JVC’s No-Remote Control LCD
The HDTV meets The Clapper with technology that uses snap, clap and gesture recognition instead of a remote. That’s right, turn the TV on and off, change volume or channel and scroll through the menu aerobically. And what happens when you cheer during the Super Bowl and suddenly you’re watching Giada De Laurentiis salivate over a truffle?

Panasonic Viera Plasmas
Panasonic, which annually makes the best of the more affordable plasma HDTVs, devotes almost its entire new line (renamed Viera) to 1080p. Only two 720p sets, in 42- and 50-inch models, remain. The 1080p series has a new screen size: 46 inches. Nothing too exciting technologically, but more people will buy these sets in 2008 than any other in this roundup.

LG Electronics LG60 LCD
It’s the big slim-down. This 60-inch set is about 1.75 inches thick. Hitachi countered with several smaller LCD sets, each 1.5 inches thick. Maybe that’s too thin—none can fit a digital tuner, though it won’t matter for households with a cable box or satellite receiver.

Vizio VP504F
Haven’t even seen it, but this 50-inch plasma could be the bargain of the year. Vizio, which made its reputation with great prices on HDTVs that compromised performance slightly to reach those prices, is going for the price-performance knockout by adding Silicon Optix’s superb HQV processing to a 50-inch, 1080p plasma that arrives in June. The HQV chip is effective at transforming low-resolution material.
-kevin hunt (LAT-WP)