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What's the best 1080p LCD HDTV?

David Katzmaier
David Katzmaier, Senior Editor
Updated November 15, 2007
After finally having the opportunity to compare the two top contenders screen-to-screen, we're giving the nod to the Sony by a nose. Or at least, by a spot on the couch. The company's KDL-46XBR4 handily outperformed the Samsung LN-T4681F in a couple of key areas, namely off-angle viewing and reflection-reduction (the latter was a gimme because of the Samsung's mirrorlike screen). Don't get us wrong, the new LED-powered Samsung performed extremely well in crucial areas of black-level performance and color accuracy, edging out the Sony slightly in both departments, but we preferred the Sony's overall--and less-expensive--package. We'll also throw in a few other highly rated 1080p LCDs, namely Samsung's own 120Hz model, the superb LN-T4671F; the cheaper, yet still excellent, Samsung LN-T4665F; Toshiba's smooth 120Hz 52LX155; and Sharp's less-than-uniform but otherwise commendable LC-52D64U. If you have your heart set on LCD, they're all worth a look.

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Product name Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR4
Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR4  
Samsung LN-T4681F
Samsung LN-T4681F  
Samsung LN-T4671F
Samsung LN-T4671F  
Samsung LN-T4665F
Samsung LN-T4665F  
Toshiba 52LX177
Toshiba 52LX177  
Sharp LC-52D64U
Sharp LC-52D64U  







Review date September 27, 2007   November 01, 2007   November 13, 2007   May 07, 2007   August 28, 2007   September 11, 2007  







CNET editors' rating 8.0 out of 10 8.0
Excellent
8.0 out of 10 8.0
Excellent
7.7 out of 10 7.7
Very good
7.6 out of 10 7.6
Very good
7.6 out of 10 7.6
Very good
7.2 out of 10 7.2
Very good







Users' rating 8.1 out of 10 8.1
Excellent
6.8 out of 10 6.8
Good
8.2 out of 10 8.2
Excellent
7.8 out of 10 7.8
Very good
7.9 out of 10 7.9
Very good
8.0 out of 10 8.0
Excellent







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Review summary Although not quite as impressive as the best plasmas, the 46-inch Sony KDL-46XBR4 outperforms any flat-panel LCD we've tested so far. A breakthrough in LCD picture quality with some issues, the LED-powered Samsung LN-T4681F will nonetheless impress the staunchest videophiles. While a few issues hamper its judder-busting video processing, the 120Hz Samsung LN-T4671F is still one of the best-performing LCD HDTVs available. Despite a shiny, reflective screen, the picture quality of the Samsung LN-T4665F makes it a top choice overall. Albeit expensive, the 52-inch Toshiba 52LX177 LCD HDTV is packed with cutting-edge technology and produces an impressive picture. We loved the Sharp LC-52D64U's slim style and solid black-level performance, but we didn't like its less-than-uniform screen.







Product series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series







My Products
Basic Specs
Product Description Sony KDL-46XBR4 - 46 in LCD TV Samsung LN-T4681F - 46 in LCD TV Samsung LN-T4671F - 46 in LCD TV Samsung LN-T4665F - 46 in LCD TV Toshiba 52LX177 - 52 in LCD TV Sharp LC 52D64U - 52 in LCD TV







Product Type LCD TV LCD TV LCD TV LCD TV LCD TV LCD TV







Diagonal Size 46 in - Widescreen 46 in - Widescreen 46 in - Widescreen 46 in - Widescreen 52 in - Widescreen 52 in - Widescreen







Dimensions (WxDxH) 49.6 in x 12.7 in x 31.3 in - With stand 48.4 in x 12.6 in x 29.6 in - With stand 48 in x 12.6 in x 29.6 in - With stand 46.5 in x 12.6 in x 30 in - With stand 51.2 in x 5.7 in x 30.7 in - Without stand 48.8 in x 12.8 in x 32.9 in - With stand and speakers







Weight 79.4 lbs 76.9 lbs 72.3 lbs 61.7 lbs Info unavailable 75 lbs







Enclosure Color Piano black Black Black Info unavailable Gloss black High-gloss black







Digital Television Certification HDTV HDTV HDTV HDTV HDTV HDTV







Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080







Display Format 1080p (FullHD) 1080p (FullHD) 1080p (FullHD) 1080p (FullHD) 1080p (FullHD) 1080p (FullHD)







Input Video Formats 1080p 480i , 480p , 576i , 576p , 720p , 1080i , 1080p 480i , 480p , 576i , 576p , 720p , 1080i , 1080p Info unavailable 480i , 480p , 720p , 1080i , 1080p Info unavailable







120Hz Yes Info unavailable Yes Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Video Interface HDMI , S-Video , Composite HDMI , S-Video , Component , Composite HDMI , S-Video , Component , Composite HDMI , S-Video , Component , Composite HDMI , S-Video , Component , Composite HDMI , S-Video , Component , Composite







PC Interface VGA (HD-15) VGA (HD-15) VGA (HD-15) VGA (HD-15) VGA (HD-15) VGA (HD-15)







Technology TFT active matrix TFT active matrix ( S-PVA ) TFT active matrix TFT active matrix TFT active matrix TFT active matrix







LCD Backlight Technology Wide Color Gamut-CCFL LED Backlight technology Wide Color Gamut-CCFL Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Progressive Scan Progressive scanning (line doubling) Progressive scanning (line doubling) Progressive scanning (line doubling) Info unavailable Info unavailable Progressive scanning (line doubling)







Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 16:9 16:9 16:9 16:9 16:9







Digital TV Tuner QAM , ATSC QAM , ATSC QAM , ATSC ATSC QAM , ATSC QAM , ATSC







Additional Features Clock , Game mode , MotionFlow , Sleep timer V-Chip , On-screen menu , DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine) V-Chip , On/off timer , On-screen menu , Video noise reduction , DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine) DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine) CE-Link , CineSpeed , DynaLight , ClearFrame , ColorBurst , PixelPure3G , On-screen menu , Channel labeling , Video noise reduction , ColorStream Component Video Input Multi-pixel technology







Sound Output Mode Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo







Sound Effects Virtual Dolby Digital , S-FORCE Front Surround Sound SRS TruSurround XT SRS TruSurround XT SRS TruSurround XT SRS WOW , StableSound Info unavailable







DVR None None None Info unavailable Info unavailable None







VCR None None None None None None







DVD None None None None None None







Radio None None None Info unavailable Info unavailable None







Remote Control Remote control - Infrared Universal remote control - Infrared Universal remote control - Infrared Remote control - Infrared Universal remote control - Infrared Remote control - Infrared







Battery None None None Info unavailable Info unavailable None







Environmental Standards Yes Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Manufacturer Warranty 1 year warranty Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable 1 year warranty







HDCP Compatible Info unavailable Yes Yes Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







TV Tuner Info unavailable 1x analog , 1x digital 1x analog , 1x digital 1x analog , 1x digital 1x analog/digital combo 1x analog , 1x digital







Analog TV Tuner Info unavailable NTSC NTSC Info unavailable NTSC NTSC







Multi-channel Preview Info unavailable Picture-in-picture (PIP) (1 tuner) Picture-in-picture (PIP) (1 tuner) Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Speaker System Info unavailable 2 speakers 2 speakers 2 speakers 2 speakers 2 speakers







Stereo Reception System Info unavailable MTS MTS Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







USB Port Info unavailable Yes Yes Yes Info unavailable Info unavailable







Power Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable AC 120 V Info unavailable AC 120 V







Product name Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR4   Samsung LN-T4681F   Samsung LN-T4671F   Samsung LN-T4665F   Toshiba 52LX177   Sharp LC-52D64U  







Full specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications







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