• On MovieTome: TRANSFORMERS 2 SPOILERS!
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David Katzmaier David Katzmaier, Senior Editor August 7, 2008

If you were itching for an excuse to buy a new HDTV right now, even against the advice of certain well-informed naysayers and in the midst of a slumping economy, the Olympics provides a golden opportunity. NBC is airing thousands of hours of Olympics coverage in high-def over six channels, from soccer to tennis to gymnastics to swimming. Explain it to any naysayers in your household like this: it's every American's patriotic duty to root for Michael Phelps on the biggest screen he or she can afford.

With that imperative in mind, we present five gigantic-screen HDTVs, each of which also happens to be a solid all-around performer. Because who wants to take home silver or bronze?

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Best HDTVs (55 inches and above),
Best HDTVs overall,
Why now's a bad time to buy a TV,
CNET's HDTV World
Product name
Samsung HL61A750
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Samsung HL61A750

CNET Editors' choice
Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ700U
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Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ700U

Samsung LN52A650
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Samsung LN52A650

CNET Editors' choice
Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U
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Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U

CNET Editors' choice
Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD
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Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD

Price $1,299.99 to $1,999.00 $2,709.00 to $3,081.60 $1,879.95 to $2,799.99 $1,815.00 to $2,499.99 $2,439.00 to $4,000.00
CNET editors' rating
Average user rating
Review date July 18, 2008 August 30, 2007 April 29, 2008 May 23, 2008 July 18, 2008
The Bottom Line Samsung's HL61A750 61-inch rear-projection HDTV delivers excellent overall picture quality, and, compared to flat-panel options, it's a real bargain. While it costs more than just about any rear-projection big-screen, the 58-inch Panasonic TH-58PZ700U plasma offers superb image quality. If you don't mind its red frame, the Samsung LN52A650 LCD TV will reward you with a massive feature set and excellent picture quality. With the accuracy of its THX mode and great black-level performance, the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U is one of the best-performing HDTVs available. Best-in-class black levels and excellent all-around performance places the Pioneer PDP-5020FD near the top of the picture quality heap, but it will cost you.
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Features
Sound Effects SRS TruSurround XT
BBE ViVA HD3D
Info unavailable BBE ViVA HD3D
BBE
SRS Focus
SRS TruBass
Input Video Formats 1080p
480p
480i
1080i
720p
1080p
480p
1080i
720p
Info unavailable 1080p
480p
480i
1080i
720p
1080p
480p
480i
1080i
720p
USB Port Yes
Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable
Supported Flash Memory Cards Info unavailable SD Memory Card
Info unavailable SD Memory Card
Info unavailable
Multi-channel Preview Picture-in-picture (PIP) (1 tuner)
Info unavailable Picture-in-picture (PIP)
Info unavailable Picture-in-picture (PIP)
Analog TV Tuner NTSC
NTSC
Info unavailable NTSC
NTSC
Weight 70.1 lbs
165.3 lbs
76.7 lbs
99.2 lbs
86 lbs
Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
16:9
16:9
16:9
16:9
Digital TV Tuner ATSC
QAM
ATSC
Info unavailable ATSC