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The equipment listed in
DisplayMate's Best Video Hardware Guide™
is in our judgment the best commercially available video hardware in
each of
50 Award Categories.
All of the hardware in
The Guide
receives DisplayMate's highest
Five-Star Award
rating.
The Awards are based solely on image and picture quality excellence
and are recommended as a comparative standard of excellence for consumers,
corporate and government buyers, reviewers, test labs, and manufacturers alike.
Consult the Guide
when you must have the very Best or want to see how well
your selections stack up against the Best Video Hardware.
About the Guide
The Guide
is the most comprehensive and complete listing of outstanding
video display hardware available worldwide.
It is produced by DisplayMate Technologies,
which is recognized as the foremost source for testing
and evaluation of image and picture quality
throughout the computer and video industries worldwide.
DisplayMate is an industry standard used for judging
major international industry events.
Over 200 publications in 70 countries use
DisplayMate for their editorial testing and lab reviews of video hardware.
The Guide
is an objective and free service of DisplayMate Technologies.
Manufacturers do not pay anything to appear in this Guide.
Testing for the Guide
All of the video hardware is tested and evaluated by
DisplayMate Technologies Labs.
Awards are based on the accurate reproduction of DisplayMate's
most challenging test patterns and test photos using the
DisplayMate Multimedia Editions.
For in-depth descriptions of the testing and analysis refer to our
comprehensive
Display Technology Shoot-Out
article series for
HDTV and Large Screen Displays
and
Small Mobile Displays.
Models in the Guide
All of the models in the Guide are recent models, but not necessarily the
latest model -
since manufacturers often upgrade their models more than once a year.
The differences between recent models are generally minor,
although the manufacturer's marketing materials will make them sound
like major improvements they almost never are -
the differences are generally incremental improvements.
CRT Models
All of the CRT models listed in the Guide are no longer being manufactured
and can only be purchased used, from old inventory,
from specialty dealers, or refurbished.
We continue to include these Best CRTs because they deliver
near perfect color and gray scale accuracy,
outstanding Contrast and Black Levels,
near perfect viewing angles, and no motion artifacts.
They deliver excellent picture quality and make excellent Reference Displays,
although CRTs have their own unique issues and shortcomings.
Refer to our
Display Technology Shoot-Out
articles for an in-depth discussion and analysis.
Printing the Guide:
If your browser is improperly printing some pages
with text cutoff on the right edge then either print in
Landscape mode or reduce the font size (View Menu - Text Size)
and margins (File Menu - Page Setup).
Broken Links:
Manufacturers are constantly moving their web pages around.
If you find a broken link please let us know by sending Email to
info.dm@displaymate.com
Best Computer Display Awards
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Best CRT Computer Monitors
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Sub-Categories:
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Best LCD Computer Monitors
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Sub-Categories:
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Best Widescreen Monitors
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Sub-Categories:
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Best Combination Large Screen HDTV and Computer Monitor
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Sony Electronics
KDL-55XBR8
55 inch Widescreen 16:9 LCD HDTV and computer monitor with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080.
This large screen display is outstanding as an HDTV and giant computer monitor.
This is no longer the latest model but remains our favorite.
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Best Monochrome CRT Computer Monitors
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Clinton Electronics
Products
High resolution monochrome displays provide much sharper images than color CRTs.
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Best Large Display Awards
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Best Large Screen Monitors
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Sub-Categories:
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Best Plasma Display
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Panasonic Professional
TH-50PF20U
50 inch 16:9 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080.
This is an outstanding Plasma monitor.
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Best Combination Large Screen HDTV and Computer Monitor
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Sony Electronics
KDL-55XBR8
55 inch Widescreen 16:9 LCD HDTV and computer monitor with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080.
This large screen display is outstanding as an HDTV and giant computer monitor.
This is no longer the latest model but remains our favorite.
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Best Lightweight Projectors
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Sub-Categories:
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Best Projectors
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Sub-Categories:
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Best LED Wall Display
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To be Announced.
Very high intensity large format outdoor displays.
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Best Mobile Display Awards
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Best Mobile Display
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Apple
new iPad
In Plane Switching IPS LCD
Excellent 9.7 inch 4:3 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 2048 x 1536.
Very accurate colors and picture quality. Better than most HDTVs.
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Best Mobile Picture Quality
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Apple
new iPad
In Plane Switching IPS LCD
Excellent 9.7 inch 4:3 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 2048 x 1536.
Very accurate colors and picture quality. Better than most HDTVs.
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Best New Display Technology
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Samsung
Galaxy S
Super Organic Light Emitting Diode OLED
Excellent 4.0 inch 5:3 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 800 x 480.
Super OLED technology is already very impressive and rapidly evolving and improving.
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Best Portable Photo Viewer
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Apple
new iPad
In Plane Switching IPS LCD
Excellent 9.7 inch 4:3 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 2048 x 1536.
Very accurate colors and picture quality. Better than most HDTVs.
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Best Portable Video Player
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Apple
new iPad
In Plane Switching IPS LCD
Excellent 9.7 inch 4:3 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 2048 x 1536.
Very accurate colors and picture quality. Better than most HDTVs.
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Best Portable Game Console Display
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Sony
PSP
PlayStation Portable
Very Good 4.3 inch 16:9 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 480 x 272.
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Best Computer Signal Source Awards
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The secret to high image quality begins with a high quality signal source.
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Best Graphics Boards
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Rated for image quality excellence - not for speed performance or
2D-3D features.
Recommended for evaluating and viewing high quality
monitors, projectors and HDTVs.
The models listed are product lines -
so the features and specifications may not apply to all models.
We use all of these boards in the DisplayMate Labs for our own testing programs
and Shoot-Outs.
nVidia
GeForce
HDMI, DVI to 2560 x 1600, 1080p Component Video,
Analog VGA to 2048 x 1536, S-Video, Composite Video.
Matrox
Parhelia
DVI to 1920 x 1200, 1080p Component Video, Analog VGA to 2048 x 1536,
S-Video, Composite Video.
AMD
ATI Radeon HD
HDMI, DVI to 2560 x 1600, 1080p Component Video,
Analog VGA to 2048 x 1536, S-Video, Composite Video.
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Best Image Processors and Scalers
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Pixelworks
Products
Excellent input signal processing and scaling chips found inside many
high quality displays.
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Best Television Display Awards
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Reference Monitors
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JVC Professional
DLA-HRM1U
48 inch 16:9 1920 x 1080 rear-projection LCoS monitor.
This is the finest High Definition monitor available.
The HRM1 has better all around image quality than the traditional CRT Reference Monitor below.
Sony Electronics
BVM-A32E1WU
32 inch 16:9 CRT monitor with a resolution of 1000 TV lines, digital and analog inputs.
This is the finest CRT Reference Studio Monitor
but is outperformed by the JVC DLA-HRM1U above.
This product is no longer being manufactured.
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Best Standard Television Receiver
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Sony Electronics
KV-40XBR800
40 inch flat 4:3 CRT with NTSC, 480p, 720p and 1080i modes, and component inputs.
This product is no longer being manufactured.
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Best Combination Large Screen HDTV and Computer Monitor
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Sony Electronics
KDL-55XBR8
55 inch Widescreen 16:9 LCD HDTV and computer monitor with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080.
This large screen display is outstanding as an HDTV and giant computer monitor.
This is no longer the latest model but remains our favorite.
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Best High Definition Television
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Panasonic Professional
TH-50PF20U
50 inch 16:9 Aspect Ratio display with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080.
This Plasma HDTV display delivered outstanding picture quality, including the best
True Contrast Ratio, Black Level, Color accuracy, Gray Scale and Intensity Scale accuracy,
and True Viewing Angle in our
LCD-Plasma Display Technology Shoot-Out.
The PF series is available in a number of screen sizes from 50 to 103 inches.
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Best High Definition Televisions by Technology
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Sub-Categories:
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Best Television Signal Source Awards
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The secret to high image quality begins with a high quality signal source.
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Best DVD Player
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Denon Electronics
DVD-5910
With digital HDMI, DVI, IEEE-1394 (Firewire), and analog Component Video, S-Video and Composite Video outputs.
Includes a Silicon Optix video processor for deinterlacing and a DVDO video processor for scaling.
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Best Video Processors and Scalers
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Silicon Optix
Products
Outstanding 1080i motion adaptive deinterlacing and scaling.
For branded products look for the Realta, HQV, Hollywood Quality Video, and powered by Teranex identifiers.
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Best Display Equipment Awards
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Best D6500 Bias Lighting
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CinemaQuest
Ideal-Lume
Highly recommended for backlighting the walls behind all direct-view and rear-projection monitors, TVs, HDTVs.
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Best Video Cables
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Sub-Categories:
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Information for Manufacturers
- Manufacturers are welcome to issue Press Releases regarding Award selection
in DisplayMate's Best Video Hardware Guide™,
however, using the
DisplayMate®,
or Best Video Hardware Guide™ trademarks for advertising,
promotion, or any other purpose is strictly forbidden, unless you obtain
the prior written permission of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation.
- In order to be considered for inclusion in the Guide a product
must first receive an outstanding review or Editor's Choice award
in any of the leading publications that use DisplayMate.
- Manufacturers that wish to have a product considered for
DisplayMate's Best Video Hardware Guide should contact
DisplayMate Technologies at
info.dm@displaymate.com
- Specialized or custom hardware not widely available for sale is ineligible
for the Guide.
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CRT Shadow Mask