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The best gear of the year.

Mitsubishi takes a different approach to TV audio.

Many attribute the emergence of the sound bar as a surround sound alternative to the popularity of flat-panel TVs, as consumers clamored for sleek audio packages to suit their sleek new TVs.

Given that the two genres are intricately linked, it’s surprising that we’re just now seeing the first instance of a high-end TV manufacturer incorporating a five-in-one sound bar into a TV. The manufacturer is Mitsubishi, and the TV is the new 52-inch, 1080p LT-52149.

Flatness

The LT-46SL89 is a lot better looking in person than in pictures.

Surprisingly so.

In pictures it has a boxy look that can't hold a candle to the Hitachi 1.5-inch LCD. But while it doesn't have the Hitachi's swoopiness, it has an elegance all its own.

Flatter Than Flat

How much does a TV’s aesthetic affect your buying decision? Consumers have proclaimed their preference for flat-panel TVs over bulkier designs, but just how flat does the panel need to be?

Hitachi’s UltraThin 1.5 Series of LCDs measure just (surprise, surprise) 1.5 inches deep.

Does its performance earn its step up in price, or is the UT37X902’s beauty only skin deep?

No matter what you're looking for, or how you shop, this guide will tell you everything you need to know to find the right TV for you.

Shopping for a new TV can be quite daunting. Countless models, countless prices, different technologies, and every store you go into telling you to buy something different.

With this guide, we'll help you navigate your way through all this, so that you can find the TV that suits your needs.

The Audience is Viewing

THX, as a company, has an interesting "job" so to speak: work with companies to help them design better performing products. Their work with audio is well known, but home video is a new realm for them, which you can read about in Seal of Approval.

Panasonic plasmas offer a great starting point. Rarely underwhelming, Panasonic's displays are usually aimed towards the mainstream market, with performance to match. That is to say, good, but rarely great. To say I was intrigued by the idea of these two companies working together would be putting it mildly.

KURO MkII

How do you follow up on a winner? Last year's, first generation KURO plasmas were, quite simply, the best looking flat-panels available. Their black level and contrast ratio simply couldn't be approached by anything else on the market.

Here we are, a year later, and the second generation of KURO has hit the streets. So the question you have to ask yourself is, if you were Pioneer, and you were leading the industry in picture quality, even a year after your initial release, what would you do?

When you turn off your flat-panel TV, it becomes a black hole in the wall. Here’s how to hide it away when you’re not watching.

My friend Steve just bought a large flat-panel TV and mounted it to the wall. He assumed his wife would love the sleek look, but she’s not happy with the way the TV becomes a “piece of black glass that’s just hanging there” when it’s not in use. It seems like she wishes the TV would just go away when they’re not watching it. Luckily for Steve, it doesn’t take any magic at all to make that happen.