Sharp LC-32LE600E review

Flatscreen TVs increasingly come loaded with extras; four or five HDMI inputs are de rigueur, video-capable USB ports are becoming common, and it's even possible to bag wireless home networking and limited internet browsing.

Sharp has eschewed all of that on its latest LCD TV and continues to concentrate on keeping the price as low as possible in the belief that most TV buyers just want two things: a flat screen and a good price.

That's exactly what's on offer from the 32-inch LC-32LE600E, but it's also got something very special up its sleeve: an LED backlight. And here that new technology is going for a song.

Excluding the fact that it uses an all-new (certainly at this price) Full Screen LED backlight (more on how that differs from other LED backlight TVs in the Value & Ease of use section), Sharp's LC-32LE600E LCD is bereft of almost all distractions.

Selling on Sharp's website for £749, we spotted the LC-32LE600E for as low as £450 via a cashback deal. If that's a mighty tempting price, do allow for some surprising omissions that you may or may not be able to live without.

Just two HDMI inputs adorn the rear, with a third on a side panel – that's the fewest we've seen for some time. It also lacks a USB slot or any form of home networking (such as Digital Living Network Alliance, or DLNA), so it's just not possible to get MP3, JPEG or DiVX video files into the LC-32LE600E.

More surprisingly, given that the LC-32LE600E is aimed at mainstream consumers, is that it's not particularly slim. It measures just over 9cm in depth, but Sharp hasn't abandoned aesthetics altogether in its quest for the best possible picture/price equation.

A feather-light TV, from the front the LC-32LE600E sports a slim, gloss black screen surround and silver strip beneath that constitutes an interesting, though muted, new look for Sharp LCD TVs.

It's also worth mentioning that the LC-32LE600E has several 'eco' features. If used, Sharp claims that its 'standard' and 'advanced' power saving modes can allow the set to consume 40 per cent less power than normal LCD TVs.

If you like the sound of this LED TV, but would prefer a slightly more comprehensive version, head for Sharp's LE700E Series, which features 100Hz processing to rid the screen of any motion blur (although this can introduce other video nasties).

Like the LE600E Series, it's available in 32-inch, 40-inch and 46-inch sizes, and adds a 52-inch version.