years, and we can hardly imagine ever going back to a one-monitor system. Designers, artists, photographers, and video pros have been using Apple's Cinema Displays for years and for good reason: The picture clarity, color ...

Cerwin-Vega CVHD 5.1 (Gamer, Under $1000) Now that gaming visuals are in blistering HD, we should all be lucky enough to have the audio to match. The CVHD is a beast of a surround sound system: five speakers (each with six woofers and one tweeter) are complimented by a 12-inch, 250-watt powered subwoofer -- and the result is very precise, very LOUD surround sound. Worried that the gift will ...

Skybar Wine Preservation and Optimization System (Domestic Goddess/God, Under $1,000) If you're any kind of wine drinker, then you probably know the sinking sensation of having that perfectly good Bordeaux go south after having been re-corked a couple of days. Damn the destructive power of oxygen! Skybar aims to give your treasured plonk extra life, and make the pouring all the better with its ...

Vizio VOJ370F 37-inch HDTV (Video Junkie (TV/Movies), Under $1,000) As the economy comes crashing down upon us all like a financial tsunami, feel special pity for the TV manufacturers who have had to drop their prices through the floor just to stay afloat. Vizio's low-cost line of HDTVs already garner top reviews in terms of bang-for-buck, and their 37-inch model is criminally cheap for what ...

Panasonic DMC-G1 (Man/Woman Who Has Everything, Under $1,000) In the digital camera realm, full-sized DSLR's have been the great delineator between the professional shutterbug and the well-meaning hack. Panasonic demolished that stereotype with its new G1, the first Micro Four Thirds camera. In laymen's terms, that means you can swap out lenses like pros do with their DSLRs, but because ...