LED backlight makes TVs shine.(Lab tests)(Samsung LN55A950)(Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR8)(Product/service evaluation)

OUR LATEST TESTS have turned up two LCD TVs with impressive black levels, the best we've seen from an LCD display.

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The 55-inch Samsung LN55A950, $4,200, and the 46-inch Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR8, $5,000, rival plasma sets in their ability to display the deep, inky blacks that give images cinematic appeal.

Those two sets (along with models from Sharp and LG) are among a small but growing number of LCD sets that use backlighting from light-emitting diodes with local light dimming rather than conventional fluorescent lamps. Local dimming divides the screen into 128 segments that can be lighted or dimmed independently, minimizing light leaking into dark parts of an image. Manufacturers say it improves black levels as well as contrast and enables more even brightness, a wider range of colors, longer life, and better energy efficiency.

The Samsung and Sony TVs did well in all of those measures. They were among the best not only for black level but also for contrast, color, and brightness. The use of LEDs probably helped that performance, though some TVs with conventional fluorescent backlights had comparable scores for overall picture quality.

Our tests confirmed that they use less power than fluorescents. We measured the power used by the Sony KDL-46XBR8 and another 46-inch Sony that uses fluorescent backlights, the Sony KDL-46Z4100. Based on the national average cost for electricity, it shouldn't cost more than $44.33 per year to run the LED model, compared with &64.42 for the other ...