I was recently reading an article on The Luminous Landscape, a great photography website, titled, "Brick Wall Ahead or Why Moore's Law Does Not Apply to Digital Photography." There were a number of fascinating points in the article, most notably the fact that digital cameras have a limit when it comes to megapixels.

The problem isn't the sensor. It's the glass. Writer Ray Maxwell points out that lenses will at some point reach a limit and that simply adding more pixels to a sensor will not result in more detail or better images. So, while and laptop and desktop computers may continue to follow Moore's Law, cameras with glass lenses will not. And that limitation is why the writer ends the article with "If someone produces a 35mm full frame camera with 100 Megapixels, beware. Given the limitations of the wavelength of light, no lens can live up to that resolution."

For consumers, this means that the new models camera makers will introduce for the holidays this year (yes, it's nearly that time already) will probably exhibit only modest increases in megapixels. Instead, camera makers will push a variety of other features, such as HD video capability, wider wide-angle lenses, and more wireless features. Other enhancements I expect: more cameras with swiveling LCDs, sophisticated smart modes and face-detection type features, and specialized functions like panorama modes.

I also think camera companies need to wake up and realize that people are going to want the graphical interfaces on their cameras, particularly their point-and-shoots, to look like or be as easy to customize as an iPhone. For example, why can't you download apps onto a camera the way you can with an iPhone? (This blog, iPhoneography.com, not only lists new iPhone apps, but it also presents intriguing projects created with the iPhone.) I'm guessing, and hoping, cameras will soon include such features.

Do you wish your digital camera could run applications like the iPhone does? What other new features would you like to see on a new digital point-and-shoot or SLR?—Terry Sullivan

Features of the Apex DT250 DTV Converter Box with Analog Pass-Through, S-Video and Smart Antenna. Order this box from our site and get the User Manual here at EZDigitalTV.com.

Features of the Apex DT502 DTV Converter Box with Analog Pass-Through and Smart Antenna. Order this box from our stie and get the User Manual Free here at EZDigitalTV.com

Many of the LCD and plasma TVs in our latest Ratings (available to subscribers) do an excellent job displaying high-definition images in all their splendor. But with the LCD sets, you might not always see the top-notch picture quality we describe, because most of them have a stingy viewing angle.

While viewing angle plays a small part in the overall score in our Ratings, the picture quality scores are based on the ideal viewing position–smack in front of the screen. As soon as you stray from dead center, either off to the side or up or down, the screen on most LCD sets starts to look dim or washed out, and the colors shift. In extreme cases, the picture can become almost unwatchable. On some models, the horizontal viewing angle is the bigger problem, while on others it’s the vertical position.

Every single LCD TV in the Ratings suffered from this to some extent, so none earned an excellent score for viewing angle. In fact, more than half the LCD sets we tested had only a fair or good viewing angle—two or three steps below the excellent score earned by every plasma set tested. And it’s not just small, low-priced LCDs that fall short. One of the best, and priciest, big-screen models in our test group had fabulous picture quality, but the viewing angle was so narrow it could seriously impede your ability to enjoy that quality in normal use.

The problem is glaringly obvious to us, because we have a few dozen LCD and plasma TVs set up in the lab, side by side, at any given point in time. As we walk around the room, the picture quality on the LCD sets keeps changing, and we have to stand directly in front of the screens to see optimal quality. The plasma TVs show the same rich colors and deep blacks from any angle.

You might notice the same things at home if you have a big sectional, chairs on opposite sides of the room, a flat screen above your fireplace or the kitchen counter, or kids who watch TV while lying on the floor. As Dr. Raymond Soneira, owner of testing firm DisplayMate Technologies, observed in a New York Times article recently, “The ‘sweet spot’ for seeing an accurate picture on an LCD HDTV is only one person wide, even for top-of-the-line models.”

But it’s entirely possible that you wouldn’t notice any problem if you routinely watch your LCD TV from front and center. Even if your favorite easy chair is at a slight angle, you might not realize you’re seeing a subtly different image than you would from directly in front of the screen, where the blacks might appear deeper and the colors would look richer and more saturated.

And as we said earlier, some sets do reasonably well with side-to-side viewing, but fall down on the job with the up-and-down angle, or vice versa. For that reason, it’s a good idea to look for a TV base or wall mount that swivels and tilts. What you’re watching also comes into play. Bright, colorful images like you see at sporting events—the type of programming retailers tend to display—mask the problem, which is more obvious with indoor scenes and flesh tones.

We’re hoping manufacturers can solve this problem, just as they have improved black levels, another weak point for LCD technology. We have seen a few LCD sets, notably some 2008 models from Panasonic, with a very wide viewing angle, approaching that of a plasma. (Subscribers can check our Ratings to see which models have the best viewing angle scores.) But that’s still the exception rather than the rule, and none of the latest models are that good.

We’ll continue to recommend LCD TVs, because in the right setting, these TVs are a great choice. And flaws that leap out to folks who test and report on TVs for a living might not be as noticeable, or as bothersome, to many consumers. Judging by LCD TV sales, that’s a pretty safe bet.

But personally, I’m sticking with plasma. The technology is not perfect, but when the picture quality is judged excellent, I know that’s what I’ll see no matter where I sit. That outweighs any minuses in my book.

LCD fans: Why did you choose LCD over plasma? Have you noticed any problems with off-angle viewing? Would you buy the same TV again? Let us know. — Eileen McCooey

In Consumer Reports' TV lab, Claudio Ciacci, a senior project leader for electronics, puts new TVs through a battery of tests designed to show any flaws. [ Photo: James Willcox ]

Looking for a ray of sunshine in this gloomy economic environment? Well, if you’re in the market for a new HDTV, you don’t have to settle for less than very good picture quality, even if you’re on a budget.

In fact, in our just-posted LCD and plasma TV Ratings (available to subscribers), all but three of the 60 models we tested delivered very good or excellent picture-quality performance on all types of programs. And nearly half of the sets we tested earned top marks for HD picture quality.

As in recent Ratings, we’re seeing more LCD sets that address traditional weaknesses, helping to boost overall performance. For example, many larger—and even a few smaller—sets have 120Hz refresh rates, which can help reduce motion blur in fast-moving scenes. We’re also seeing more “240Hz” sets—both those that actually quadruple the TV’s frame rate, as well as others that combine 120Hz technology with a scanning, or flashing, backlight to achieve a 240Hz effect.

LCD models with LED backlights, instead of fluorescent lamps, are also becoming more common. In our just-posted Ratings, you’ll find LCD TVs from Samsung and Sony that use “full-array” LED backlights, which can be locally dimmed, as well as other ultra-slim “edge-lit” models with LEDs placed around the perimeter of the set. We found some benefits and tradeoffs to each approach.

While we’ve seen many LCD improvements, a narrow viewing angle is still an issue with many sets, so the picture will deteriorate when you move away from the center of the screen. That’s why we advise that you check the viewing-angle scores in the LCD Ratings if you think the set will regularly be viewed off-angle to ensure you’ll get the picture quality we describe in our Ratings.

Although there are fewer manufacturers and brands, plasma TVs continue to do well in our Ratings, and are an excellent, well-priced choice in the larger screen sizes. Almost all the new plasma models now have a technology called "600Hz sub-field drive." This technology addresses an issue that, frankly, hasn’t been a real plasma problem: motion resolution, or blurring during fast-moving scenes. Using specially designed test patterns, plus a few movie scenes designed to show off this flaw, we found that this new technology can indeed minimize blurring. But the improvement was more evident in sets from some brands than others.

Both LCD and plasma sets are adding new features, such as the ability to directly access online content, including streaming movies from providers such as Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand, as well as Web-based services from companies such as YouTube and Flickr. Some sets incorporate onscreen “widgets,” developed by Yahoo, to provide easy access to these sites and services. A few companies now offer optional wireless access to home networks, so you don’t need an Ethernet jack near where your TV is situated.

As we mentioned when our previous TV Ratings were posted, we’ve increased the pace of our TV tests, so Ratings will be posted faster than they have been in the past. In fact, we’re already well under way in our tests of 15 new models, including LCD sets from LG, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Vizio, plus new plasmas from Insignia and LG, as well as Panasonic models in four different series. Keep checking back regularly for the latest TV Ratings. —James K. Willcox