Always connected: Media-rich HDTVs

David Katzmaier, Senior Editor November 17, 2008

What makes for a media-rich HDTV? If it has an Ethernet port, is stuffed with Yoga videos, and/or delivers music, stock quotes, and even YouTube, we classify it as media-rich.

Here are four HDTVs that fit that category, including three which are DLNA-certified. Check out this blog post for details on what the certification is all about.

The Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD, which happens to be our top HDTV overall this year, is also the best media-rich HDTV. It has a clean, sharp interface and is DLNA-certified to stream audio, pictures, and video from a networked PC. It also supports DivX, a video format that's officially unsupported by DLNA. If you don't want to spring for the Elite, the standard Pioneer PDP-5020FD includes essentially the same capabilities.

Runners up include televisions from Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony, all with their individual quirks. Sony's limitation is the most severe: it can only stream pictures and audio, perhaps to encourage buyers to pony up for the company's Internet Video Link. The Panasonic includes the potentially useful Viera Cast service, but it can't stream anything from a home network and so is limited to whatever content providers Panasonic decides to include--currently YouTube, Picasa, and some Bloomberg news and weather info. The Samsung can stream your media, grab news, stocks and weather information, and includes the aforementioned yoga videos, but we found using many of its capabilities to be a frustrating experience.

More Resources

Are DLNA-certified HDTVs worth it right now?,

DLNA for media streamers--what does it all mean?,

Pioneer's new 'Kuro' doles out streaming media,

Panasonic's version of WebTV,

Sony's KDL-46Z4100 DLNA capabilities disappoint,

CNET's HDTV World