Your wife or significant other doesn't want to fill the living room with a boxy rear-projector, yet you still want a big picture. Welcome to the perfect compromise: an inches-thick flat plasma display. These panels can handle all your video needs, including HDTV, although many so-called EDTV versions don't have enough pixels to do high-def content justice. Then again, EDTV plasmas cost less than higher-resolution models. Plasmas are expensive regardless of how many pixels they have, but they're getting more affordable all the time. And can you really put a price on domestic bliss?
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Pioneer PRO-FHD1 - $3699-$4350 Although its price puts it out of reach for most buyers, the Pioneer PRO-FHD1 delivers the best picture quality we've tested this year.
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Pioneer PDP-5070HD - $1767-$2595 Pioneer's PDP-5070HD 50-inch plasma sets a benchmark for flat-panel performance and is well worth the premium price for people who take video quality seriously.
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Panasonic TH-50PF9UK - $2199-$4895 The "professional" Panasonic TH-50PF9UK delivers excellent picture quality, but the price premium afforded by 1080p won't be worth it for most buyers.
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Panasonic TH-42PZ700U - $1649-$2500 For those who can spare no expense, the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U plasma offers the best picture quality in its size class.
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Samsung HPT5064 - $1427-$2700 The picture quality of the Samsung HP-T5064 places it among the top tier of 50-inch plasma HDTVs.
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Panasonic TH-50PX77U - $1549-$2800 Deep black levels and a new antiglare screen make the 50-inch TH-50PX77U one of the top choices among plasma HDTVs.
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Panasonic TH 58PX600U - $2117-$3995 The superb picture quality of the 58-inch Panasonic TH-58PX600U makes it worth the price to huge-screen shoppers who want to go flat.
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Panasonic TH-50PH9UK - $1395-$2170 Although its features can't compete against typical consumer plasmas, the "professional" Panasonic TH-50PH9UK's excellent picture quality and price make it the best value at this size, bar none.
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Panasonic TH-42PX77U - $1047-$1800 With its antiglare screen, the good-performing Panasonic TH-42PX77U plasma is as at home in brightly lit rooms as any LCD.
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Hitachi 42HDS69 - $970 Anchored by great connectivity, the Hitachi 42HDS69 competes well against other 42-inch plasmas in both price and picture quality.
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