In search of HDTV news today, I came across this entry about Sharp’s 65DR650 65-inch DLP rear projection HDTV at Costco.

The writer mentions he found a $500 off deal at Costco, bringing the price down to $2500 which includes shipping. Not a bad deal at all, especially when you consider Costco’s customer service and gracious return policy.

If you don’t have a local Costco, this unit is also available online for less than $2200 (add shipping) :

Here is a review on this model at Home Theater Mag:
65DR650 Review

LCD and plasma flat panel HDTV display prices have plummeted over the past year. Fueled by better manufacturing results and competition from budget brand manufacturers, even the big boys have been dropping prices steadily.

Check out the graph, the 42 plasma range has dropped from over $4 grand to just above $2500. 32-inch LCD prices have been cut almost in half from $3000 this time last year, to just above $1500 now.

As you can see, the price drop is starting to level off, the market seems to be stabilizing. If you’ve been waiting to pick up that new HDTV, now may be the time.

Article

Via engadget.

HP’s MD6580n, which took the Best of Show at the Digital Life Expo earlier last month, is under the gun at Cnet. There, she attains the Excellent score of 8.3 out of 10.

This 65 inch masterpiece should be worthy of your interest, if you’re in the market for a 60 inch plus rear projection HDTV.

The good: Accurate color temperature; excellent black-level performance; accepts 1080p sources via HDMI; ample jack pack accessible via front panel; thumbnail source selection feature.

The bad: Nondefeatable edge enhancement; somewhat inaccurate primary colors; can’t fully resolve 1080p.

The bottom line: While it doesn’t quite deliver the best picture among 1080p HDTVs, the HP MD6580n’s innovative design and future-ready inputs may tip the scales in its favor anyway.

HP MD6580n at CNET

The Sony SXRD rear projection hdtv units are all the buzz right now, and it’s easy to understand. The big brand of Sony coupled with their image quality reputation makes for quick notice on the tech side.

Ultimate AV take an in-depth look at this 1080p unit, the KDS-R60XBR1, and here is what they found:

Pros
Full 1920×1080p HD resolution
CRT-like black levels and contrast
Rich color gamut and outstanding saturation

Cons
No place for center channel speaker
Poorly organized instruction manual
No direct input access

Conclusion

“Physically impressive, with a distinctively superior picture to match, Sony’s new KDS-R60XBR1 sets the standard for large screen rear projection television. It beats the images produced by any large screen LCD RPTV I’ve seen (including Sony’s), offering subjectively CRT-like black level and contrast ratio, richly saturated, natural colors, and levels of detail only a full 1920×1080 chip (or three) can produce. For now, it appears that only JVC’s new 1080p LCoS sets offer these SXRD sets any competition—at least technically.”

The high gain screen grain and perhaps some intrinsic noise are the only serious complaints I have about this set’s picture performance. That said, if you mostly watch DVDs on a good CRT based RPTV, I’m not sure you’d gain enough to make trading up to a set like this worthwhile.

Nevertheless, with this level of performance priced at $5000 for a 60″ display, predictions of the demise of rear projection television are wishful thinking at best. Show me a 60″plasma or LCD flat panel display priced at $5000 that delivers this kind of picture quality, and I’ll reconsider. For now, this set appears to put Sony back on top. It’s really something special.”

Right on, that’s what the buzz is all about - 60″ HDTV goodness at a fraction of the same-size plasma cost.

Heck, online this beaut is selling for less than $3700, check it out:


KDS-R60XBR1 Full Review

Via HD Blog

Audioholics, our favorite home theater addictophiles have reviewed Optoma’s 50 inch plasma HDTV offering.

This plasma is not the best as far as features and control set, but it makes up for it in the price department. Also, you’ll want to look elsewhere if you view a lot of standard definition (non-digital) material, as its processing for interlaced sources is poor.

Out of a possible five for each category, here is how they scored it:

4 - Build Quality
3 - User Interface/Remote
2 - Features
3 - Detail and Video Quality
4 - Contrast & Black Levels
4 - Color Reproduction
2 - Calibration Options

3.25 Overall
4 Value

“Conclusion:
The Optoma PD50A plasma television is, as we mentioned, quite possibly the least expensive 50-inch plasma display on the market (street price). For users with digital sources it’s almost a no-brainer, unless you’re a stickler for D65 color temperature and a perfect color profile. In that case, you’ll need to spend quite a bit more money to get this much television. For the rest, the Optoma represents a plasma display that is large, attractive and will be quite impressive to your friends.”

Full Review

Via HD Blog

Cnet takes a look at this 67″ 1080p rear projection behemoth from Samsung.

The review final rating is Very Good, 7.6/10.

Noteworthy on this HDTV are the 1080p input (but it’s only for PC input) and very deep blacks.

“The good: Excellent color accuracy after calibration; superb black-level performance; generous connectivity, including 1080p-capable computer input; exhaustive feature package.

The bad: Black level changes on the fly due to permanent implementation of the DNIe circuit; severe edge enhancement in most picture modes; cannot accept 1080p signals via non-PC inputs.

The bottom line: The Samsung HL-R6768W is a strong contender for the best 1080p HDTV we’ve reviewed yet, but nondefeatable DNIe processing spoils its chances.”

Samsung HL-R6768W Full Review

Bring on the bling, it’s Christmas time baby! Panasonic’s ultra-popular 42-inch plasma, the TH-42PD50U, can be had for less than 1600 bucks.

That’s right, plasma goodness from Panny for $1599.

Check it out:

Popular new releases on DVD this week:

War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg is a sure hit.

As Earth is invaded by alien tripod fighting machines, one family fights for survival.

The Polar Express is another great flick for the family, and should get us on the roll for that holiday spirit.

On Christmas Eve, a doubting boy boards a magical train that’s headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus’s home.

Rent either or both at NetFlix - free 2 week trial. (DVDs sent to your mailbox with a free return mailer.)

Just in time for the holiday shopping rush that begins this Friday, Vizio have announced price drops on their popular LCD and Plasma HDTV sets.

The price drops are as follows:

* L37HDTV Broadens Big-screen LCD Market with $1,499 Everyday Price

* VIZIO 50″ Plasma Hits Magic $2,499 Price Point

* Most Popular 32″ LCD Gets $100 Price Drop to $899

Full Press Release

Cnet reviews this 62-inch DLP rear projection 1080p HDTV.

They give it a “Good” 6.9/10. However, it seems that the biggest complaint they have is color decoding, but it doesn’t seem that they first calibrated the set?

I wouldn’t let that deter me, as I would calibrate my hdtv before drawing any conclusions. Also considering the 6 user reviews averaging 9.0/10 I’m not so sure they got this one right.

CNET Review