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The Top 42-Inch HDTVs

You can fetch a great TV in this size for $1000, and for only $100 more you can get fantastic image quality. We tested seven new plasma and LCD models.

Lincoln Spector

LG Electronics 42PG25 HDTV

LG's 42PG25 boasts an attractive price and impressive features. This plasma HDTV produced good-looking images, too, though it struggled a bit with fast-motion video.

On-screen displays and menus are well designed, with large, easy-to-read icons. Regrettably, though, the menu items lack descriptions, so you have to guess what 'Clear Voice' means or look it up in the manual. Another drawback: The absence of a Display button on the remote prevents you from easily checking the current channel, for example.

The 42PG25 had a harder time with motion than the 120-Hz 42-inch LCDs that we matched it against. One judge rated the 42PG25's blur on our NASCAR test as "probably [the] worst" among 42-inch sets. And everyone gave it a low score on our Jaggies test from the HD HQV Benchmark. De­­spite these image quirks, our jury rated its images Good overall.

Though not the fanciest HDTV you can buy, nor the one with the best image quality, the LG 42PG25 is an attractive set—and its low price enhances its appeal.

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