At CNET, the overall scores on our HDTV reviews are calculated based on three subratings: Design, Features, and Performance. To the chagrin of black-level and color-obsessed videophiles, we place a fair amount of weight (30 percent) on Design because, frankly, normal people do care what their TVs look like when turned off.
If you care a lot, then this list is for you. It contains the six best-designed 2011 HDTVs we've reviewed; Performance and Features be damned. In the case of a numeric tie in Design we've ranked the better design higher.
The clear winners so far in 2011 are from Samsung, which decided to slim down its LED/LCD bezels to create a nearly all-picture look on its D6400 and D8000 LCDs. The latter has a bezel measuring just 0.2 inch wide, and in a true example of "less is more," it scored a perfect 10 in Design. The company's D7000 plasma also took home a 9, smacking down the others in its category with another thin bezel and cabinet.