November 1st, 2009
Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Top Five HDTVs
Whatever the size of your wallet, every living room should have a respectable television set. Good news: HDTVs are cheaper, bigger and better than ever. Here are my top five picks for this year.
Splurge: Samsung UNB8500 Series
If you don’t need to wait for a full economic recovery to hit before you can afford a new top-of-the-line HDTV, then consider the Samsung UNB8500 sets (either the 46-inch or 55-inch model), which feature LED backlighting and 240Hz refresh rates. Our CNET colleagues found that the series has the best black levels of any TVs outside the fabled (and sadly discontinued) Pioneer Kuro plasmas, and corresponding excellent color reproduction. If you can set it up to minimize off-angle viewing, and you can swallow the high price, this will make quite a present—maybe for yourself most of all.
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Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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