Super test: 32in LCD TVs

Although we're always being told these days that people's tastes in TVs are moving inexorably towards ever-bigger screen sizes, it would seem there's still plenty of life in the 32in market yet. For not only do they continue to sell, but manufacturers seem to be putting more and more effort into making their 32in models that bit more special than those of their rivals.

This focus on progressing the 32in market forward can clearly be seen in the eight-way 32in shoot out we've put together over the following pages. All of the models featured have something really noteworthy about them, be it some technical achievement or some remarkably aggressive new pricing.

So without further ado, let's get stuck into what promises to be a veritable TV feast…

Overview Price: £930 More info: Hitachi Size: 814(w) x 587(h) x 35(d)mm Weight (inc stand): 10.9kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: 10000:1 (dynamic) Claimed max brightness: 450cd/m2 Connections: One HDMI input, D-Sub PC input, PC audio input, RS-232 input Hitachi UT32MH70 You don't have to look hard to see the UT32MH70's chief appeal. With a depth of just 35mm, it's comfortably the slimmest 32in TV we've ever seen. Very cool. How has Hitachi managed this? By designing a completely new power supply that's barely a third the size of a standard one, developing thinner LCD layers, and completely rejigging the ventilation system. The one negative point is that there's no room for a tuner. So to actually watch TV on the UT32MH70 you'll have to connect up a Sky, Freesat or Freeview receiver box. With this in mind it's a pity the UT32MH70 only provides one HDMI input - though optional external AV switchboxes for the screen are due before Christmas. Provided you're willing to pay for them. Not surprisingly, Hitachi is keen to maximise the impact of its ground-breaking design, ensuring that the UT32MH70 looks absolutely gorgeous whether you're looking at it from the front, side or back. With Hitachi's renowned Picture Master HD processing on board, its pictures are capable of looking pretty gorgeous too. Colours, for instance, are exceptionally intense and vibrant, yet they retain the natural touch when showing tricky stuff like skin tones during dark scenes. The Picture Master system also does brilliantly at suppressing video noise with standard and high definition sources alike, and there's impressively little of the motion blur problem still common on LCD screens. Unfortunately, though, the UT32MH70's pictures are hampered by two key weaknesses. Its black level response is not the best, for starters, leaving dark scenes looking slightly grey and flat. Also, its HD pictures don't look quite as sharp as those of some of its rivals. The UT32MH70's sound is pretty average too, as you might expect given the limited chassis space its speakers have to work with. The UT32MH70's stunning design will doubtless win it many fans. It's just a shame the revolutionary looks aren't accompanied by a truly state of the art performance.

Verdict Plus points Gorgeous design, great colours and video noise handling, incredibly thin Minus points Black levels not the best, a touch expensive, no built-in tuner, limited connectivity

Overview Price comparison: £800 More info: Humax Website: www.humaxdigital.co.uk Size: 812(w) x 634(h) x 246(d)mm Weight (inc stand): 24.3kg Native aspect ratio: 16:9 Claimed max contrast ratio: N/A Claimed max brightness: N/A Connections: one HDMI input, Two Scarts (both RGB), Component video input, Composite video input, S-Video input, stereo audio inputs, RF input, PC D-Sub input, CI slot, RS-232 Service port, PC audio in, S/PDIF out

This is enough to store up to 100 hours of material, depending on which of the three provided recording quality options you use.

This recorder will only let you record stuff from the TV's digital and analogue tuners; you can't, say, record HD stuff through the TV's HDMI input. But any sort of recording ability in a TV is arguably better than none!

You may have noticed back there that we said 'HDMI input' rather than 'HDMI inputs'. And sadly it really is true that the LP32 only carries a single HDMI when most TVs these days give you at least three. What's more, this HDMI is only built to the old v1.2 specification, not the newer v1.3, meaning the TV can't handle the new - admittedly still rare - Deep Color system. Grrr.

The LP32's performance is not as impressive as its utility value. Recordings, for instance, look slightly noisier than we'd like, partly because unlike many hard disk recording systems the LP32's doesn't simply record the direct digital Freeview bitstream, instead converting it to analogue first.

First impressions of the LP32's screen performance are rather more favourable, thanks to some surprisingly deep black levels and a decently dynamic, vivid colour palette.

Its HD pictures are respectably sharp and crisp, too, with good detailing and only relatively minor interference from LCD motion blur.

The longer you spend with the LP32, though, the more you start to realise that while black levels are deep, dark picture areas look empty and flat. This 'black hole' effect can mean dark parts of the picture look too dominant, as well.

The LP32 also fails to join its pictures with much of an audio performance, with the set's speakers soon giving way to harshness when anything remotely loud is going on.