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Our lust for flat-panel technology seems pretty much insatiable right now - and it shows no sign of cooling any time soon. Partly because prices are continuing to erode at a phenomenal rate, partly because they take up so much less room than a standard TV, but mostly because they're ideal partners for the high definition (HD) revolution that's going to dominate 2006.
But while LCD TVs as a whole are enjoying phenomenal success, there's one LCD screen size in particular that seems to be flying off the shelves: 26in. Something about the combination of their size and remarkably affordable prices seems to be making 26in LCD TVs all but irresistible right now. So we thought it was high time we got to grips with four of the latest high-profile sets to see if they really warrant all the attention…
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LG 26LX2R
LG, it seems, just doesn't know how to make an ugly TV. In fact, its 26LX2R is about as pretty as TVs get thanks to its high-gloss black and silver colour scheme, and unusual triangular underside. Lovely.
The good first impressions continue with the set's connections, too, as you spot not one but two digital video inputs - one HDMI, one DVI. What's more, both of these future-proofing connectors can be used with video or PC sources. The set also carries component video inputs for analogue high definition playback, plus all the normal TV gubbins.
The 26LX2R doesn't have a built-in digital tuner (perhaps not surprising on an £800 TV), but it does sport the AV world's 'High Definition Ready' logo, as well as carrying LG's XD Engine processing system for improving multiple picture facets, and individual adjustments for the screen's flesh, green and blue-tone levels.
For most of the time, the 26LX2R's pictures are very good. Particularly striking is the amount of detail and sharpness in the image - especially as this talent isn't reduced by smearing over motion or shimmering over dense textures/harsh edges. Colours look great too, combining LCD technology's penchant for richness and brightness with an unusually natural palette.
On the downside, dark picture areas look a touch greyed over, and the strengths we reported earlier tend to disappear while watching analogue tuner footage. So where possible stick with a Sky Digital receiver, DVD deck and/or high definition source.
The 26LX2R's sound however is average by 26in LCD standards. Its speakers deliver some nice detailing and a wide soundstage, but precious little bass - a fact which can leave action scenes sounding harsh.
It's not fair on this TV to finish on a downer, though. After all, once you put it in the context of its eye-catchingly low price, its flaws start to look a whole lot more trivial…
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Plus points
Gorgeous looks, excellent connections, good pictures with strong sources, and impressive value
Minus points
Hardly any bass in the audio, and analogue tuner pictures don't look great
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Panasonic TX-26LXD52
The TX-26LXD52 sits squarely in the middle of Panasonic's current LCD range - and for our money it seems, on paper at least, to offer the most appealing combination of features and price. Fingers crossed…
The TX-26LXD52 is a very pretty TV, at any rate. And it's decently connected, too, with the HDMI and component jacks necessary to satisfy the industry's 'HD Ready' requirements, and a healthy three Scart sockets. Unlike Panasonic's LXD500 flagship sets though, the 26LXD52 carries neither a PC jack or an SD multimedia card slot.
One thing it certainly does carry however, is a digital 'Freeview' TV tuner, backed up by a seven-day electronic programme guide that lets you set recording timer events simply by selecting a programme from the listings.
But while the 26LXD52 generally impressed us this far, it's saved its best trick till last - its outstanding performance. Pictures are nothing short of stunning. Chief among their many picture strengths are their colours, which combine dramatically vibrant saturations with completely natural tones - no matter whether you're watching pristine high definition or one of the noisier digital tuner channels.
The 26LXD52's pictures are also exceptionally sharp, showing every detail of an HD picture while also making standard definition look clearer than normal. What's more, this sharpness is delivered without any graininess or other side effects. There's practically zero sign of the smearing over moving objects that troubles some LCD rivals either, and finally the set also largely overcomes another common LCD failing by making dark parts of the picture look believably black and three-dimensional.
Add to all this picture finery speakers so powerful - even though they look puny - they could make a midrange mini hi-fi system sound rubbish, and you've got a 26in TV that really does set a new level for rivals to aspire to.
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Plus points
Exceptional pictures, great sound, gorgeous designer looks, digital tuner
Minus points
There's no PC connection; not as cheap as some
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Samsung LE-26R41BDX
On paper at least, this TV sounds almost too good to be true. It's 'HD Ready', it's got a built-in digital tuner, it's equipped with Samsung's 'DNIe' image processing system, and it can double up as a PC monitor - all for just £800. Crikey! Surely it can't also perform well, right?
Before we find out, we should say that even by the universally high aesthetic standards of this group test, the 26R41 is outstandingly attractive. We should also add that its connections are a cut above too, adding to the high definition (HDMI/component) and typical analogue connections with a PC connection, plus a slot for upgrading the digital tuner to receive Top Up TV subscription channels.
Remarkably, it turns out that the 26R41BDX's picture quality hasn't been significantly compromised by its low price/high feature count ratio. For starters, its resolution of dark parts of the picture is exceptional for an £800 TV. Colours are spectacularly vibrant, too, grabbing your attention and holding it. What's more, they deliver their punch without making subtle tones appear unnatural. The sharpness and texturing are impressive too - especially since the detailing is achieved without accompanying grain or dot crawl noise.
The 26R41BDX's only significant weakness is the way its images soften up and lose their colour authenticity with analogue tuner pictures. But then with a digital tuner on board, the times when you watch the analogue tuner will surely be few and far between.
Happily the 26R41 continues its surprising success story with its speakers. These aren't exactly the loudest we've heard, but they do at least always sound clear and detailed, as well as delivering an adequate amount of bass.
Ultimately, while Samsung's LE-26R41BDX might not scale quite the same performance heights as its Panasonic rival in this group test, as a 'budget' option it's in a class of its own.
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Plus points
Very good pictures with digital sources, gorgeous design, plenty of features, good connectivity, outstanding value
Minus points
Analogue tuner pictures not great
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Sharp LC-26P50
The 26P50 is an anomaly for this group test. For while it's perfectly capable of showing the high definition pictures of today and tomorrow, it's not actually fully 'HD Ready' according to the AV world's definition. How come? Because its native resolution of 960x540 is too low.
However, Sharp has chosen this unusual resolution (unique to the LCD world) very deliberately, on the grounds that its 540 lines makes it unusually compatible with the UK's 576-line PAL picture format. In other words, the 26P50 can show PAL DVDs and broadcasts directly, without the need for potentially messy processing to 'remap' them on to higher pixel counts. What's more, Sharp claims that since its TV's 540 lines is mathematically closely related to the two high-definition formats of 720p and 1080i, the 26P50's HD pictures can also look clean since the 'remapping' formulas involved aren't complex.
So does Sharp's unusual approach translate into top-drawer performance quality? Depends on what you're watching, really. Feeds from the TV's own built-in analogue tuner and especially an attached Sky Digital receiver look outstanding - among the cleanest, clearest, most colourful and most natural we've seen. Sharp's argument for its 540-line panel thus seems proven.
But the TV is less convincing with high-definition sources, though. For while HD pictures through the provided HDMI and component video jacks still look clean and rich, they lack some of the resolution and detailing seen on true HD panels. As with its pictures, the Sharp's sound is also best suited to ordinary TV viewing, and starts to sound slightly flat when force-fed a heavy-duty action movie scene.
Whether you should seriously consider this Sharp or not depends on your interest in HD. If you anticipate that you'll be watching tons of HD, you should perhaps look elsewhere. But if HD will likely only occupy a small proportion of your viewing time, the 26P50's quality with SD footage makes it well worth an audition.
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Plus points
Exceptional standard definition pictures, good price, neatly designed
Minus points
There's no PC connection; HD pictures look a touch soft
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It's really quite remarkable how far LCD TVs have come in terms of affordability and quality in such a relatively short time. All of the TVs we've looked at here are more than capable of making anyone who buys them very happy. That said, there is still a little room for preferring some over others…
Largely on the grounds that we're more or less obsessed by high definition (!), we've given fourth spot to Sharp's 26P50. This position certainly isn't meant to imply that the Sharp is a poor TV. In fact, if your main TV diet is/will long be standard definition TV, it's at least as good as anything else out there right now. But the way its lack of full native HD resolution slightly softens HD sources up is hard to ignore.
In third place is the LG 26LX2R. This is a great performer for the money with HD sources, but isn't as consistent across different sources or as feature-laden as the two models we've ranked above it.
Second place goes to the Samsung LE-26R41BDX. Just £800 gets you a huge feature count, catwalk looks, and a sterling all-round performance, making this the current pick of the budget models.
But the stand-out star of this group test is Panasonic's TX-26LXD52. Even though this loses out slightly in feature terms by not being usable as a PC screen, as a TV its performance is so imperious that it's currently in a class of its own.
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