Group test: 32in LCD TVs

It's hard to believe that once, not so long ago, 32in was the absolute largest screen size most UK households would contemplate for their TV. But so far and fast has the TV market changed since the arrival of the flat panel screen that these days 32in is, for most people, the absolute SMALLEST screen they're likely to contemplate. In fact, we're pretty sure that a good many people who buy 32in TVs these days buy them as a second 'utility' TV for a bedroom, study or kitchen rather than as their main TV. With this in mind, we've tried to cover a reasonably diverse range of 32in TVs for this group test, from the relatively luxurious down to the seriously cheap as chips. Will we simply prove that you only get what you pay for, or will our budget models be able to spring a surprise or two? Overview Price: £400 More info: Hannspree Size: 230(d) x 650(h) x 820(w)mm Weight (inc stand): 22kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 1200:1 Claimed max brightness: 500cd/m2 Connections: Two HDMI inputs; PC VGA input; component video input; two Scarts (one RGB); composite video input; stereo audio inputs; analogue and digital tuner inputs; PC audio input; S-Video input; digital output for digital tuner Hannspree XV32 GT This TV from Taiwanese outfit Hannspree wears its appeal on its sleeve - or rather, its price ticket. For remarkably, despite including a digital tuner and HD Ready status, it costs the grand total of just £400. So what's the catch? First impressions suggest there isn't one. For instance, the XV32 GT looks quite pretty by budget TV standards, and doesn't feel as flimsily built as you might expect. Also, it's got two HDMI sockets when a megabudget TV like this might only have been expected to carry one, as well as a dedicated PC port. Not surprisingly there are one or two signs of cost-cutting inside the TV, though. And so we find no particular image processing engine, nor any kind of backlight-dimming dynamic contrast system. As a result, the XV32 GT's claimed contrast ratio is just 1200:1 - considerably less than the (admittedly usually optimistic) figures quoted for most current LCD TVs. It hardly comes as a surprise, then, to find that the XV32 GT's black level response really isn't very special. Dark scenes in films look decidedly flat and grey, with one or two unnatural colours cropping up as a result. The XV32 GT also falls prey to another classic LCD problem: motion smearing. Objects crossing its screen can lose resolution and blur as the response time of the LCD panel fails to keep up with the action. But before you completely write the XV32 GT off, it does have its good points. For instance, both high and standard definition pictures look surprisingly smooth and noise-free. Next, brightness levels are high, and colours during bright scenes are vibrant and free of the tonal issues that affect dark scenes. Finally, while the black level response is exposed by the extreme contrast range of films, it does get deep enough to allow normal daytime TV to look passably punchy. The XV32 GT's sound is, like its pictures, pretty average overall. But if you think about it, even getting an average TV for £400 looks like a pretty good deal. Verdict Plus points Remarkably cheap, fair pictures for the money, attractive design Minus points Sound slightly weak, black level issues, motion blur

Overview Price: £500 More info: LG Electronics Size: 806.5(w) x 548.5(h) x 79(d)mm Weight (inc stand): 10.7kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 5000:1 Claimed max brightness: 450cd/m2 Connections: Two HDMI inputs, Two Scarts (1 RGB), component video input, composite video input, D-Sub PC input, Stereo audio output, headphone jack, stereo audio inputs, CI slot, RF input, S-Video input, RS-232C control port, digital audio output LG 32LC46 Continuing the cheap and cheerful theme is LG's 32LC46 - at just £500, the most affordable 32in TV the Korean brand has ever produced. But again, this cheapness is not at all evident from the TV's exterior. In fact, the 32LC46 is really very attractive. It's got a handy two HDMI sockets too, both able to handle 1080p feeds (though this isn't majorly important on a 32in TV), plus a dedicated PC port. It scores over the Hannspree set, meanwhile, by having both serious picture processing - LG's own XD Engine - and a dynamic contrast system. Thanks to this latter feature, the set claims a very respectable contrast ratio of 5000:1. The 32LC46's pictures are good for a £500 32in LCD TV. Kicking off the positives is a colour palette that's remarkably vivid and heavily saturated, and colour blends that generally avoid the slight 'striping' effect seen with lesser budget sets. The 32LC46's motion handling is also solid, with moving objects generally only looking a little less sharp than stationary backgrounds. HD material is handled extremely well in terms of clarity and fine detailing too, making the 'HD difference' clearly detectable even on such a relatively small screen size as 32in. And finally, first impressions with normal daytime TV suggest that the 32LC46's black levels are reasonably good. However, switching to a dark movie like Blade Runner reveals that really black parts of the picture can be damaged by pools of light spilling across the screen, particularly in the top right and bottom left corners. This effect is presumably caused by the TV's backlight seeping out. Skin tones occasionally look a bit plasticky too, now that we're moaning, and images look slightly noisy, especially if they're standard definition. The final picture flaw finds 1080p/24fps playback juddering badly - but then you don't really need to use this format anyway on a 32in TV, in our opinion. Still, despite its undoubted flaws, with a pretty clean and punchy sound performance keeping the pictures company, the 32LC46 is good enough for enough of the time to make it a really worthwhile budget option.

Verdict Plus points Price, attractive design, good colours and HD clarity Minus points Backlight spillage across screen, slightly noisy standard def pictures, occasional colour tone issues

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