Group test: LCD televisions

If you’re shopping for a brand new flat panel TV then you’ve got two main types to choose from: plasma and LCD. Generally speaking, plasma provides darker blacks and more realistic colour reproduction, while LCD delivers sharper detail and brighter, more vibrant whites and colours. LCD televisions also tend to perform better than plasma in well-lit environments, which makes it a popular choice for those seeking a solid all-round TV for use at any time of the day.

If you decide to opt for an LCD screen there’s a truly massive selection on offer, with sizes ranging from 15 to 46 inches and prices spanning the full spectrum from affordable to prohibitively pricey. We’ve decided to focus on the popular 32 to 42-inch size bracket, assembling five of the finest LCD TVs to see which deserves your hard-earned cash.

Philips 42PFL9803H

Okay, we’ll admit it’s expensive, but the truly amazing contrast ratio of this 42-incher makes it one of the finest flat screens currently available. It also boasts superb build quality and styling, excellent connectivity and ear-pleasing audio performance, making it very easy to live with on a day-to-day basis (which can’t be said about our wives!). We were a touch disappointed by the appearance of motion-blur during games and other fast-moving content, however, so those planning to watch a lot of sport or spend some time button-bashing on their Xbox 360, Wii or PS3 should probably consider a different screen.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Philips 42PFL9803H product page >>

Toshiba 40ZF355D

Picture quality can’t match the best out there, thanks to a bit of motion blur during fast-paced movement and rather poor black reproduction. The latter means that black objects and areas on screen look overly bright, especially when you’re watching in a dimly lit or dark room, and this lack of contrast gives the picture a slightly flat look. It’s “only” got three HDMI ports as well. Ok, that’s not exactly a con, but when other models are busting out four, then we get greedy!

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Go to the Toshiba 40ZF355D product page >>

Hitachi UT32MH70U

This was one of the first wafer-thin screens available in the UK, and while the likes of Sony, Samsung and Philips are now getting in on the action by launching their own skinny, wall-friendly screens, this remains the most affordable. That said, aside from its paper-like dimensions – and the fact it currently comes with a free hard disk recorder – there’s no real reason to buy this over rival models. Performance is rather average, and for most buyers that holds more weight (ha ha, HA) than the size zero frame. Shame. Ooh, that rhymes!

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Hitachi UT32MH70U product page >>

LG 42LG7000

On paper this looks like a winner: an inexpensive set combining a wealth of picture-enhancing wizardry with impressive connectivity, great looks and some nifty added bonus features like a USB port for media playback and built-in Bluetooth for wireless photo viewing and headphone hook-up. It’s affordable, too – but the whole package just doesn’t deliver the goods as effectively as the Samsung LE40A856, which is a superior telly in almost every conceivable way.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the LG 42LG7000 product page >>

PriceRunner recommended
Samsung LE40A856

Fantastic looks, a skinny frame that’s about as thick as celery, a huge range of connections (did we mention those four HDMI ports?) and most importantly superb picture quality – this really has all the ingredients required to make a fantastic television. It even has an Ethernet port, allowing you to hook it up to your home network in order to stream media files from your computer and download RSS feeds from the Internet. Shop around and you can snap it up at a great price too, making it an all-round champion gogglebox.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Samsung LE40A856 product page >>

Like these televisions? Get chatting about LCD TVs on the PriceRunner forums.

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