Group test: 42in flat screen TVs

My, how times have changed. Before today it would have been pretty much unthinkable to put together a four-strong 42in group test without most if not all of its contenders being plasma TVs. There simply wouldn't have been enough sufficiently large LCD contenders around. Now though, three of the four 42in models we've rounded up to put through their paces are LCD - and actually we could have made all four LCD if we wanted to. But we reckon it's only fair, not to mention more interesting, to throw a plasma in there as well - especially when that plasma TV undercuts its LCD rivals by a good couple of hundred pounds. Will even a budget plasma TV still give LCD technology a pasting, or is the technology divide no longer so clear cut? Overview Price: £1,000 More info: Toshiba Technology: LCD Size (off stand): 1027(w) x 673(h) x 122(d)mm Weight: 34kg Resolution: 1366x768 Claimed max contrast ratio: 4000:1 Claimed max brightness: 500cd/m2 Connections: Two 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 Additional features: Digital tuner, 7-day EPG support, Active Vision LCD processing, noise reduction (standard, MPEG), 3D colour management, base colour adjustment, Active Backlight, Cinema mode, bass booster, WOW/SRS/TruBass audio, sleep timer Toshiba 42C3030 Toshiba's 42C3030 is the brand's first self-consciously budget 42in LCD TV. But it doesn't wear its budget heart on its sleeve. Its matt black finish and silver trim look solid enough, for instance, and its connections include twin HDMIs, a component video input, a PC port and even a subwoofer line out - all fair enough given the TV's £1,000 price. It also seems decently specified, with its 1366x768 native resolution being joined by a very respectable 4000:1 contrast ratio. What's more, the HDMIs are very unusual in budget circles for being able to handle the 'pure' 1080p/24fps format Blu-ray movies are encoded in. Chief among the 42C3030's other features is Toshiba's Active Vision LCD processing, for improving colours, black levels, contrast and detailing, plus MPEG noise reduction and an auto backlight system that reduces the picture's brightness during dark scenes to boost contrast. The 42C3030 nearly escapes its budget nature with its performance, too. Nearly, but not quite… Heading up the good stuff is a likeable crispness to the TV's HD performance, as every last detail of even a particularly pristine HD source is rendered to perfection - and without accompanying video noise. Also likeable is the 42C3030's bright, bold approach to colours, which gives images plenty of dynamism and instant appeal. Colours are also predominantly natural in tone, and enjoy reasonable blend subtlety. The set's motion handling is solid by affordable big-screen LCD standards too, with only relatively minor signs of LCD's common smearing problem. Where the 42C3030 lets itself down a bit is with dark scenes. The screen is actually capable of achieving some pretty deep black levels, but the darkest corners look rather hollow. Also, while all-black scenes look pleasingly dark, the vagaries of the automatic backlight system can mean that dark areas of an otherwise bright picture grey over a touch. Verdict Plus points Decent value, plenty of features including 1080p/24fps playback, good colours and motion handling Minus points Black levels are inconsistent and rather hollow

Overview Price: £800 More info: Philips Technology: plasma Size (off stand): 1237(w) x 688(h) x 110(d)mm Weight: 34kg Resolution: 1024x1080 Claimed max contrast ratio: 10000:1 Claimed max brightness: 1400cd/m2 Connections: Two HDMIs, component video input, S-Video input, composite video input, stereo audio input, headphone jack, two Scarts (one RGB), RF input, CI slot, Coax digital audio output Additional features: Digital tuner with 7-day EPG support; Active Control; Virtual Dolby; noise reduction; contrast booster; Digital Crystal Clear panel; ALIS technology; picture in picture tools Philips 42PF5521D And so to our plasma contender - a TV which, at just £800, is comfortably the cheapest set in this group test. But, um, actually the price doesn't seem all that surprising when you see the 42PF5521D in action… Things start well enough, with a bold silver and black design that's reasonably attractive in a slightly brash kind of way. Connections are solid too, with twin HDMIs and component video jacks leading the way. The one connection disappointment is that there's no D-Sub PC port, leaving you having to 'waste' an HDMI if you want to connect a PC. Features are predictably limited given the £800 price, with none of the Pixel Plus image processing or Ambilight features that so distinguish most other Philips flat TVs. In fact, the only things even remotely worth talking about are picture in picture options and a curious 1024x1080 quoted resolution, achieved by 'Alternate Lighting of Surfaces' (ALIS) technology, where the space between horizontal pixel lines is used to produce the picture as well as the lines themselves. The quality of the 42PF5521D's pictures is sadly very disappointing. Colours, for instance, are dull, muted and at times frankly peculiar in tone, seldom delivering a picture that's dynamic, engaging, or even particularly believable. The obviously poor start these colour problems give the TV are reinforced by a distinct lack of black level response that finds dark scenes looking rather flat and grey. Somehow we find this TV's 10,000:1 contrast ratio claims hard to swallow. Action scenes, meanwhile, suffer with skin tones that show clear signs of dithering pixel noise as actors move across the screen - a blast from bad old plasma days we'd hoped were past - and high definition material doesn't look nearly as sharp and detailed as we know it can. With the 42PF5521D's speakers also failing to impress thanks to a fairly drastic lack of power and range, it falls to some solid standard definition reproduction to give this set pretty much its only claim to fame.

Verdict Plus points Very cheap, standard definition pictures OK Minus points Average black levels, below par colours, dithering over skin tones

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