Best Large and Widescreen LCD and Plasma Televisions

Television Features That Count

• Screen Formatting. Many TVs on the market today have a widescreen aspect ratio, with the most common being 16:9. This is great for movies but can distort television shows, which are usually broadcast in a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you buy a 16:9 TV, make sure it can properly display 4:3 programs as well, or else your favorite TV characters will always look a bit stretched.
• Speaker Placement. Today’s flat panel TVs take up much less room than those big boxes we all used to have, but speaker placement can really make a difference in a TV’s footprint. Many companies put their speakers on the sides of the TV, making it take up a lot more space than it has to. If you have a big entertainment center this is fine, but if you have limited space, look for TVs that have the speakers placed on the bottom of the set. This way, you won’t have to sacrifice screen size to make the TV fit.
• Contrast Ratio. LCD TVs use a backlight to generate their picture and as a result the color black in LCD TVs tends to not be as sharp as people like. Look for a high contrast ratio (above 1,000:1) to make sure you get sharp, deep blacks.
• HDMI. These are the highest-quality inputs/output ports, and can deliver the highest-quality picture and audio from your DVD player, DVR or video game system (much better than those old red, white and yellow wires). Look for at least one HDMI port, if not two, especially if you have a high end TV or home theater. That way, you can use separate video and audio cables to optimize your experience.
• Picture-in-Picture (PIP). PIP allows you to watch multiple shows, movies or sporting events at once, with one as the primary display and the others as secondary displays in boxes on the screen. This is perfect for when your favorite baseball and football teams are playing at the same time. Many late-model TVs have PIP, and some allow for multiple PIPs, although the additional secondary displays might have to come from an auxiliary source like a DVD player.
• LCD or Plasma? Probably the biggest feature that you will have to evaluate, especially with bigger TVs, is whether it is LCD or plasma. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. As was mentioned previously, LCD TVs often do not give deep, true blacks, which plasma does give. LCD TVs also have a narrower viewing cone than plasma; if you try to watch an LCD TV from too far off to the side, the picture quality will be degraded. On the other hand, LCD TVs generally have a longer life, with most are guaranteed to 60,000 hours, while plasma TVs, on the other hand, can have a lifespan of as little as 30,000 hours. Plasma TVs also can suffer burn-in—the term for when an on-screen image leaves slightly visible and fairly annoying ghost image—although newer models incorporate improved technology that makes burn-in less common.

About This Best Large and Widescreen LCD and Plasma Recommendation Page

Bobby’s Best has the best picks for top rated flat panel 40",42”, 46” and 52" LCD and plasma TVs. Check out the Samsung 40-inch, Samsung 42-inch Plasma, Samsung 46" LCD TVs, Samsung 52 plasma TV, LG 40 LCD TVs, 42-inch, LG 46" plasma TVs, LG 52-inch TVs. Also recommended are the Magnavox 40-inch LCD TVs, Magnavox 42, Magnavox 46-inch TVs, as well as the always popular Sharp 40 LCD TVs, Sharp 42-inch plasma TVs, Sharp 46 flat-panel HDTVs and Sharp 52 inch LCD TV. And of course there is the usual favorite being the best-selling Sony 40-inch, Sony 42" plasma TVs, Sony 46-inch LCD and plasma TVs, Sony 52" plasma HDTV, Panasonic 40 HDTVs, Panasonic 42-inch and Panasonic 46-inch LCD and plasma HDTVs. A large or widescreen flat-panel LCD or plasma TV is great and is really the best HDTV choice for any home where there is room for a big TV but you don't want to spend several thousand dollars to install an entire home theater. Choose carefully between LCD and plasma, as each have pros and cons. Some of these are addressed in the "Television Features That Count" section of this page. Get sucked in to all your favorite movies, TV shows and baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis, golf or other sports on a great widescreen lcd tv or lg widescreen tv.