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Sony KDL-46W3000<br />
$3,100 • sonystyle.com<br />
Sony’s 46-inch set has some issues and is expensive as hell, but it’s also<br />
gorgeous, so you’ll want one anyway. While colors were perfect out of<br />
the box, you can adjust them with a system that <strong>sm</strong>acks of $10K-plus<br />
custom-install projectors. Its metallic earth-tone case may set it apart<br />
from the masses, but it flunked all but one of our processing tests.<br />
WIRED Hi-res menus slide in and fade out like videogame effects.<br />
Does a great job of scaling up standard-def TV and old DVDs.<br />
TIRED Expensive. Clumsy noise reduction produces a swirling effect.<br />
Lots of jaggies and moiré in 24-fps HD test sources.<br />
Toshiba 42HL167<br />
$1,800 • toshiba.com<br />
A harmonious balance: Blacks are warm, and whites aren’t blinding.<br />
Colors are muted (but accurate) and promote a very clear image.<br />
Though its noise-reduction software doesn’t clean up as much graininess<br />
as other TVs in our test, the overall result is subtle and pleasing.<br />
It was good enough that we almost enjoyed our test flick, Eragon.<br />
WIRED 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution means you see true 1080p.<br />
Second-highest overall score on our processing tests.<br />
TIRED Mishandles some film-based HD sources, which could spell<br />
lost resolution.<br />
Vizio VX42L<br />
$945 • vizio.com<br />
The 42-inch Vizio’s low price doesn’t quite excuse its limitations.<br />
Even after we adjusted the hell out of it, our test model’s picture<br />
remained slightly oversaturated and red-tinted. Harsh blacks and<br />
whites also detracted from the viewing experience. However, the<br />
Vizio’s noise reduction was surprisingly <strong>sm</strong>ooth and natural.<br />
WIRED Love it/hate it glowing Vizio logo. Inexpensive. Remote<br />
is easy to use. Picture-in-picture.<br />
TIRED Love it/hate it glowing Vizio logo. Had trouble displaying 24fps<br />
sources <strong>sm</strong>oothly—despite boasts to the contrary. 720p.<br />
Westinghouse TX-47F430S<br />
$1,700 • westinghousedigital.com<br />
Hey now! Westinghouse has a lot more to brag about than just irons<br />
and lightbulbs. Its 47-inch LCD cleaned up and correctly displayed a<br />
wide range of HD sources. But it took some work: After we removed a<br />
drop of contrast, added a <strong>sm</strong>idge of brightness, and adjusted tint,<br />
oversaturated colors and darkness gave way to a great image.<br />
WIRED Top scorer on video-processing tests. Great price-toperformance<br />
ratio. Slick basic case looks hot and will age well.<br />
TIRED Laggy menus reminded us of the dialup days. Noise reduction<br />
isn’t adjustable, but menu transparency is—huh?
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