When I talked about the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in the previous issue, I overlooked one very interesting trend that came to a head at this year's show: the dramatic and rapid improvement of LCD flat-panel TV technology—and the equally dramatic and rapid drop in LCD prices.
Just 12 months ago, plasma ruled for any HDTV over about 40 inches. LCDs couldn't compete on price or picture quality. But that's all changed: Now 37-inch LCD TVs are widely available for under $900, and larger sizes cost about the same as plasma. LCD picture quality has also made great strides, often pulling alongside plasma, and even besting it in bright rooms. Plasma no longer holds the size advantage, either. In the "mine's bigger" category at CES, Sharp came out on top with a 108-inch flat-panel—using LCD, not plasma.
About nine months ago, I spent a day with Sony, hearing about its view of the flat-panel world. Sony has never embraced plasma, and the company spent much of the day preaching the liquid-crystal gospel. The real point, however, was to convince me that the plasma-versus-LCD distinction was irrelevant; it's all about making the best flat-panel televisions. At the time, I thought it was mostly hot air, but now I'm not so sure. Sony's Bravia TVs are among the best flat-panels we've tested in the labs, and they're all LCD. As our HDTV analyst, Robert Heron, reports in our cover story, the two competing flat-panel technologies are mostly equivalent.
Sony's not the only one touting the virtues of LCD. I spent some time at CES with Darwin Chang, top technology and product guy at Westinghouse, an up-and-coming vendor of flat-panel TVs. With scientific models rendering on his amazing 8-megapixel display in the background, he told me that LCD will beat out not only plasma but also DLP-based rear-projection TVs. "The war's over and LCD won," he crowed.
Westinghouse has pushed both price and resolution over the past year. It was first with an affordable 1080p LCD TV, which delivers the best resolution possible for today's TV technology. It may pale in comparison with that 8-megapixel monster, but it won't set you back $50,000, either. Everyone jumped on the 1080p bandwagon at CES this year, when it comes to sets bigger than 32 inches. Unless you're strapped for cash, 1080p is a good investment for the future.
There's never been a better time to buy flat-panels, not just for TV but also as great PC displays for those media-focused systems we've been buying and building. Or you can plug in a gaming console for wall-size 3D action. Check out our cover story detailing what to look for and what to buy.
Also in this issue, we look at how well those online tax-filing services perform with an average tax return—maybe you'll decide this is the year to pass up both the accountant and all those shrink-wrapped software packages. Filing taxes is perennially painful, but our hands-on analysis will, hopefully, help to remove some of the sting.
Finally, I'm proud to introduce two new columnists. Sascha Segan, our cell-phone analyst for the past three years, will deliver his own spin on our wired world using his enormous breadth of knowledge and infectious enthusiasm. Sascha is joined, coincidentally, by his boss, senior editor of consumer-electronics reviews Dan Costa. Dan's been giving us his humorous insights in our Gearlog gadget blog, and I just had to share him with the rest of you. So you'll find his column, and Sascha's, in every issue. After you read what they have to say, feel free to congratulate them or heckle them—as you see fit.
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