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Ultraslim HDTV roundup

By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
Nov 18, 2009

Nowadays, we're constantly bombarded by news of ever thinner plasma and LCD TVs. It all started in late 2007 with Hitachi's UT-series which sported a sleek 39mm bezel that kickstarted the whole "ultraslim" competition. This subsequently led Samsung and Sony to introduce their LED-edgelit LCD TVs, while Panasonic has since followed up with its 1 inch-slim NeoPDP to fend off the rivals.

To achieve the petite form factor, some manufacturers have implemented a two-box design based on a separate display panel and an external media receiver. These are linked up through a cable or wireless technology such as the 1080i-ready system found on the Bravia ZX1-series. On the other end of the spectrum, there're also companies like Samsung which has packed all the relevant electronics into a single chassis via special component layout and breakout A/V cables. That said, these space-saving measures sometimes come at a tradeoff, such as audible bezel rattlings.

The latest entry in the LED-edgelit LCD TV category is the inexpensive Philips 40FPL8664 with a slew of cutting-edge features such as Web content streaming. However, its 39mm-thin bezel is a tad thicker than the following five panels, which is why it didn't make it into our top 5. Also new in the chart is the LG SL90-series which will be launched by end November.

Model Panasonic Viera
TH-P54Z1		 Sony Bravia
KLV-40ZX1		 Samsung
LA50B850Y1M 		Samsung
UA46B8000XM 		LG
47SL90QD
Design
Display type Plasma LED-edgelit LCD Plasma LED-edgelit LCD
Screen size 54-inch 40-inch 50-inch 46-inch 47-inch
Bezel depth 25mm 28mm 29.5mm 29.9mm 29.3mm
Resolution Full-HD
Dynamic contrast 2 million:1 20,000:1 Mega 3 million:1
External media receiver Yes No
IDTV Yes No Yes
Onboard multimedia playback Photo and video via SHDC slot Photo via USB Music, photo and video via USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and onboard memory Music, photo and video via USB
Internet content N.A. YouTube and AccuWeather N.A.
HDMI inputs 4
Price S$7,299 (US$5,373.91) S$5,499 (US$4,048.65) S$4,399 (US$3,238.77) S$6,299 (US$4,637.65) TBA


Tags: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Philips Electronics N.V., Hitachi Ltd., Sony Corp., multimedia

 

 

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