Though the images that the Sharp LC-42D85U puts up on its screen aren't spectacular, they're more than acceptable. The sound is impressive--within the limits of any TV's sound. And the $1100 street price (as of April 22, 2009) keeps the LC-42D85U ...

Reasonably priced Excellent surround-sound emulation

Poorly designed remote No quick menu

On the whole, the Sharp LC-42D85U is a fine TV. It does a solid job of handling video and sound, but there is little about this set that really stands out

The $935 (as of April 22, 2009) Samsung LN37A550 is a good choice for someone seeking an adequate, not-too-expensive 37-inch HDTV that requires minimal setup. The input connections are easy to get to, the on-screen menus are well designed and helpful, ...

Well-designed remote control USB-based multimedia

Poor audio quality

Samsung added picture-in-picture to this television, but the feature is severely limited. The remote lacks a PiP button, so you have to go to the main menu for access. And PiP works only with an outside source (such as a DVD or Blu-ray player) in the ...

Though the images that the Sharp LC-42D85U puts up on its screen aren't spectacular, they're more than acceptable. The sound is impressive--within the limits of any TV's sound. And the $1100 street price (as of April 22, 2009) keeps the LC-42D85U ...

Reasonably priced Excellent surround-sound emulation

Poorly designed remote No quick menu

On the whole, the Sharp LC-42D85U is a fine TV. It does a solid job of handling video and sound, but there is little about this set that really stands out

The Samsung LN46A630 ($1400 as of March 10, 2009) delivers a very good picture on its 46-inch screen, and it accompanies that picture with equally good sound. It's pretty easy to use for the most part, too, but it stumbles in a few places where its ...

Very good surround audio USB-based multimedia

No easy way to change aspect ratio Picture-in-picture feature nearly useless

Plug a flash drive or external hard drive ontaining your JPEG photos into the LN46A630's USB drive, and you'll be able to watch a slideshow on the big screen. You can also play MP3 audi files stored on USB media

For $2800 (as of April 22, 2009), you'd expect to get more than a 42-inch LCD HDTV. And sure enough, the Allio ATVI-3G4542 gives you more--a built-in, 64-bit personal computer running Windows Vista Home Premium. But the HDTV and PC components of the ...

Very good sound Built-in Windows PC offers strong multimedia

Very expensive; poor on-screen controls Built-in Windows PC is clumsily designed

The remote control is neither backlit nor programmable. The important keys are reasonably well placed, but Mute and Display are somewhat small

Its estimated street price of $1040 (as of March 10, 2009) makes the 42-inch Honeywell Altura MLX tempting to bargain hunters. But disappointing image and sound quality, clumsy setup, and an utter lack of interesting features should convince you to ...

Low price

Substandard image quality Clumsy to set up

The included remote isn't particularly well-designed. You can program it, but only the volume and channel buttons light up, and many of the buttons are too small, too close together, and too difficult to differentiate with your thumb. The remote has a ...

There's a lot to like about the Philips 42PFL7403D/F7. For a street price of $1100 (as of March 10, 2009), you get a 42-inch HDTV with USB-based multimedia capabilities. The only lower-priced 42-inch HDTV we've looked at recently, the Honeywell Altura ...

Very good sound Multimedia playback via USB port

Disappointing picture quality Clumsy switching between inputs

Though the remote lacks backlighting and programming capabilities, it's quite good--small, light, and comfortable to hold. The buttons are well laid out, too. The remote includes picture-in-picture buttons, but the TV lacks picture-in-picture

The Insignia NS-LCD52HD-09 costs only about $1400 (as of March 10, 2009), a very good price for a 52-inch HDTV. And though its image quality isn't great, it's not horrible, either. The NS-LCD52HD-09 has only middling sound quality, too, but again it's ...

Inexpensive for its size Well-designed remote

No first-run wizard Confusing menus

Though the NS-LCD52HD-09 is unexceptional overall, it does have an expertly designed remote control. With your forefinger resting in the back grove, your thumb goes easily to the Volume and Channel buttons. Overall, the buttons that you're likely to ...

The Samsung LN55A950 is the first LCD TV we've tested with LED backlighting. But LED backlighting doesn't come cheap. The LN55A950's $4500 street price (as of April 16, 2009) puts it in a different league from the other TVs that PC World normally ...

Ethernet connection for Web services Fantastic remote control; great sound

Very expensive. Picture-in-picture doesn't work well

The menus are attractive and readable, though they do take up a lot of screen real estate. The main menu includes useful explanations. Navigation is normally easy but occasionally confusing. A smaller Quick Menu offers immediate access to commonly ...

The Vizio VF550XVT isn't much of a bargain, despite the reasonable $1800 price tag (as of April 16, 2009). Assorted problems with image quality, weak sound, and clumsy menus, along with a lack of interesting features, make this set difficult to ...

Remote well backlit Has picture-in-picture

Configuration menus are confusing Unimpressive sound

In my experience, Vizio TVs usually deliver very good pictures at a reasonable price, but I was quite disappointed by the VF550XVT's performance. Let's hope it proves to be an aberration