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Television best buys: get the most picture for your pennies | More resources
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 Molly Wood, senior editor | A new TV is an investment and a purchase not to be taken lightly. In fact, these days, you can innocently walk into an electronics store with a mental budget in the three-figure range and walk out with a $5,000 dent in your credit card. We'd like to keep you from spending all that cash on a set that's just not worth it. The following six televisions offer the best combination of performance and price we've found. While none of them carries a tiny price tag, they'll all give you the proverbial bang for all the bucks you spend. And hey, there's even a pair of plasmas in the mix. | |||
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| Product name |
Sony KD-34XBR960 
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Sampo PME-42X6 |
Sampo PME-42X6 |
JVC LT-26WX84 |
Panasonic TH-42PHD7UY |
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| Review date | August 26, 2004 | May 20, 2003 | May 20, 2003 | December 12, 2003 | February 11, 2005 |
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Editors' rating (Editors' rating explained) |
8.1
Excellent |
5.7
Average |
5.7
Average |
5.7
Average |
7.5
Very good |
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| Buying choices |
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Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
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| Product videos |
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| Review summary | This is the reference standard for picture quality among direct-view HDTVs and happens to be a great value. | This set is a decent performer, as far as plasma goes, with a very competitive price. | This set is a decent performer, as far as plasma goes, with a very competitive price. | This attractive LCD TV produces extremely sharp pictures, and its relatively low price sweetens the deal. | This industrial model is far superior to Panasonic's consumer panels and an excellent value, and it offers best-in-class performance for the 42-inch category. |
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| Product series | N/A | See all products in this series | See all products in this series | See all products in this series | See all products in this series |
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| User comments | Be one of the first to rate this product! | Be one of the first to rate this product! | Be one of the first to rate this product! | Be one of the first to rate this product! | Be one of the first to rate this product! |
| Basic Specs | |||||
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• Picture-in-picture (PIP) • 194.4 lbs • 16:9 • Subwoofer , 2 speakers Full specifications |
• Picture-on-picture (POP) , Picture-in-picture (PIP) • 1280 x 1024 • 16:9 Full specifications |
• Picture-on-picture (POP) , Picture-in-picture (PIP) • 1280 x 1024 • 16:9 Full specifications |
• Picture-out-of-picture (POP) • 1280 x 768 • 41.9 lbs • 16:9 • 2 speakers Full specifications |
• Picture-in-picture (PIP) • 1024 x 768 • 63.9 lbs • 16:9 • Speakers not included Full specifications |
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