TVs

Should I upgrade my CRT HDTV? (Morrison's Mailbag)

CNET Chris D. asks:

I have a CRT HD TV that is 5 and a half years old (one of the last ones they made). In terms of picture quality, it still looks better than any of the LED, LCD, or plasma sets I've seen. Am I right? I watch a lot of 4:3 TV. I'm concerned that if I upgrade I'll be forced to have a distorted 4:3 image (i.e., through "stretch" or "zoom" etc.). Is this still the case? Thanks for any reply.

Normally I don't answer "should I upgrade" questions, but who can resist a good CRT bashing?… Read more

Morrison's Mailbag: Why does my TV have a noise reduction setting?

CNET reader "Nindevo" asks:

In regards to your articles about the HDMI cables, I was just wondering why TVs have "noise reduction" settings. I thought digital signals (HDMI) couldn't have noise.

Interesting question.… Read more

Best 2D-only televisions

Despite the industry's best efforts, 3D in the home has brought about little more than a yawn and a shift in the seats for most of the buying public.

The problem is very simply this: there's no content. TV manufacturers will quickly tell you it doesn't matter, that's what 2D-to-3D conversion is for, but when major studios can screw up a major conversion job on a movie like "Alice in Wonderland," what chance does your TV have?

Most TVs come with 3D these days, and the ones without tend to be on the cheaper side. If you're one of the people who would rather not pay for 3D, then while the pickings may be slim, they are significant.

We've chosen from the best non-3D TVs of the last 12 months, and present them below. As they are bare-bones TVs, you may miss out on some advanced Smart TV features, but this is something that a $50 Roku box could help fix.… Read more

CNET's TV testing lab: Behind the curtain (photos)

You've seen the video and you've read the entire How We Test document top to bottom. Now take the photo tour.

As CNET's two-man HDTV reviews team gears up to take on the panels of 2012, we thought we'd pause to give you a taste of the place where the magic of evaluation happens: our lab. We just vacuumed and we're pretty proud of the results. … Read more

Apple TV for $1,499? Would you buy it?

An apparent Best Buy customer survey mentions a possible Apple 42-inch HDTV for $1,499. That's up three times as much as current 42-inch models; could it be worth the price?

Before we go any further, let's disclaim the idea that there's proof such a product actually exists or is even in the pipeline. In fact, it seems fairly likely Apple had nothing to do with the list of hypothetical specs cited by Best Buy, which includes outdated branding like "iSight" for the system's camera (Apple has long since taken to referring to cameras like those in the iPad as "Facetime cameras").

Further, the survey goes on to say the camera can be used for Skype, a statement Cupertino isn't likely to have signed off on given that the platform is owned by Microsoft and competes with its own FaceTime.

So, assuming the survey was drafted by some kind of middle-management cog at Best Buy who has an inkling of what Apple could be working on but clearly didn't coordinate with the mother orchard on this survey project, there are still some interesting discussion points, particularly the price.… Read more

Poll: Which 2012 TVs do you most want CNET to compare?

Last year more than 7,000 CNET readers answered this question regarding 2011 TVs, so I couldn't help but ask it again this year.

This time, however, there's a new twist that simultaneously makes the poll more interesting and fun (in my opinion) but also, because of some funky site design issues, makes it tougher to read. So bear with me and scroll down all the way to read all the choices before you vote.

… Read more

Reports of pops, peeling on Samsung plasmas explored (update)

Update Feb 3, 2012: In early January Samsung told me of a firmware update that addresses the brightness pops in both the D7000 and D8000 plasmas (I was also told that 2012 versions wouldn't suffer this issue), but since that time the company has not given me any additional information despite repeated inquiries. Meanwhile multiple CNET readers have told me how they have contacted Samsung customer service (in one case via chat), described the "pops" and been sent updated firmware on a USB stick (version 1024.8). The effectiveness of the new firmware varies according to reports … Read more

Vizio Razor M550SV: Quick take

Back in December 2011 we reviewed the Vizio Razor M3D550SR, a 3D smart television that offered decent performance and features for the price.

The only thing we didn't really go for was the 3D implementation--it was a little strong, resulting in unnatural images, and couldn't be dialed down. If 3D isn't important to you then Vizio's dedicated 2D set, the 55-inch M550SV, may be of interest to you.… Read more

Sony Google TV update coming soon

A tweet from the official Google TV twitter account indicates that a noteworthy update's coming to Sony's Google TV devices.

When the update lands this week, owners of the NSZ-GT1 Google TV/Blu-ray player will be able to watch 3D Blu-ray movies through the device. The new firmware update also speeds up the Google Chrome browser implemented in the aforementioned Internet TV box and Sony's short-lived NSX-24GT1, NSX-32GT1, NSX-40GT1, and NSX-46GT1 televisions with Google TV built-in. We assume the next generation of Sony Google TV devices (NSZ-GS7 and NSZ-GP9) will ship with this new functionality. … Read more