Group test: 32in LCD TVs pt2

Overview Price: £1,000 More info: Philips Size: 829(w) x 543(h) x 125(d)mm Weight: 18.2kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 8000:1 (with dynamic backlight) Claimed max brightness: 550cd/m2 Connections: Three HDMI inputs; Two Scarts (1 RGB); component video input; composite video input; S-Video input; D-Sub PC input; Stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF input; digital audio output; digital audio input; USB Philips 32PFL9632D It's hard to see how the first of our high-end 32in TVs could have fitted any more features in. The most immediately obvious trick up the 32PFL9632D's sleeve is Ambilight, the Philips system whereby coloured light sympathetic to the content of the image you're watching spills from the TV's sides. This makes the viewing experience both more immersive and more relaxing - and since the 32PFL9632D's Ambilight uses new LED rather than fluorescent tube lighting, it delivers a more expansive colour range and lower power consumption. Next on the 32PFL9632D's seemingly endless features list is Perfect Pixel Engine. This immodestly titled system is effectively the latest incarnation of Philips' long-running Pixel Plus processing technology, with significant new additions in the shape of 100Hz processing to make motion look sharper, 14-bit colour processing for a more extensive and more natural palette, and an HD Natural Motion element to make motion look smoother. Within HD Natural Motion, furthermore, is a system for showing 1080p/24fps sources at 48Hz (2x 24fps) rather than the usual 50, 60 or 100Hz. This should, hopefully, result in smoother, cleaner 1080p/24 playback. Other key features we must at least mention are Philips' Clear LCD system, which replaces the usual single, static LCD backlight with a scanning series of Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamps to produce a CRT-like approach to picture reproduction reckoned to further improve motion handling; three HDMIs; and a USB port for playing various multimedia file formats directly into the TV. The 32PFL9632D's performance can pretty much be summed up in one word - magnificent. The combination of 100Hz, HD Natural Motion and ClearLCD largely eradicates LCD's traditional problems in handling motion, for instance. Also, the fine detail-boosting elements of Perfect Pixel Engine ensure that HD and standard definition pictures alike are as sharp and textured as we've ever seen them. Colours, meanwhile, are spectacularly vivid, extremely natural in tone, yet also exceptionally subtle, while the set's black levels are among the finest we've seen at this screen size (another benefit of ClearLCD). You do need to take care with some elements of the TV's image processing to get the best results. For instance, we'd suggest leaving its noise reduction circuits left off to stop the picture starting to look over-processed. Also, really small, fast-moving objects can shimmer, leaving us to suggest that you deactivate the HD Natural Motion circuitry when watching some types of sport footage. But provided you put a little effort in up front, the 32PFL9632D can reward you with the finest 32in LCD pictures yet.

Verdict Plus points Probably the best pictures ever on a 32in TV, features galore, exceptional connectivity, good value all things considered Minus points You sometimes need to deactivate certain elements of the processing engine

Overview Price: £900 More info: Sony Size (on stand): 790(w) x 581(h) x 214(d)mm Weight (inc stand): 17.5kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 8000:1 (with dynamic backlight) Claimed max brightness: 450cd/m2 Connections: 3 x HDMI (v1.3), component video in, 2 x RGB Scart in, VGA in, 2 x stereo line in, PC audio in, optical digital audio output, common interface slot , S-Video in, composite video in, headphone jack Sony KDL-32D3000 The first truly second generation Sony Bravia LCD TV is here in the shape of the 32D3000 - and it certainly marks a significant advance over previous Bravia models. Probably the single most significant feature addition is Motion Flow+ 100Hz, a processing system based around the 100Hz approach to making moving objects look crisper and smoother as they travel across the screen. Another welcome improvement is the provision of three HDMIs - especially as all these HDMIs are of the v1.3 type necessary for compatibility with such 'next-gen' features as automatic lip-synch correction and the picture-boosting Deep Color system.A further new talent of the HDMIs is their ability to take in 1080p/24fps feeds commonly found on HD film discs. The Bravia Engine picture processing system that so distinguished Sony's previous Bravia models returns too, albeit it in marginally improved form, while the set's colour range and subtlety should benefit from new ten-bit processing. Not surprisingly, the application of so much highfalutin processing power helps the 32D3000 produce some occasionally outstanding pictures. Particularly striking compared with previous Bravias is how well this set reproduces blackness, achieving a depth and tonal neutrality still rare in the 32in LCD market. Colours are better than any flat TV from Sony before, with markedly more natural tones, especially where skin is concerned, and unusual levels of subtlety. HD pictures also look exceptionally detailed, and suffer precious little video noise, be it from the source (such as grain or MPEG blocking) or a side effect of the Bravia Engine processing system. Motion Flow+ 100Hz helps motion look crisper than on previous Sony LCDs too - though crucially its achievements aren't as accomplished as those of the Philips 32PFL9632, with some objects still losing a modicum of resolution as they progress across the screen. Perhaps because of this, we generally felt that the 32D3000 didn't manage to make all of its processing prowess count as obviously as the Philips model does, making us feel you could arguably get a similarly satisfying performance level elsewhere without spending as much money.

Verdict Plus points Good colours, impressive black levels, great connectivity, bags of features Minus points Slightly expensive, motion portrayal not as good as that of its Philips rival

Final verdict There are essentially two parts to this Final Verdict - one covering which two of the contenders have won the separate budget and high end showdowns, and whether or not paying more really gets you a significant step-up in performance and features. Regarding the separate winners, the decisions are actually pretty easy. The Panasonic model romps home at the budget end of things, showing its slightly disappointing Sanyo rival a clean pair of heels thanks to a picture performance that survives largely intact from Panasonic's already acclaimed higher-end LCD models. Although the difference between our premium models isn't quite as dramatic, the achievements of Philips' new Perfect Pixel Engine processing ensure that it's still significant enough to hand the 32PFL9632D a surprisingly comfortable victory over Sony's 32D3000. In fact, the runaway success of the latest Philips TV also means that the answer to our second question - whether or not it really can be worth spending more on a 32in LCD TV - is an emphatic yes. In other words, while Panasonic's 32LMD70 will more than satisfy anyone who buys it, if you really want to indulge yourself in state-of-the-art LCD glories, you'd better start saving for the Philips 32PFL9632D now…

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