High-Gloss Black Bezels

[Charlie_TV]

Hello,

This is my first posting and it concerns flat screen TVs' bezels.

As you may know, just about every flat screen TV today has high-gloss black bezels or frames. I hate them! Also called "piano black," this style is supposed to make TVs look elegant. Instead, they make TVs look cheesy. We all know the frames are plastic and not polished ebony, so who are the manufacturers fooling?

I also hate these glossy bezels because they reflect glare from the TV shows--even if the room's lighting is controlled. I find this very annoying and distracting. I recall watching a friend's new HDTV, a 50" plasma, and I found the glare and reflections off the "piano black" bezel so annoying and distracting, I stopped watching after ten minutes. Does anyone like looking at their TVs while they're watching them? (I've noticied that when some reviewers of HDTVs criticized a model's screen for being too glossy, they don't criticize the model's glossy "piano black" bezel. Is there a disconnect somewhere?)

What ever happened to HDTVs with matte bezels and high-tech, industrial styling?

I got an answer at another forum when a member suggested I look into Panasonic's and Samsung's line of business or professional HDTVs. These units would have the matte black bezels and high-tech, industrial styling I prefer. To "cut to the chase," I got interested in Panasonic's model TH 50PF11UK or TH 42PF11UK.

These are monitors, which means they don't have TV tuners or speakers. But these are not issues with me, since I have a set-top box and external speakers. I read some favorable reviews about the 50" model, such as:

Panasonic TH-50PF11UK Flat-panel TV reviews - CNET Reviews

Steve Neighley of "hdtvsreview" gave me some pause when he said:

"The Panasonic TH-50PF11UK, indeed, is a professional plasma display which would benefit high-end and business users more than the regular household consumer. With the picture quality at par with the other plasma panels, this model is not that bad after all."

Panasonic TH-50PF11UK Review: Professional Plasma No Less | HDTVs Review

The price for the TH-50PF11UK, including the charge for a table stand (which is not included with the monitor) and delivery comes to over $2700. It is more costly than a "regular household consumer" 50 inch plasma, but currently this is the only plasma with the styling I want. (I recently saw a Sony KLV 40ZX1M at a retailer's showroom. I liked it because it was the only TV in the showroom with a gorgeous matte black metal bezel. It too is a monitor, though it comes with speakers. It cost $2,700 just as the Panny. I might have considered this Sony, but I didn't like its blacks and since it was an LCD, its viewing angle was narrow. I later read bad reviews about its picture quality which confirmed what I saw.)

Question: Has Big Picture Big Sound reviewed this monitor? Will any manufacturer offer HDTVs with matte, non-glossy, bezels in their 2010 lines?

Thank you for reading.

[MrBoylan]

Hello,

This is my first posting and it concerns flat screen TVs' bezels.

As you may know, just about every flat screen TV today has high-gloss black bezels or frames. I hate them! Also called "piano black," this style is supposed to make TVs look elegant. Instead, they make TVs look cheesy. We all know the frames are plastic and not polished ebony, so who are the manufacturers fooling?

I also hate these glossy bezels because they reflect glare from the TV shows--even if the room's lighting is controlled. I find this very annoying and distracting. I recall watching a friend's new HDTV, a 50" plasma, and I found the glare and reflections off the "piano black" bezel so annoying and distracting, I stopped watching after ten minutes. Does anyone like looking at their TVs while they're watching them? (I've noticied that when some reviewers of HDTVs criticized a model's screen for being too glossy, they don't criticize the model's glossy "piano black" bezel. Is there a disconnect somewhere?)

What ever happened to HDTVs with matte bezels and high-tech, industrial styling?

I got an answer at another forum when a member suggested I look into Panasonic's and Samsung's line of business or professional HDTVs. These units would have the matte black bezels and high-tech, industrial styling I prefer. To "cut to the chase," I got interested in Panasonic's model TH 50PF11UK or TH 42PF11UK.

These are monitors, which means they don't have TV tuners or speakers. But these are not issues with me, since I have a set-top box and external speakers. I read some favorable reviews about the 50" model, such as:

Panasonic TH-50PF11UK Flat-panel TV reviews - CNET Reviews

Steve Neighley of "hdtvsreview" gave me some pause when he said:

"The Panasonic TH-50PF11UK, indeed, is a professional plasma display which would benefit high-end and business users more than the regular household consumer. With the picture quality at par with the other plasma panels, this model is not that bad after all."

Panasonic TH-50PF11UK Review: Professional Plasma No Less | HDTVs Review

The price for the TH-50PF11UK, including the charge for a table stand (which is not included with the monitor) and delivery comes to over $2700. It is more costly than a "regular household consumer" 50 inch plasma, but currently this is the only plasma with the styling I want. (I recently saw a Sony KLV 40ZX1M at a retailer's showroom. I liked it because it was the only TV in the showroom with a gorgeous matte black metal bezel. It too is a monitor, though it comes with speakers. It cost $2,700 just as the Panny. I might have considered this Sony, but I didn't like its blacks and since it was an LCD, its viewing angle was narrow. I later read bad reviews about its picture quality which confirmed what I saw.)

Question: Has Big Picture Big Sound reviewed this monitor? Will any manufacturer offer HDTVs with matte, non-glossy, bezels in their 2010 lines?

Thank you for reading.

Greg Robinson mentioned how distracting and annoying the gloss frame was in his review of the LG 42LH50, so yeah, we hear you on that. Panasonic's pro line plasmas are excellent TVs but $2700 is a lot to pay for a 50-inch TV! I'd almost say buy a G10 or V10, mask out the screen with tape and spray the frame matte black (but then, there goes the warranty!).

Everything goes in cycles (style wise) so I would say definitely hold out for a month and see what the new models from CES look like before locking into a current pro model. The 2010 high-end models from all the major brands are going to be 3D-enabled so if that's something interesting to you, then it might be worth waiting for.

I can tell you I have seen some of the 2010 models (under NDA) and at least one brand in particular may have what you're looking for - a super narrow bezel that makes the TV's image the star of the show instead of the frame. The one I saw was an LED-lit LCD TV (it's very difficult to make a plasma with a super-narrow bezel for mechanical reasons). I didn't specifically look at it too far off axis (it was a prototype anyway, not final production) but man did it have a narrow bezel! And in the darkened room, I think it was a matte black finish but I wouldn't swear to it.

Check out our coverage of CES, starting on January 5th in the news category and hopefully you'll see something worth waiting for. We'll have six reporters at CES this year so they'll be no shortage of coverage:

Home Theater News, Editorials and Show Reports (Including HDTV) on BigPictureBigSound

Regards,

-Chris

[Daylightdon]

The Plasma panel that my Panasonic TCP50V10 replaced had a 3 inch wide on all edges, Aluminum colored bezel which looked even cheesier, (if there is such a word???).
My V10, (as they have come to be called), has a 1/4 inch flat black metal, flat frame, which looks very high tech in my opinion. It lies flat against the glass with no curvature whatsoever.
I do agree that the Black high gloss which may look good on speakers and pianos does not enhance a Plasma (or LCD) display.

[Charlie_TV]

Mr. Boylan, thank you for your reply. I apologize for the tardiness of my reply.

I'm glad to know that "Greg Robinson mentioned how distracting and annoying the gloss frame was in his review of the LG 42LH50." And thank you for acknowledging my complaint, when you said, "so yeah, we hear you on that."

"Panasonic's pro line plasmas are excellent TVs but $2700 is a lot to pay for a 50-inch TV! I'd almost say buy a G10 or V10, mask out the screen with tape and spray the frame matte black (but then, there goes the warranty!)"

Yes, $2,700 is a lot to pay for a 50-inch TV. As for the pro line Panny I was interested in, a reviewer said it was not for a casual user, such as myself. That gave me some pause. Also, I cannot find a dealer where I can actually see and touch this display. I even contacted Panasonic for the name of a dealer, but they never responded. As for spraying a frame matte black, that might be a solution, warranty or no warranty (LOL).

"Everything goes in cycles (style wise) so I would say definitely hold out for a month and see what the new models from CES look like before locking into a current pro model. The 2010 high-end models from all the major brands are going to be 3D-enabled so if that's something interesting to you, then it might be worth waiting for."

With bated breath, I will hold out for the 2010 models. Will this styling cycle return to matte bezels or frames? LG had recently introduced their SL90 "Borderless" series of LCD TVs with edge lit LEDs. Its claim to fame is the single edge-to-edge panel of glass over the front of an ultra-slim bezel which is 2.6 cm or just over one inch. I'm uncertain whether the bezel is matte, but according to LG, when the TV is off, it shows a "piano-like-finish." And LG says that the glass has an "onyx-like gloss." I haven't seen this TV or seen any credible reviews. But you can read about it at LG's web site, which featured a video presentation with a background theme music that was first soothing, but quickly became irritating:

http://www.lgborderless.com/my/#/what-is-borderless

"I can tell you I have seen some of the 2010 models (under NDA) and at least one brand in particular may have what you're looking for - a super narrow bezel that makes the TV's image the star of the show instead of the frame. The one I saw was an LED-lit LCD TV (it's very difficult to make a plasma with a super-narrow bezel for mechanical reasons). I didn't specifically look at it too far off axis (it was a prototype anyway, not final production) but man did it have a narrow bezel! And in the darkened room, I think it was a matte black finish but I wouldn't swear to it.

"Check out our coverage of CES, starting on January 5th in the news category and hopefully you'll see something worth waiting for. We'll have six reporters at CES this year so they'll be no shortage of coverage."

Thanks for the heads up about the CES and some new 2010 models. I will certainly look forward to your CES coverage.

And thanks again for replying. And do have a happy and safe new year and hopefully it will be the year of matte bezels.

Regards,

Charlie_TV

[Charlie_TV]

Hi Daylightdon,

Thank you for your reply. I apologize for the tardiness of my reply.

<< The Plasma panel that my Panasonic TCP50V10 replaced had a 3 inch wide on all edges, Aluminum colored bezel which looked even cheesier, (if there is such a word???). >>

I think there's such a word. Were you saying that the "aluminum colored bezel" looked cheesier than high-gloss black finishes? What color was this bezel? Was it a light gray? If so, I remember Sony's WEGA CRTs from the nineties. They had a good picture, but wide light-gray bezels made for an unpleasant watching experience. I remember the bezels would reflect the bright CRTs and framed TV shows with a bright, distracting halo. I never bought one, but does anyone still have their WEGAs? (By the way, Daylightdon, what did you do with the plasma with the aluminum colored bezel?)

<< My V10, (as they have come to be called), has a 1/4 inch flat black metal, flat frame, which looks very high tech in my opinion. It lies flat against the glass with no curvature whatsoever. >>

I've seen pcitures of the V10, but I've never seen it in person. Is the flat frame completely matte, or does it have some glossiness. The V10's single pane of glass styling is also featured on LG's "Borderless" SL90 series of LCD TVs with edge lit LEDs. (See my reply to Mr. Boylan above.) Perhaps single pane glass might a 2010 styling option for more TVs. How do you like your V10?

<< I do agree that the Black high gloss which may look good on speakers and pianos does not enhance a Plasma (or LCD) display. >>

I'm glad to know that.

Well, thanks again for your reply. And I do wish you a happy and safe new year.

Regards,

Charlie_TV