With 120Hz, 240Hz, and even 600Hz, refresh rate gets a lot of attention in the marketing of new HDTVs.
What it is and how it works is interesting, but why it exists is even more so. And it can have a profound effect on the picture quality of your HDTV.
Curious?
CNET reader Steven U. asks:
I bought a 240 Hz LED LCD, and if I press the "Info" button, all I ever see is 1080p/60. Does this mean I'm only getting 60 Hz? Is there something wrong with my TV? Do I need a special HDMI cable? Your question is a pretty common one, actually.… Read moreOne of the most common requests we hear at CNET is for a TV that has good picture quality "without all that extra crap" (or words to that effect). Said extras included on many TVs these days include Internet connectivity and 3D, as well as an LED backlight for LCD models.
Samsung's LND630 series comes pretty close to that no-frills ideal, delivering picture quality that's a match for many of the best LED TVs we've tested this year at a price that reflects its relative lack of extra features.
Yes, the LND630 does have a … Read more
As good picture quality is expensive to implement and difficult to explain, manufacturers seeking to differentiate between scads of televisions are turning to increasingly esoteric extras like passive or active 3D, 120Hz/240Hz/480Hz, QWERTY remote controls, and laundry lists of streaming video services. Philips has a new one: Wi-Fi MediaConnect. The feature, available on the PFL5706/F7 series reviewed here, enables the TV to display whatever's on the screen of a laptop PC that's running special software, without a wired connection between the two.
When it works the system functions well, but after our initial "Wow, … Read more
At CES, both Sharp and LG announced LCD TVs that hit the 70-inch milestone, and today Sharp has finalized pricing and availability on its beast. The former is $3,799 (list) and the latter is "now."
The 70-inch LC-70LE732U is being billed by Sharp as "the largest LCD television on the market," and until LG ships its 72-inch 72LZ9700, it is--at least as far as we and NPD know.
Your 3.8 grand will buy 2,088 square inches of screen, compared with a mere 1,801, 1,534, and 1,289 inches, respectively, for the … Read more
The 65-inch Vizio XVT3D650SV ($3,699 list) is the first TV in the U.S. to ship with "passive" 3D capability. Unlike the other mainstream 3D TVs of 2010, which use "active" glasses that cost around $100 each, this big Vizio comes with four pair of cheap polarized glasses, the same kind used by most 3D theaters. We've already taken an in-depth look at how the XVT3D650SV's 3D compares with an active 3D model, so we'll keep it brief here: while the Vizio has its advantages, we still liked the picture quality of … Read more
LAS VEGAS--Today LG announced a pair of TV series featuring passive 3D capability, including the 240Hz LW6500 series and the 120Hz LW5600 models described here.
The less-expensive 5600 sets come in two screen sizes, 47- and 55-inches, making them larger than many of the passive 3D models announced by Vizio yesterday, including the XVT3D5 series, which has models as small as 32 inches.
Passive 3D, which is used in most U.S. theaters, is said by proponents to reduce crosstalk (an artifact that appears as a double image) and be more comfortable than active over long viewing sessions. For their … Read more
The LD520 series represents LG's least-expensive LCD TV with 120Hz processing, and the sweet-size 47-inch member hits that magical sub-$1,000 price point. But the competition in this category is pretty fierce, and for a couple of performance-related reasons the LG can't keep up with the like-priced Samsung and Sony LCDs, not to mention Panasonic plasmas, we've reviewed. Its closest picture quality rival we've tested is the Vizio E0VL series, which comes in significantly cheaper--albeit arguably uglier to look at when turned off. Though we appreciate the LG's excellent array of picture controls, its … Read more
Like most TV makers, Vizio offers a wide variety of features at different price points. The E0VL series reviewed here lacks the Internet and LED backlight options of the company's flagship XVT3 series, but its spec sheet and price tag hold the real appeal--it's one of the least expensive TVs on the market with 120Hz processing. On the other hand, the Vizio's downsides, namely lighter black levels and less-impressive performance when viewed from off-angle, give us some pause when comparing it with other non-LED-based 120Hz LCDs. But if you want this feature set and don't mind … Read more
CNET did not review the Samsung LNC670 series of LCD TVs, which includes the 40-inch LN40C650 and the 46-inch LN46C650, but we did review the LNC630 series, which is similar.
The major feature-related differences between the two series are the inclusion of Samsung's Apps platform and a glossy screen on the C670, which also has a red-tinted frame. The contrast ratio specification of the LNC670 is also slightly higher, but we don't expect that to have a major impact on picture quality.
Aside from these differences, we expect the full review of the Samsung LNC630 series to provide … Read more
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