Sony’s XBR8 Series has two models, the 55 inch KDL-55XBR8 and 46 inch KDL-46XBR8. Headline features include; Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, Triluminos RGB LED Backlighting, Motionflow 120Hz PRO, BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO, 10-bit display panel and processing, Deep Color and Live Color Creation technology. The XBR8 models have a piano gloss black finish with floating glass accents.

Sony XBR8 Triluminos RGB LED Backlight Technology

The use of LED backlighting for an LCD display brings such a wide range of performance improvements that they can be considered as a technology step ahead of other models using conventional CCFL backlighting. The Triluminos RGB LED backlighting technology comes from Lumileds, a Philips company.
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Local Dimming improves black levels and the contrast ratios which are a natural weakness of LCD display technology.

Local dimming is one of the advantages delivered by using light-emitting diode (LED) backlights rather than a conventional tubular cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) for an LCD display. LED backlighting, consisting of hundreds of LED light sources, can be varied across the LCD screen based on the image displayed.

Being able to completely switch off the LED backlights individually gives more precise control of screen lighting, allowing some areas to brightly lit while others are completely black. Turning off LED backlights avoids the light leakage of the liquid crystals that occurs with a constantly on CCFL lamp. The gains from using local dimming include; improved contrast, stronger blacks and whites and a greater range of graduation between them.
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LG’s new LBX series of 1080p LCDs, called Opus, has some high end features such as 120Hz TruMotion blur reduction, wider color gamut for more lifelike colors, a USB port for viewing digital images (JPEG) and playing MP3 digital music with the USB Media Host application as well as three HDMI connections. Being 1080p resolution ( 1920 x 1080 pixels), the LBX models can show all the full high definition detail of the latest BluRay discs.

Contrast ratio is an important factor in picture quality and the LG LBX series all feature a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1. LG’s Super IPS technology LCD display delivers a wide 178 degree viewing angle without any color shift or dimming of the onscreen image. Sound quality has not been forgotten with the inclusion of SRS TruSurround XT – a virtual surround sound system which works with only two speakers.
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The Panasonic TC-32LX85 720p LCD HDTV has proved to be the most popular of this Panasonic VIERA LCD HDTV range which also includes the 26 inch TC-26LX85, 37 inch TC-37LZ800 and TC-37LZ85 as well as the 32 inch TC-32LZ800 and TC-32LX85.

The LX models are the 720p models while LZ signifies 1080p models. The TC-32LX85 model is probably more popular as for a 32 inch screen you need to be 4.2 feet (1.3m) from the screen to see difference between 1080p and 720p. A reason for opting for the 1080p models might be for dual use gaming or as a monitor – hence the inclusion of the PC input on the 1080p resolution models.

All models have a Game picture mode for minimization of lag. However, there are other LCD HDTV models with a faster pixel response time than the 8 milliseconds of these models. Matching the game console output resolution to the native resolution of the HDTV is more important than both these considerations as explained in our HDTVs for Gaming technology guide. It should be noted that the 720p models do not accept a 1080p Full HD source via HDMI.
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Samsung’s Series 9 (A950) of 1080p LCD LED backlit HDTVs totals two models; the 46 inch LN46A950 and 55 inch LN55A950. Samsung have distinguished them from the recently released Samsung Series 8 LCDs with a charcoal gray accent Touch of Color bezel as opposed to deep blue or rose. Features are identical to the ones covered in depth in our Series 8 review however, performance is worlds apart thanks to the use of LED backlighting (Samsung call it SmartLighting) rather than a CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp).

LED backlighting sweeps away LCD display technology’s inherent weaknesses of lower contrast ratios and less deep blacks. The A950 models have a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio compared to the CCFL backlit Series 8 models. It’s the local dimming of the LED backlighting which produces the dramatic improvements. Being able to completely switch off the LED backlights individually gives more precise control of screen lighting, allowing some areas to brightly lit while others are completely black. Turning off LED backlights avoids the light leakage of the liquid crystals that occurs with a constantly on CCFL lamp.
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Samsung Series 8 1080p LCD HDTV models have identical features apart from a different Touch of Color bezel (rose on A850 models and deep blue on the A860s), a second USB 2.0 connection and a longer 18 months warranty (vs 12 months) on the A860 models. The amazingly thinness of 1.9 inches makes the Series 8 LCDs the easiest to wall mount yet and definitely the most attractive with the choice of rose or deep blue Touch of Color infused surrounding bezels. With the help of their Ultra Clear Panel, Samsung have pushed the dynamic contrast ratio up to a very impressive 50,000:1.

Those intending to use a Series 8 for gaming will appreciate the quick 4ms response time of the Samsung display. A fast response time significantly reduces the chances of motion blur. The viewing angle provided by Samsung’s Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) panel is also excellent at the 178 degrees.
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The Mitsubishi C8 series of 1080p DLP rear projection HDTVs reviewed consists of three models; the 73 inch WD-73C8, 65 inch WD-65C8 and 60 inch WD-60C8. The Mitsubishi C8 series is the entry level for the Mitsubishi rear projection HDTV range. The C8 models features are covered in detail in the recent review of the Mitsubishi 735 series. Below is an overview of the various features available with each series of the Mitsubishi rear projection HDTV range.

Mitsubishi 2008 DLP HDTV Range Features Overview

Mitsubishi C8 Series DLP HDTV

Key features of Mitsubishi’s entry level DLP HDTV

• 6-Color Processor
• PerfectColor
• Tru1080p Processing
• 4D Video Noise Reduction
• Easy Connect
• Front USB Input
• 3 Rear HDMI 1.3 Inputs

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