Chances are that you won't have heard of Japanese brand Funai unless you shop online. However, the company boasts an expanding range of flat TVs and other home cinema kit, and so promises to appear on the high street in months to come. But will it be a force to be reckoned with, or simply a budget brand that can't compete with the big boys?
The brand's new 27in LCD, the T27004, manages to give a good first impression, despite not being the most stylish set we've seen. That's because it's fully HD-ready (thanks to a native resolution of 1,280 x 720 and a DVI input with HDCP compatibility), and yet costs just £700. We have to admit that 27in isn't the ideal size of screen on which to enjoy high-definition pictures in their full glory, but the fact that the option is there on a set of this price is impressive.
What's more, the T27004 boasts just about every other connection you're likely to need, including component video and two RGB Scarts for good-quality analogue pictures, and a PC input.
Out of tune
Other features are thin on the ground, however. There's no built-in digital TV tuner - something that's becoming increasingly common on flat TVs - and we couldn't even find a sleep timer or child lock. The only extra that's worth mentioning is a picture-inpicture facility, which allows you to view any other input while watching TV broadcasts.
Still, at least the T27004 is a breeze to use. Despite the remote control's unexciting styling, it is responsive and provides easy access to a straightforward on-screen menu system.
Beginning our tests using the T27004's analogue tuner, we found that terrestrial TV channels were easily received and allocated to their corresponding presets. The screen's factory-set colour levels are respectable, and little tweaking was required for contrast and brightness. But, as is the case with many LCDs - and especially 'budget' models - the T27004 struggles with low-resolution TV signals. There was a loss of detail, and considerable motion blur and smearing with the slightest of head movements during even fairly static news broadcasts. This made TV programmes pretty difficult to watch.
