Best 1080p televisions

By Ty Pendlebury on 22 June 2009

Slowly but surely, full high-definition is becoming the defacto standard for new televisions on the market. This is a good thing as it means your TV is able to wring all of the detail out of both free-to-air television and Blu-ray movies.

While almost all TVs on the market will now accept a 1080p (full HD) signal, in many cases it will de "downscaled" to fit the natural resolution of the screen, which could be as low as 1024 x 768 in the case of some plasmas. While this may sound fine, if the TV doesn't do a good enough job you could end up with unwanted image problems called "jaggies".

Buying a TV which is 1920 x 1080 to begin with means you don't have this problem. Of course, be aware that free-to-air is broadcast in 1080i which means that your TV needs to "deinterlace" the signal to display on your screen.

But which should you buy? At the moment you have the choice between either plasma or LCD. While LCDs tend to look "sharper" the image quality of plasma is generally better overall. Here are some of the best televisions we have seen in Australia, and we will continue to add the best new models over time.

Panasonic TH-42PZ800A (Full Review, Specs, Images, Video, Where to Buy)

If sport or movies are your aim then plasma is still the king, and the Panasonic TH-42PZ800A offers a great picture for a great price.

Topics: 1080p, hd tick, lcd, plasma, full hd, best, hdtv, tv, television, means

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Comments (37)

  • Philscbx commented on 29/10/2009 09:51 Report abuse

    It doesn't really mater what LCD you get, Samsung makes 97% of the LCD's used by all the other TV MFG's.
    I picked up both near top of the line Samsung's 52" & 36" LCD's new Jan 09.

    You can always spend double, but your not going to see the difference.

  • who else commented on 12/10/2009 16:59 Report abuse

    Im sorry but my Pioneer LX 509A still kicks what is out there on the market

  • muskstix commented on 11/08/2009 19:40 Report abuse

    i just purchased a sony bravia e series 40inch with 5 year warrenty for $2100 australian witch is unbelieveble value and im amazed with the picture quality

  • pwnsweet commented on 07/07/2009 13:31 Report abuse

    There's no mention of the best TV at each size. I'm only interested in 32" displays, so this article is epic fail in that regard.

  • Markie commented on 03/07/2009 11:04 Report abuse

    I have just recently purchased a Samsumg 40" LCD tv.Model number LA40B650T1F.I am thoroughly impressed with this set.Great picture quality,very stylish appearance & very user friendly to set up.To add to this,this Samsung model is significantly cheaper than the Panasonic's & Sony's with similar features & functionality in the same size range.LCD technology is rapidly closing the gap with plasma or maybe even overtaken plasma if you take into consideration the weight of the set & the energy consumption.

  • dingo commented on 01/07/2009 23:02 Report abuse

    Does anyone know when the panasonic vsx 1019 is comming to oz

  • TyP commented on 23/06/2009 17:08 Report abuse

    In response to domino_m, I am really looking forward to reviewing the Panasonic G10's, but we have the products live here: http://www.cnet.com.au/panasonic-viera-th-p50g10a-339296196.htm and http://www.cnet.com.au/panasonic-viera-th-p42g10a-339296198.htm

  • TyP commented on 23/06/2009 16:38 Report abuse

    As you may have noticed from the dates on some of the comments (as far back as 2007!) this is not actually a new article but an update of an old one. Be assured that we will update it with new models as we review them.

  • Felipe commented on 23/06/2009 16:36 Report abuse

    agree with these guys saying the article is out of date... geez even some of the comments date back to 2007!

    What's going on at CNET? Recycling articles is not cool...

  • Benno commented on 23/06/2009 12:26 Report abuse

    Agree with CraigL and domino_M - if you are going to write a new article - at least use up to date information and models!

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