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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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Top 10 Integrated Digital TVs

By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
12/10/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/tvs/0,39037594,62042178,00.htm

IDTVs or Integrated Digital TVs have an onboard digital TV tuner and MPEG-2/MPEG-4 video decoder to receive high-quality 1080i HD broadcasts. Crystal-clear visuals and Dolby Digital surround sound aside, you'll also have an onscreen electronic program guide for an at-a-glance overview of the current program schedule and listing.

Such panels have really blossomed in 2009 with even more vendors such as Panasonic joining Samsung, Sony, LG and Philips in the competition, while others, including Sharp, are scaling back their IDTV lineups. Nevertheless, our latest top 10 comprise most new market entries save for the Bravia X4-series which was launched last year. Kickstart your road to digital nirvana with these highly rated offerings now.

Click here for a feature comparison table.

1.  Sony Bravia KDL-46W5500 (46-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.8 out of 10
The good: Excellent picture quality; good connectivity and multimedia functionality; decent audio; good value.
The bad: Not particularly pretty.
The bottom line: For those who can't afford one of Sony's exceptional X4500 LED-backlit TVs, the fantastic functionality and performance of the more affordable Bravia KDL-46W5500 should do the trick.

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2.  Samsung UA46B7000WM (46-inch LCD)    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.6 out of 10
The good: Good blacks and sharpness; crisp sounds; 29.9mm ultraslim design; four HDMI inputs; wireless media streaming; Web-based Yahoo widget support; built-in digital TV tuner; bundled with two remotes.
The bad: Blacks not as deep without local dimming; mild brightness uniformity issue; slightly recessed side inputs; YouTube no search function; pricey.
The bottom line: The stunning Samsung UA46B7000WM is a cutting-edge connected TV with a solid visual performance to boot.

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3.  Sony Bravia KDL-46X4500 (46-inch LCD)    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.5 out of 10
The good: Overall sharp and clean pictures; plasma-like blacks; tight bass and crisp treble; onboard JPEG/MP3 playback via USB and network; four 1080p24-ready HDMIs; RF-based remote control; unique and customizable design.
The bad: Extremely pricey; no remote backlighting; no DivX playback; chassis a bit on the thick side.
The bottom line: This Sony flagship Bravia LCD TV is simply brilliant in most areas, particularly in deep blacks, but is slapped with sky-high pricing and outgunned in this aspect by the Samsung Series 9.

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4.  Samsung UA46B8000XM (46-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.5 out of 10
The good: Excellent picture quality; stunning design; overloaded with features; four HDMI ports.
The bad: Expensive; glossy panel not suited for bright rooms.
The bottom line: The Samsung UA46B8000XM is a marvelous LCD television. It features exquisite looks, excellent picture quality and a host of networking features.

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5.  Samsung LA46B750U1M (46-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.4 out of 10
The good: Generally sharp pictures and realistic hues; effective 200Hz playback; IDTV; DLNA multimedia network playback; Yahoo widgets such as YouTube videos; bundled 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter; four HDMI inputs; backlit remote.
The bad: Bass-shy; mediocre MP3 sound quality; stain and dust magnet; limited built-in memory.
The bottom line: The Samsung LA46B750U1M is an all-rounded LCD TV which offers brilliant picture quality and an advanced feature set, but leaves much to be desired in terms of audio credentials.

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Click here for a feature comparison table.

6.  Samsung PS50B850Y1M (50-inch plasma)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.4 out of 10
The good: Clean and sharp visuals; good blacks and natural colors; IDTV; YouTube playback via Yahoo widget; DLNA network multimedia streaming; Wi-Fi-ready; backlit remote; ultraslim and attractive design.
The bad: Bezel rattles if bass is set too strong; tight port placement incompatible with thick cables; stain magnet and scratch-prone; mismatched metal stand; slight buzzing noise.
The bottom line: The Samsung PS50B850Y1M is an attractively slim plasma TV that offers all the latest bells and whistles with good picture quality to boot.

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7.  LG 47SL90QD (47-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.2 out of 10
The good: Accurate colors; crisp HD visuals; sleek design; plenty of tweaking options; backlit remote; plays back a wide range of multimedia files via USB; Integrated Digital TV; Bluetooth connectivity; seven 1080p-ready inputs.
The bad: Muddy blacks; slightly soft standard-definition pictures; bass-shy; flimsy tabletop stand; reflective screen; emits buzzing noise.
The bottom line: The LG 47SL90QD stands out with its 29.1mm-slim bezel and onboard Bluetooth function, but there's still room for improvement in the picture and audio departments.

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8.  Panasonic Viera TH-L37V11S (37-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.1 out of 10
The good: Overall razor-sharp pictures; smooth and judder-free motion; artifact-free 100Hz implementation; wide viewing angle; four HDMI inputs; IDTV; onboard video playback up to HD resolution; quality feel and handsome design.
The bad: Noise reduction softens image; mediocre sound quality; less than optimal PC and component-video inputs; limited tweaking options.
The bottom line: This Panasonic 37-incher produces one of the sharpest and smoothest pictures we've seen, though there's still room for improvement mainly in its design department.

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9.  Loewe Art 42 SL Full-HD+ 100 DR+ (42-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.1 out of 10
The good: Good picture; powerful sound; attractive design.
The bad: Expensive; only three HDMI inputs.
The bottom line: We like the styling and A/V performance of the Loewe Art SL 42 Full-HD+ 100 DR+, as well as the extra functionality you can add.

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10.  Philips 56PFL9954 (56-inch LCD)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Clear and rich pictures; 21:9 mode eliminates letterbox bars; excellent sound quality; IDTV; YouTube video playback; onboard Web browser; DLNA network multimedia streaming; 802.11b/g Wi-Fi-enabled; five 24p-ready HDMI inputs; unique Ambilight ambient lighting.
The bad: Occasional motion artifacts; slow Web services; image cropping for 4:3 and 16:9 content; extremely pricey for an LCD TV without LED lighting; slow 7-second TV bootup time.
The bottom line: Watching ultrawide movies is a treat on the new Philips Cinema 21:9. But for everything else, you should just settle for a regular 16:9 HDTV which costs a lot less.

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