Which flat-screen HDTV is right for your living room? Miracle at St. Anna director Spike Lee tests the best.

WatchtheRightThing_ciniphile_blog.jpg

CINEPHILE
Pioneer Elite Kuro HDTV PRO-111FD 50-inch Plasma $5,000
The Lowdown: Home theater obsessives swear by Pioneer’s best sets, which for years have produced deeper blacks than anybody else’s in the game. Well, hold your Criterion Collection—the new ’08 models make darks five times dark­er. An “optimum mode” uses light and sound sensors to automatically calibrate the brightness level and ambient light color in your porno lair, er, home theater.
Spike’s Take: “It’s not a scientific test, but obviously this set is gorgeous. Everybody knows about Pioneer Kuros. I have two of ’em in my offices.”