Chronicle | CNET Reviews / Flat-panel TV sets offering stylish design

Panasonic TC-P54Z1

Cnet rating: 4 stars loudly of 5 (excellent)

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The social: Superb black-level performance with excellent shadow detail; relatively accurate plea; solid color saturation; properly handles 1080p/24 sources without flicker; improved silvery-room picture quality; very slim panel design; wireless connection works well; Viera Cast provides accession to select Internet services; four HDMI and one PC input.

The immoral: Extremely expensive; less accurate primary and secondary colors in non-THX modes; subordinate video-processing problems; somewhat limited picture controls; uses more power than comparable TVs.

The price: $4,100 to $4,798

The bottom string: Panasonic’s flagship TC-P54Z1 plasma sails far beyond most buyers’ recompense range, but the yacht enthusiasts who can afford it will take delight in superb picture quality and style in a wireless package.

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LG 47SL80

Cnet rating: 3 stars out of 5 (dutiful)

The good: Minimalist look with thin bezel; 1.8-inch measure and edge-to-edge glass; accurate color; extensive picture controls; four HDMI ports and undivided PC input; energy efficient.

The bad: Reproduces light black levels; does not eliminate antiblur and antijudder processing; benefits of 240Hz difficult to discern; sheeny screen reflects ambient light; below average off-angle viewing.

The reward: $1,340 to $1,900

The bottom line: The LG SL80 succession’ style-first philosophy will appeal to buyers seeking a sleek LCD TV and dress in’t mind sacrificing some performance.

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Samsung PN50B850

Cnet rating: 4 stars used up of 5 (excellent)

The good: Striking design with 1.2-twelfth part of a foot-thick panel; reproduces deep black levels; accurate color with superb repletion; properly handles 1080p/24 sources; Yahoo widgets; network streaming; four HDMI and some PC input.

The bad: More expensive than thicker plasma HDTVs; ~t one S-Video inputs.

The price: $2,200

The bottom line: With paint quality that matches its less expensive brother but not the beyond all others of the competition, the main appeal of the Samsung PNB850/860 order is based on its sleek, ultra-thin panel.

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The following Cnet staff members contributed to this report: older editor David Katzmaier and senior features editor Laura K. Cucullu. For other thing reviews of personal technology products, visit www.cnet.com.

This critical instant appeared on page DC – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle