Pricing for 2009 HDTV sets leaks before Samsung's official announcement

Leave it to the HD Guru to dig up some good info a little early. While Samsung may make its official announcement on the pricing of all its new TVs in a few days, he found it out a couple of days ago, and since then, some of the new models have been featured in this weekend's Best Buy circular ad and prices are listed for some sets on the Samsung Web site.

Here are some highlights from the multitude of sets Samsung will be pumping out this year. Notable are the Series 7 LCDs, which feature a 240Hz refresh rate, 2ms response time, and the Touch of Color bezel. The series comprises the 40-inch LN40B750 ($1,999.99), the 46-inch LN46B750 ($2,399.99), and the 52-inch LN52B750 ($2,899.99). On the plasma front, Samsung has provided little in the way of specs so far, but Best Buy already lists pricing for its 720p entry-level models: $799.99 for the 42-inch PN42B450 and $1,199.99 for the 50-inch PN50B450. In comparison, Panasonic's new 42-inch set (TC-P42X1) costs $100 more than the Samsung, while Panasonoic's new 50-incher (TC-P50X1) costs $100 less than Samsung's equivalent.

But the biggest story will probably be the Series 6000, 7000 (pictured) and 8000 LCDs, all of which will sport edge-mounted LEDs instead of ones placed behind the panels. The move (along with a new diffuser) slimmed the sets to just 1.2-inch thick, but it remains to be seen if it impacts picture quality at all. The 6000 and 7000 series feature 40-inch, 46-inch, and 55-inch models, with the 6000 series even including a 32-inch model for $1,599.99. The 8000 series drops the 40-inch screen size, while adding 240Hz refresh rates; the 55-inch UN55B8000 is the highest priced of all of Samsung's new sets, costing a cool $3,999.99.

You can check out the full pricing list at the link above.