BUYING GUIDE HDTVS
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`High-Def Up Close
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`We lay out the lT1'dj0]"[}’p€S()fH D'I‘VSa1iid what key l7aCt01‘s you should
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`consider before buying. By Robert Heron
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`Pioneer PRO-940!-ID
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`$3300 Risk
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`Plasma TVs: Ready for Action
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`INSIDE
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`-"S HDTVS by the Numbers
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`77 HDMI Evolves
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`78 HDTV Minimum Viewing Distance
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`NOVEMBER 20 2007 PC MAGAZINE 73'-
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`BUYING GUIDE HDTVS
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`VIZIO VP42 HDTV
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`$1,099.99 list
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`Plasma televisions
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`offer the best value
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`among the larger
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`flat-panel displays,
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`and the Vizio VP-'-12
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`HDTV is a perfect example
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`This inexpensive set deliv»
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`ers a good-looking picture
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`without a lot of fuss.
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`today could conceivably operate eonv
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`tinuously for more than 11 years before it
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`reached the end ofits life. That's certainly
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`soiriething the plasma iiiantzfaeturers
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`couldn't guarantee :1 decade ago.
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`This year witnessed the introduction
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`ot‘42—inch and larger plasma televisions
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`that offer native 1080p resolution. match
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`ing the maximum resolution oftheir LCD
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`counterparts, Pliisina sets. however. still
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`can't match the absolute screen bright-
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`ness ol';in LCD. and most LCDS are better
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`at niiniiiiizing ambient light reflecting off
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`the screen surface. Also, l.CDs are bet-
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`(er stiiied for viewing at high altitudes.
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`because Plasinas make more electrome-
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`chanica] noise as altitude increases.
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`Those coiisitlertitions aside. plasma
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`televisions have a big ace up their sleeve
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`in that they offer a significantly clearer and
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`more detailed picture than LCDs when
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`displaying moving imagery. That clarity
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`also iriakcs viewing video on a plasma tele-
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`vision a less eychfatigtiing experience than
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`watching the same content on an LCD.
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`This is an especially important consid-
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`eration For those marathon action-movie
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`sessions. Moreover. in light-controlled
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`environments screen brightness takes a
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`distant backseat to other critical picture
`characteristics. such as black level. Color
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`quality, and effective video processing.
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`Plasma televisions that are capable of
`operating at ii 72-Hz refresh rate, such as
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`the Pioneer PRO-94oHD and the Pioneer
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`PI)P—50oUHD. are also ideal for displaying
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`24-fps material (most DVD. Blu-ray. and
`HD DVD discs). since each frame is dis-
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`played three times (3 r 24 Hz = 72 Hz): by
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`contrast, when such content is converted
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`for :1 traditional (ii)-H7. (that is, (10—fps)
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`display. it appears in an uneven 3:3 frame
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`caclence.'1'hese characteristics lead many
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`to describe the plasma television as the
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`movie lover's HDTV.
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`LCDs: Bright and Sharp
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`LCD (liquid crystal display) HDTVS are
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`the bestasclling flat-p:ll\t‘l display type
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`available today. In fact. l.(',Ds recently
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`unscatcd the \'t‘I‘lC1‘3l.'JlL‘Ctl|Cl1ULlL‘~I’;l)' tube
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`(CRT) to become the best-selling display
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`technology ofany kind worldwide, l.(_‘.D
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`sets owe their strong appeal to several fac-
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`tors. First, L(‘.I)s produce :1 hright picture
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`with J (Lisuallyl matte screen surface that
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`miniinizes the glare and reflections that
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`Samsung HP-S4273
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`$2,799 list
`C O C O O
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`This 42-inch plasma HDTV may have fewer
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`pixels than some of the latest l'iigh-reso|u-
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`tion flat-panel displays, but it makes up for
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`that with superb contrast and easy multime-
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`Cllé! file support. Also, unlike the less-e)<pen-
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`sive vizio \/P42. it offers some potentially
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`useful extras such as a CableCARD slot, dual
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`radicrfreciuency inputs, and a swivel stand.
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`74 FC MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 20.2007
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`NEC Multeos M46-AVT
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`$4,799.99 list
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`0 O O I) C.‘
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`NEC’s new Multeos M46-AVT IS a solidly
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`built 46-inch LCD HDTV that delivers
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`accurate color and superb image detail.
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`Though image contrast and black levels
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`aren't particularly noteworthy, the M46~AVT
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`lS capable of an impressively realistic and
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`natural picture once its color is profession
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`ally dialed in.
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`LG SOPCIDRA
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`$3,699.95 list
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`0 C 0 C‘ L“
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`LG is among a small number of HDTV manu-
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`facturers that continue to otter flat-panel
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`televisions equipped with an integrated
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`DVR (digitai video recorder) The 50-inch
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`LG SOPCIDRA plasma TV is lust such a
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`hybrid. Sadly, its potential to reduce clutter
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`is wasted by poor video-processing and
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`unimpressive image contrast
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`

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`Westinghouse TX-47F4-SOS
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`Si‘7‘3§) 99 list
`COO!‘
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`An affordable 4'7—incl'i flatepanel HDTV that offers iO8OD
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`l'I:!SOiL|[lt')H, the T>(47Fr13OS has a whOiJDli'iC_: four HDMl
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`ports. and an lJT1|'Jl'E‘S5IVi‘ number of analog and digital
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`vactoo 1Il|:)U'fS that accept lO80p video signals.
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`Toshiba 37HL67 REGZA
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`$l.l99.99 list
`. O C C’ C‘
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`This LCD delivers a good—looking picture with HD notirrea
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`but common artifacts tainted r‘ec_;Lilar television viewing on
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`Our tests Still, it‘s hard to ignore that this 3?~inch LCD set
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`boasts three HDMI ports. has plenty oi ways to tweak its
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`picture‘ and can eliminate ova-rs::an of HD V|dE’O.
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`can intcrlL‘i‘t: with the vicwingz cxpi:i'it:rtL‘L'.
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`NOVEMBEPED HOD? PC MAGAZINE 75
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`
`
`42 Inches
`41 inches
`42 inches
`50 inches
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`
`116 inches
`46 inches
`52 irltht-‘E5
`47 inches
`31 inches
`SI inches
`52 inttlit-‘S
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`55 inchrs
`65 inches
`56 il'IEi'IE5
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`HDTVS BY THE NUMBERS
`In tleiintvs Editru~' Clifllift’
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`‘.'f_‘;"..'~‘-
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`Pioneer PRO-‘MOHD
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`Vltlo VII! HDTV
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`San-sung HP—Sl273
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`LG SOPCIIIRA
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`$1300.00
`$1,099.99
`$1799.00
`$1699.95
`
`$1,199.00
`$fl.T99.lJ0
`$5.29‘J.‘J9
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`$3.E|99.9€|
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`51299.99
`51.99930
`53399.90
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`use Mulleovs ms-av?
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`sharp Aquas LC-520910
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`Westinghouse ni-nruns
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`Toshiba 3'lH|.67
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`Viewsnnic fl315lw
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`Samsung LN-‘F5265!’
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`11-.
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`Surly KDS-§5A22[| SXRD
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`Mitsubishi W0-£5831
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`Snmsung HL-SSBTQW
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`
`BUYlNG GUIDE HDTVS
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`Wlnflook 46D1
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`$1.199 99 list
`I I D I z‘:
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`The 46~inch WiiiBool< M501 is the
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`least expensive LCD HDTV We seen
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`at this size. and it delivers impre-:.—
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`sive picture quality ll you (‘GIT mal-<e
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`do with its limited selection of
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`digital video inputs. the 465i £5 a
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`great deal
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`sharp Aquos LC-52D92U
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`$5.299 99 list
`ICICW"
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`is one serious
`This 52-inch LCD HDTV.
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`showpiece. its iO80p screen offers an
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`amazingly detailed and colorful picture. and
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`it has a wide range of digital video inputs to
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`choose from In addition. this set is the first
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`Sharp LCD to offer i20—Hz "frame rate con-
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`version." Buyers should know. however. that
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`this is not the same as true i20—Hz imaging.
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`Viewsonic N3751w
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`$1.199 iist
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`This is one of the most aiforddble 37-inch
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`LCD HDTVs currently available. and its
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`bright picture produced the highest con-
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`trast-ratio result I‘ve recorded to date. The
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`downside to this otherwise tempting HDTV
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`value. however. is that it makes standard-
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`definition television programming look
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`worse than it should.
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`Samsung LN-T5265F
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`$3399.99 list
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`'
`0 O i'_‘
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`On paper. this colorful and higlvcontrast
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`LCD HDTV has everything to create a stun-
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`ningly sharp picture. Uiifortuiiately. the
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`LN-T5265F‘s high-def imagery was fuzzy on
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`our tests. and efforts to soive the problem
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`through a software upgrade further Compli-
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`Cated the matter
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`76 PC MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 20. 2007
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`brightly lit miiiii.-i. The Toshiba 37HL67
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