Value Electronics Inc., an independent flat-panel retailer in Westchester County, New York, has hired a charter member of the Image Science Foundation (ISF) and other video engineers to evaluate new flat-panel HDTVs from the seven manufacturers to see which one performs best in a side-by-side comparison.

All video displays in the contest will be 240 Hz 55-inch flagship back-lit and edge-lit LEDs and plasmas models.

The event, which will be webcast live and archived on the company’s website, is scheduled for Saturday, September 11 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 12 at 2 p.m.

“The program will demonstrate how flat screen HDTVs perform as they come out of the box in their standard mode, and then again when they are professionally calibrated to ISF standards,” said Robert Zohn, founder and president of Value Electronics. “It’s the first time such an independent test of state-of-the-art HD panels will be performed simultaneously on all leading brands.”

During the event, ISF’s Kevin Miller calibrate the flat panels and provide his findings and other background information. National trainers and product specialists from the manufacturers have been invited to present on their products as well.

Color accuracy, contrast ratio, peak brightness, and black level as well as energy efficiency will be measured and discussed.

All panels will be concurrently fed through a professional HDMI distribution amp from the same Blu-ray player using the exact same HDMI cables for all panels. Furthermore, the AC power will be a dedicated 15-amp circuit run through a power conditioner.  

“Several companies have offered to bring advanced products that are coming out in the future and the image and audio will be the true reference quality for the audiophile/videophile,” Zohn added.

The findings will be available at the end of the week for members of the press who present their email.

The public and press can register online to attend at www.valueelectronics.com.