15 best LCD TV reviews of 2009

A lot of the talk in the HDTV market revolves around a so-called battle between LCD and PDP plasma technology. But there really isn't much of a fight in terms of volume - LCD TVs sell in far bigger quantities than Plasma ones - and the market share is only going to get bigger for LCD over the next few years.

Likewise, LCD manufacturers often quote wide viewing angles but don't mention that although the picture is still visible at a wider angle, the quality of picture often decreases dramatically off axis. Plasma viewing angles are comparable yet maintain the full picture quality at all times.

And ironically, most existing LCDs can actually only hold a 1080p resolution with a static image. When the image moves fast, the perceived resolution your eye resolves from a 1080p LCD picture is actually less than standard definition because of the motion blur.

So what's the best LCD TV?

Despite this, technological improvements in image processing, higher resolution and contrast ratio - partly through the use of LEDs as backlighting - have helped LCD to increasingly become the preferred technology for flat panel displays.

And the high-end ones coming out this year have made great strides in overcoming the traditional drawbacks of LCD tech. So today, the only area in which plasma can truly claim to be the stand-out choice is in very large screen sizes.

So which HDTV is right for you? Luckily, despite all this credit crunch business, 2009 has been a massive year for TVs. We've seen some truly breathtaking LCD and plasma TVs being released, and this summer alone we've seen fit to award no less than 15 new TVs five-star awards.

And here they all are...