The good: Deeper black levels than any HDTV available aside from Pioneer Kuro; solid shadow detail; reduced blooming compared with other local dimming LED-based LCDs; accurate, highly saturated color; excellent video processing with adjustable dejudder; numerous picture adjustments; extensive interactive features including Yahoo widgets; beautiful styling with 1.6-inch deep panel; extremely energy efficient.

The bad: Expensive; poor off-angle viewing; some blooming effects; benefits of 240Hz difficult to discern; glossy screen reflects ambient light.

The bottom line: It costs a mint, but Samsung's local dimming, LED-based UNB8500 series delivers the best picture quality of any LCD we've tested.

Specifications: Product type: LCD TV ; Diagonal size: 55 in ; Resolution: 1920 x 1080