Road test: 3 TVs worth watching

How does a high-definition video display maker stand out in the crowded field of 300 current models? Gizmo guy Jonathan Takiff sampled the latest crop and brings you three of the best.

SUBHED: Let there be ambilight

Flat-panel set makers are sharpening focus on the 32-inch category, a screen size that fills the bill for the second room, second HDTV many early adopters are starting to buy. The Philips 32PFL7332D lights up a small space in a special way, with pictures that loom larger than the screen.

WHAT'S GOING ON: Philips' patented Ambilight technology surrounds the set with a glowing aura of light that changes color and intensity to complement the on-screen action. To work this magic, the TV should be close to or hanging on a light-colored (preferably white) wall.

This second-gen Ambi-TV utilizes rear-mounted LED lights (instead of the original, bulkier cold fluorescent) for a more discrete appearance and more accurate tonal emulating.

This set shifts gear into a two-tone (stereo?) wall-washing mode when the color is radically different on the left and right sides of the screen. If all that gets to be too much, choose one of the white backlight modes - likewise soothing to the eyes - or just hit the Ambi-off switch.

MORE TO SCORE: This Philips TV also boasts clever, user-friendly ways to optimize picture performance to personal taste, plus a strong tuner for broadcast digital/HD channels (it could save you a fortune in cable bills), decent upscaling of standard-def content (best with DVDs), substantial stereo speakers, plus lots of inputs to connect all your stuff (even USB devices). And it's wrapped inside a handsome, piano-black-finished cabinet.

BOTTOM LINE: With online pricing of $900 to $1,100, this set costs at least $100 more than other first-tier-brand 32-inchers, but it seems well worth it.

SUBHED: Still trailblazing

One of the originators of flat-panel plasma TVs, Pioneer has lost customers to both larger, high-volume companies and low-overhead newcomer brands with less-expensive sets. Rather than cut corners, Pioneer has gone to the other extreme, redesigning and building the best product it can to lure discerning customers willing to pay a premium.

The result? The new Pioneer Kuro line of plasma screens available in 50- and 60-inch screen sizes with 720p and 1080p versions - all top rated by every reviewer who's laid eyes and hands on one.

WHAT'S GOING ON: With refined plasma cell structure, electronic circuitry, glare-free screen surface materials and more, Pioneer displays have the blackest blacks, truest colors and finest detail, plus perfect frame-rate synchronization for live and film-based content. Each set is tweaked at the factory for optimum performance right out of the box.

Basking in the glories of a 50-inch, 1080p PDP-5010FD made me wonder, why go to the movies when you can see a cinematographer's picture poetry even better on your own screen? Most of the same attributes are also found in the thousand-dollars-cheaper, 50-inch, 720p Kuro PDP-5080, rated higher by CNET.com than top 1080p sets from competitors.

MORE TO SCORE: Kuros pack a reasonably good broadcast HD tuner, superior two-way speaker system with selectable quasi-surround effects that work, plus inputs for four HDMI products, USB, PC and more.

BOTTOM LINE: The list price is a steep $5,000, but I found the Pioneer PDP-5010FD online at manufacturer-authorized (thus warranty-secured) Beach Camera for $3,500.

SUBHED: A super - and super-priced - projector

Oh, how people complain about high-definition video projectors! The products are expensive and demand a totally dark room to perform well. And LCD-based models suffer from visible lag and blurring when displaying fast-moving sports and video game action. Clearly, these complainers haven't met the new Panasonic PT-AX200U, maybe the best little 720p LCD projector that's ever landed on these shores.

WHAT'S GOING ON: The cabinet doesn't look like much, but I was impressed by the performance - a reasonably bright picture even with morning light pouring into my movie-screen-equipped home theater room. The manufacturer rates the projector's picture output at 2,000 lumens, and projectorreviews.com claims it's "the brightest projector on the market for under $15,000."

That's just the start of it.

Panny's "Smooth Screen" technology eliminates all trace of the screen-door effect (visible pixel gap lines) often seen with LCD-based projectors. A tuned-in Hollywood Cinema Mode makes for filmlike color reproduction. The electronically controlled Dynamic Iris feature rides herd over black levels and shadowy detail.

That's important not only for displaying dark-toned films like the new Blu-ray editions of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" but also for blowing up video games. You don't want to miss enemies lurking in the shadows of "Call of Duty 4." And thanks to the AX-200U's game-mode processing, there's virtually no response time delay from controller to screen movement.

MORE TO SCORE: This projector's relatively lightweight (10.8 lbs) and wide-range zoom lens makes it easy to mount or move and set up in different locations, and to throw a picture on the wall that's as big as 200 inches. Medium-level fan noise disappears when you crank up a connected audio system.

The multiple video inputs and the brightly backlit remote control are definite pluses.

BOTTOM LINE: The new PT-AX200U carries a $1,299 minimum advertised price, slashed from the $1,999 tag for its less feature-rich(!) predecessor. A good deal!