The 5 Best Performing & Most Inexpensive LCD TV's Available

Everybody watches television at least for part of the day, right? And these days, just about everyone has a decent sized screen to watch it on, too. Now, with the recession easing up a bit, you might just be in the market for a new LCD television. So, which are some of the best LCD televisions that won't kill your budget and make you lose half of the mortgage payment on it? Which one will be good enough to watch the Football and Baseball games on it, just still be durable enough for the little ones to use it without being afraid of them breaking it? Let's take a look at five of the better LCD televisions that can do all this, and not steal your hard earned money away Most of these cost less than $300, before tax, of course.

The VIzio 22" LCD HDTV $276-$499 (Average to High)

While this is only a 22 inch television, the complete screen is viewable and it has a user rating of five out of five stars on CNet Reviews. Apparently, everyone thinks it's a great television. According to the user reviews, this television has excellent clarity in relation to the size of the screen. This model passes the Energy Star minimum ratings-turned on and off-by 15 percent, making it a great green TV. It uses an integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HDTV tuner, HDMI input, has a hard coated, anti-static surface, is HDTV compatible, and has a response time of five milliseconds, which is average. Customers say the television makes a great double as a computer monitor and that the color and picture overall are excellent.

Toshiba 26AV502U Flat-panel $290-$419 (Average)

This Television, reviewed by the Editors of CNet and by customers, received a four out of five star rating. It is a 26" completely viewable LCD screen TV. According to all the reviews, this LCD TV does its black level above average as compared to other televisions of this price range. It sports a TFT active matrix, a LCD refresh rate of 60Hz, uses true widescreen technology with a ratio of 16:9, HDMI input and has a Greenpeace green rating of 5.3. All the user reviews say the television's blacks are amazing, while the rest of the colors are equally as good.

Toshiba 32AV502U $324-$499 (Average to High)

This is a 32 inch version of the one above. Although it is a little pricier than the smaller one, and $24 over the $300 mark, it's worth it, I think for a lot more screen real estate-six full inches to be exact. This television, as well as the other versions of this series by Toshiba, has the same exact specs, with exception for the screen sizes. This television's price range is another difference.

Philips 19PFL3403D $279-$379 (Low to Average)

Phillips generally is one of the better brands when it comes to anything, and this 19 inch LCD television is no different in terms of quality. This TV comes with Phillips' Digital Crystal Clear, a process that makes most of the picture quality pop-for lack of a better word. According to use reviews, it really does make a difference. The colors are crisp and clear, the whites are true white and the black level is above average. This television has HD LCD display, with a 1440 x 900p resolution, dynamic contrast, 2 HDMI inputs, PC input and auto select, among many other features. This television, as compared to the screen size and quality, is definitely worth the money.

Panasonic Viera TC-L26X1 $289-$589 (Average to High)

While this television is on the higher end of the price spectrum, this Panasonic doesn't appear to be worth the price. The Editors give it a rating of three out of five stars, making it only slightly above average. However, with a resolution of 1366 x 768, display format of 720, a response rate of 8 milliseconds, and a refresh rate of 60hz, I wonder why it was so low, as the results and specs are no different than any other. The menu offers up three languages, English, French, and Spanish and also offers the full controls one would expect to see. The video interface is HDMI, S-Video and as an extra, has a digital photo playback and an external iPod dock. As for the crispness of the color, whites and blacks, the reviews state that they are no more than average, but with a Panasonic, I find it hard to believe. Also according to the reviews, in my opinion, I would save my money and purchase on of the televisions above-for a few dollars more you get much better value overall.

And, there it is, five of the better LCD televisions under $300. That is a feat hard to come by in the first place, but on this list there just happens to be one of 32 inches-probably the best deal of them all. I honestly think that all of them are about the same, in reading through the specs and reviews, but the editors seem to be a little biased. I hope that you do your own research, because I too am not without my faults. We all have the brands we like, whether or not they actually perform well, well that's something that remains to be seen.

References & Resources
CNet Reviews: LCD Televisions