Best 5 HDTVs: Picture quality
Our "best products" lists (on the left) take into account design, features and value as well as picture quality. However, for people seeking the best picture quality only, the models below will fit the bill. Each TV scored at least a 9 in the Performance subrating, and in the case of a scoring tie, we've ranked them in order of which TV we think delivers a better overall picture.
This list contains four 2012s and one still-current 2011 model, the Sharp Elite. As usual, the prices below represent just one size in the series; click through to the review to see other sizes.
Panasonic TC-PVT50 series
I don't expect the VT50 to have any serious competition at the top of this list until the new Sharp Elite and OLED TVs arrive later in the year. Even then, they'll cost thousands more than this awesome Panasonic plasma. Its black levels are the inkiest from plasma since the Kuro, its color accuracy is top-notch, and, like all plasmas, it benefits from essentially perfect screen uniformity and off-angle fidelity.
Price: $1,876.91 - $2,799.98 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Sharp Elite PRO-X5FD series
The Elite LED-based LCD from Sharp was designed in homage to the vaunted Kuro Elite plasmas from Pioneer, and like the Kuro and the VT50 it earned a "10" in picture quality. As usual, it's all about black levels; the Pro-X5FD's are even deeper than the Kuro's and the VT50's, don't suffer noticeable blooming, and maintain excellent fidelity from off-angle--for an LED. I'd even recommend the 70-inch Elite over the 65-inch VT50 for money-no-object shoppers crave those extra inches.
Price: $4,645.00 - $5,499.95 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Panasonic TC-PST50 series 
As we said in the review, the ST50 "sets a lofty standard for HDTV picture quality this year," and if picture quality is your deciding factor yet money is still an object, we haven't reviewed anything better. Its black levels are deeper than those of any 2011 plasma, its color is extremely accurate, and its bright-room image superb. We expect a few other TVs to surpass it on this list later this year, but we don't expect any of them to cost less.
Price: $1,379.00 - $1,849.98 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Panasonic TC-PGT50 series
The only reason the GT50 sits below the ST50 on this list is because I can't place them next to one another. For all practical purposes their picture quality is identical -- that THX mode doesn't make any difference in this context. Both are a hair better than the Samsung PNE6500 by virtue of superior light output, but all three are very close.
Price: $1,598.18 - $2,099.99 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Samsung PNE6500 series
We compared the PNE6500 with the more-expensive PNE8000 and, while neither is the equal of any of the TVs above, they're both still excellent. If we had to choose one based on picture quality alone, it would, surprisingly, be the less-expensive PNE6500. We saw better shadow detail and bright-room performance on that TV and, although the 8000 handled a noisy signal better, it's still a very slim notch less impressive.
Price: $1,597.99 - $1,922.00 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
