Super test: 32in LCD TVs pt4

Overview Price: £650 More info: Sharp Size: 776(w) x 517(h) x 94.6(d)mm Weight: 15kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 10,000:1 Claimed max brightness: 450cd/m2 Connections: Three HDMI inputs, two Scarts (one RGB), composite video input, PC input, component video input, stereo audio inputs, tuner input, CAM slot, stereo audio output, S-Video input, headphone jack, RS 232, digital audio output

Sharp LC-32X20E
No sooner has Samsung kicked this group test into 'full HD' gear than Sharp has decided it wants a bit of the full HD action too.

Actually that's not really fair, for the 32X20E not only predates the Samsung, but was in fact the UK's first full HD 32in TV. Which kind of makes us wonder if it still stands up against some of its newer rivals.

It's acceptable aesthetically, at least, with its combination of a gloss black bezel and attractive silver 'wave' along the bottom. And it's got the increasingly de rigueur three HDMI inputs too.

But it's not quite as fulsomely featured as some of the other models about in this feature. The only image processing worth talking about is Sharp's relatively low-level truD anti-judder technology, while the set's 10,000:1 claimed contrast ratio falls a little short of the figures quoted by its rivals today.

Thankfully, though, its feature-liteness does not prevent the 32X20E turning in a respectable picture performance. The pixel density afforded by its full HD resolution, for instance, helps it produce unusually subtle colour blends and show full HD sources with marginally less video noise than most of our lower resolution contenders.

Its pictures look nice and bright too, and suffer surprisingly little with motion blur considering there's no 100Hz engine. There's a satisfying combination of solid black levels and rich colours, too.

One or two problems do occasionally crop up, though. For instance, colour tones sometimes look rather unnatural, and the set doesn't do a particularly good job of rescaling standard definition sources to its full HD resolution. Also, HD pictures don't look quite as crisp and detailed as they do on the Samsung full HD model - or even the lower resolution Philips model, come to that.

Finally, the 32X20E's audio is no great shakes, sounding pretty thin and flat under any sort of duress.

Overall, while we'd probably say the 32X20E's strengths make it an unusually good partner for a PS3 or Xbox 360, it's not our first choice as a main TV.

Overview Price: £550 More info: Toshiba Size: 786(w) x 570(h) x 257(d)mm Weight: 12.2kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 30,000:1 Claimed max brightness: 500cd/m2 Connections: Three HDMI inputs, component video input, two Scarts (one RGB), composite video input, PC input, stereo audio inputs, tuner input, CAM slot, Subwoofer line out, Optical digital audio output, headphone jack

Toshiba 32XV505
Full HD 32in TVs are, it would seem, like buses: you don't get any for ages and then along come three at once. For amazingly, despite only costing £550, this is our third TV on the bounce to carry a 1920x1080 pixel count.

It's easily the least attractive of the three, though, with its plain-Jane black rectangle and minor silver trim looking a touch cheap, truth be told.

It delivers on the HDMI front, though, managing three (all built to the v1.3 specification), and throwing in the unusual bonus of a subwoofer line out should you feel the urge to add a little more bass to the TV's soundstage.

The 32XV505 also has Toshiba's Active Vision LCD video processing, with its tried and tested abilities at boosting sharpness, contrast, colours, and motion, plus various noise reduction routines and a colour management system.

Unleashed on a selection of HD treats, the 32XV505 for our money makes more of its full HD spec than the Sharp model we've just looked at, looking slightly sharper and slightly more detailed while also delivering on the full HD promises of less video noise and subtler colour blends.

It's got good enough black levels to provide a strong counterpoint to its vibrant colour palette during most normal TV viewing too, and objects passing across its screen are generally only very slightly besmirched by LCD's motion blur problems.

The 32XV505DB certainly is not a Samsung beater though, for three key reasons. First, some of its colours can look quite odd in tone, especially during darker scenes. Second, standard definition pictures don't translate at all well to the set's full HD resolution, suffering numerous colour tone and video noise problems. And finally the picture sometimes seems to flicker quite distractingly for no good reason we could fathom.

Add these problems to a pretty underwhelming audio performance that falls flat and occasionally even suffers with unwanted cabinet vibrations, and you're ultimately left with yet another perfectly decent but in no way remarkable 32in TV option.