The Chismillionaire TV-- Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-111FD

If you can make the stretch to a Pioneer Kuro, you won't be disappointed. For the most part, TV's are TV's, but not in this case. Everything from the look feel and heft of this TV is just better. It approaches the level of TV as art. If 5 grand is too steep, step down to the non Elite Kuro offering less customization, but a great picture nontheless.

$5,000 • pioneerelectronics.com

9 out of 10

Samsung PN50A650 $2,499

Lost to the Kuro by a nose, but its accurate color and detailed 50-inch image make it a clean performer — and a hell of a deal.

Sharp Aquos LC-65SE94U $8,500
Huge 65er with great color, a bright picture, and effective motion smoothing.

Toshiba 52XF550U $3,300
The 52-inch panel pulsed visibly between dark and light movie scenes, and its noise-reduction seemed patchy.

You don't need a physics degree to coax incredible contrast and theater-perfect color out of this 50-inch beauty: The set measures your room with color and light sensors, then tweaks the TV's zillions of settings to make whatever you're watching look its best. Even the audio impresses, delivering surprisingly effective bass (for tiny detachable speakers) and clear dialog.

WIRED Evil blacks yield loads of detail in dark scenes. Four separate types of video noise-reduction kill fuzziness without culling HD detail. Setup menus have picture-in-picture — no missing the kickoff while tweaking settings. Also has before-and-after-adjustment comparisons.

TIRED Struggled deinterlacing some film-based HD video, leading to moiré and flash.

• Screen Size: 50 inches

• Style: Plasma
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Manufacturer: Pioneer
• Price: $5,000