Productopia | Plasma TV

If you've shopped for gear for a home theater, you've probably noticed that upconversion is a standard feature in lots of different types of equipment, including DVD players, Blu-ray players, LCD TVs, plasma TVs and even many home-theater receivers. For those unfamiliar with it, upconversion (also called upscaling) is the process used to transform standard-definition TV images to high-definition resolutions. One of our readers, Robert, recently wrote in to ask: "In a home theater, what component is best for performing upconversion, and is there any benefit in doing upconversion more than once?

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Though some manufacturers have moved on to greener pastures, plasma TV fans still have a bunch of great sets to choose from. Panasonic plasma TVs in particular, such as the Panasonic Viera TC-P50V10, draw kudos for dark, cinematic blacks and terrific picture quality overall. Samsung and LG also come through with plasma TVs that get their fair share of admiration from critics. Our latest report on plasma TVs fills in the details on the sets that deliver the best picture quality, and the ones that satisfy by offering terrific value. Read more

Though an official vote won't come until early next month, regulators in California seem ready to pass new rules that will ban the sale of TVs in that state that don't meet strict energy guidelines. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), an industry trade group that strongly opposes the proposed regulations, claims that about 25 percent of current HDTVs and all plasma HDTVs larger than 60 inches could not be sold in California under the regulations. However, there's plenty of time for manufacturers to adapt -- and consumers to go out and buy a less-energy-efficient TV if they so wish -- as the law won't go into effect until 2011, and won't be fully phased in until 2013.

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If you've read our reports on LCD TVs and plasma TVs, you know that one of the keys to great picture quality is deep black levels. That's especially true if, like most, you watch television under relatively dim lighting.

But according to HDGuru.com, some retailers are throwing their customers a deliberate curve ball by cranking up store lighting to way beyond reasonable levels, making it hard to accurately judge picture quality on the showroom floor. The site backs up its claims with some light meter measurements in stores and homes, and the differences are startling -- with some stores having lighting levels that are as much as 50 times brighter at the extremes. Read more