Group test: 40-42in flat TVs

During a recent meeting with one of the biggest high street electronics retailers, they let slip a fact I found quite surprising: that their biggest-selling TV screen size was 40-42in. And they further revealed that so far as their research could discover, the biggest single reason for the success of this surprisingly large screen size was the fact that it was perceived to represent the best value in terms of inches for your buck. With this information in mind, we thought it was high time we hit the phones and rounded up a current cluster of the hottest 40-42in TVs to help you find which of these popular big-screen beasts best suits your needs. Overview Price: £1,200 More info: JVC Size (on stand): 74(d) x 672(h) x 940(w)mm Weight: 22.7kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 7500:1 Claimed max brightness: 500cd/m2 ConnectionsThree v1.3 HDMI inputs (with CEC); Two Scarts (one RGB); component video input; composite video input; Stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF input; digital audio output JVC LT-42DS9 JVC's LT-42DS9 wears its heart very much on its sleeve. Or rather on its incredibly thin body. For this is officially the first mega thin - or 'Super Slim' to use JVC's terminology - flat TV to hit the UK. In case you're thinking that flat TVs are already pretty thin, then consider this: while most 'flat' TVs are around 100mm deep, the majority of the 42in LT-42DS9's rear end sticks out just 34mm (though this does increase to around 74mm in places). The result is quite possibly the 'coolest' TV you've ever seen. But is that all it's got going for it? Actually, no. For starters, at around £1,200 it's surprisingly cheap for such a big slice of genuinely cutting-edge technology. Next, it's pretty well connected, with three HDMI inputs leading the way, all able to handle 1080p/24 feeds from Blu-ray players, and all built to the latest v1.3 spec. The screen's resolution is a full HD 1920x1080, meanwhile, and a dynamic contrast system helps the screen claim a healthy 7500:1 contrast ratio. The best news of all, though, is that the Super Slim design doesn't appear to have required any compromise in the TV's image quality. In fact, in many ways the 42DS9's pictures are the best JVC has produced. Dark scenes, for instance, enjoy a much more convincing, less greyed-over representation of black than previous JVC TVs have managed. Also, high definition sources look sensationally sharp and detailed, and colours excel, with vivid, bright saturations and natural tones that hold up even when showing notoriously tricky stuff such as people's skin tones. However, while all these strengths help the TV make a great first impression, over time you do detect a couple of problems. First, rapid motion looks a bit smeary, especially during camera pans. Second, digital tuner footage can look a touch noisier than we'd like. Still, with the 42DS9's 'invisible' speakers proving more potent than you'd expect from such a thin-bodied unit, this skinny TV performs easily as well as a bona fide fashion icon probably ever needs to. Verdict Plus points Surprisingly cheap, stunning slender design, good connectivity, decent pictures in many ways Minus points Motion can smear, parts of the rear stick out over 70mm

Overview Price: £900 More info: Panasonic Size: 1020(w) x 679(h) x 95(d)mm Weight: 26kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 15000:1 Claimed max brightness: N/A Connections: Three HDMI inputs, component video input, two Scarts (both RGB), composite video input, PC input, stereo audio inputs, tuner input, CAM slot, S-Video input, headphone jack, SD card slot Panasonic TH-42PX80 As soon as you see Panasonic's name attached to a TV bigger than 37in, it can mean only one thing: it uses plasma technology rather than the more voguish LCD. And so it proves with the 42in 42PX80, which is, in fact, the only plasma TV in this group test. The 42PX80 is also the only TV in this group not to carry a full HD resolution (something plasma finds hard to achieve on relatively small screens). But happily that appears to be the only area where the 42PX80 falls short of its rivals in cold specification terms. For instance, it's got a sky-high contrast ratio of 15000:1 that does not - unlike its LCD rivals - depend on dimming the brightness during dark scenes. Plus it can handle 1080p/24 feeds from Blu-ray players, carries the latest incarnation of Panasonic's V-Real Pro picture processing engine, and features 100Hz processing in a bid to make images look slightly more stable. The 42PX80 is a stellar performer for its money. Black levels, for instance, are truly outstanding, ensuring that dark scenes look natural, rich and full of scale and detail. The 42PX80's pictures are also sharper than you might have anticipated given that it's not a full HD screen. Helping out here is the fact that its use of plasma technology means that objects move around the screen without the slight blurring or resolution loss that characterises many LCD TVs. Colours look bright, rich and, for the most part, natural, and video noise is at a minimum regardless of whether you're watching standard or high definition. The 100Hz engine does well, too, with its task of reducing flickering effects and smoothing motion out - all without causing any serious image side effects that we could see. The only problem with the picture is a tendency to leave some rich red colours looking a little more orange in tone than they should. The 42PX80's sound isn't as impressive as its pictures - but it's certainly good enough. Which leads us to the conclusion that the 42PX80 has an almost absurd amount to offer for a 42in TV costing just £900.

Verdict Plus points Great value, excellent picture quality, good feature count Minus points Red colours can look a touch orange, HDMIs can't handle Deep Color

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