Toshiba 42ZV650U (42" LCD TV)

Pros: Colors are stunning, and black levels are better than any LCD in its price range. Lots of inputs, easy to use and adjust. 42" set at 40" price. Simple, elegant design with no gimmicks -- ideal for those who find the "touch of red" distracting.

Cons: PC input does not support resolution above 1280x1024. An occasional "screen door" effect (in TV mode), though it resolves quickly. Highly reflective glossy surface, though that's why the blacks are better than similarly price matte-screen sets.

Summary: I've had this set for nearly a month and have been scrutinizing it closely. Overall, I'm thrilled. I'll admit, it's my first big-screen LCD (after a 25" tube), so I'm blown away by the genre as a whole. But I did a lot of research, and compared first-hand every major model up to $1500 (including Samsung, LG, Sony, and Sharp). This was my favorite set, with the possible exception of the much pricier Samsung B650. CNET's review is full of good information, but I think their hesitation about its black-level performance is skewed by their reference point. They're comparing this TV to other 240hz sets, like the Samsung B750 and the Sony XBR9, but the B750 (40") currently sells for $1699 on Amazon, and the XBR9 is $2179. This Toshiba is currently listed at $1058 on Amazon, and I found it slightly cheaper. Most manufacturers that make a 240hz tv make it a top-of-the-line model, with better performance in many areas. If you want that and can pay for it, by all means, go for it. But the Toshiba set, as CNET notes, is not a true 240hz model. It's something of a 120/240 hybrid. Compare it with the top-notch 240 sets and you may be disappointed with its black levels, but compare it to 120hz sets and you'll find this to be one of the very best. Samsung's B650 may be better, but also runs about $400 more, even after recent markdowns. Closer to its price range is the matte-screen LG LH40, and black levels on that are not even close to those on the Toshiba. I had planned to buy the LH40, thinking I wanted a matte-screen, since my TV faces a large picture window. But then I saw them side by side. The LG was fine, but after comparing the two, I couldn't help but try the Toshiba, and as it turns out, the reflection isn't as bad as I'd anticipated. If you watch most of your television at night, you shouldn't have a problem unless you've got a lamp reflected right in it; in the day, you may find some reflections bothering you in dark images, though it hasn't bothered me watching baseball or tennis (which don't have a lot of dark colors). I think it's worth a little reflection for the sake of deeper blacks and richer colors, but it's really a personal preference.

A couple of other minor effects to note. I do see an occasional "screen door" effect -- grid-like lines on an image -- immediately after a new image appears in a show or movie. I don't know if this is typical, but it disappears after a split-second. The Toshiba seems to resolve it just fine, and I don't notice it unless I'm looking for it. Also, shows in 4:3 resolution sometimes have a thin flickering line at the top or on the side of the image, by the black bars, but this disappears by shifting the resolution from "native" to "full," without any distorting effect (with 4:3 images, "full" just makes the image slightly larger and eliminates the lines). Neither of these is anything to worry about, in my view.

My only real disappointment is that my PC won't display in widescreen. The TV's top resolution on the PC input is 1280x1024, which gives you about a 32" diagonal picture with black bars on each side. Disappointing for streaming TV and movies (from sites like Netflix and Hulu). An HDMI output might fare better, and you can buy a VGA-to-HDMI converter box on Amazon for about $50 -- I'll update this review if I try it. I'm surprised at this, but not disappointed enough to spend another $400 or more for a Samsung.

All in all, a jaw-dropping television for the money. Nothing else in the vicinity of $1000 comes close, so if that's your budget, I recommend it highly.