All Audio visual Feeds

Tannoy Revolution Signature

1210949398

It must be difficult to be a brand like Tannoy. As with Xerox, Hoover and Sellotape, its name has become a label that now applies to a whole category of stuff.

But if you thought that all its loudspeakers could handle were raspy announcements up and down supermarket aisles, then you're much mistaken. The brand's Revolution Signature range of home cinema speakers auditioned here are evolved way past this illustrious history.

And although Tannoy still makes speakers with names rather than numbers, this new lineup is definitely a 21st Century AV offering, with some style and pizzazz, too.

Odd one out

Well, style and pizzazz except for the subwoofer, that is, which is designed to be hidden - or at least not looked at. It is as ugly as an ogre in comparison to the lovely, lustrous woodwork the other teardrop-shaped boxes are wrapped in.

The woofer is from a series simply called TS as in, er, Tannoy Subwoofer, and boasts a soft grey finish. The one in this array is the biggest, a 12in job with 500W in its guts. It has a sexy set of balanced inputs and outputs on XLR plugs, as well as the de-rigeur phono inputs. There's no silly high level speaker nonsense on the back of this one.

The subwoofer fires downwards and the driver has a huge surround suspension to it - it looks like it might hit the floor. Of course, it doesn't, but the supplied spikes are a good idea.

There is, in fact, an extra sheet in the instruction book, that has clearly been printed and added afterwards, that suggests use of the small cup-shaped thingies underneath the spikes, when the sub is used on a hard floor.

This woofer was probably rattling like a ball-bearing in the back of Transit van before these were added for use in marble halls. The moving mass of the woofer must be considerable.

There are some useful controls on the TS12. You get a continuously variable phase knob to go from 0-180° and LF extension control with adjustment marked from 50Hz to 40Hz to 30Hz. A 'Music' label adorns the 50Hz setting.

30Hz is the 'Theater' (sic) setting - obviously meant for sale in the USA then. Crossover frequency is selectable between 50Hz and 150Hz.

The main course

Away from the boxy, drab subwoofer, the main speakers (centre, rears and fronts) are gorgeous to behold. They are all bi-wire/bi-amp style with a set of binding posts for HF and LF input, connected with a jumper bar until you do so.

Also - and I have never seen this on a speaker before - there is a fifth green terminal that, when connected to your AV hardware, electrically earths the driver chassis. This reduces RF noise in the system and, claims Tannoy, brings substantial improvements in mid-range clarity.

The supplied manual is excellent, despite one simple malapropism. Discrete means separate, as in five discrete channels. The manual refers to 'discreet channels', which means they are unassuming and would not offend the neighbours. This is patently untrue, as in addition to a serious slice of power-handling, the high-frequency drivers within the dual concentric 'Tulip' waveguides give these speakers a slice of efficiency too. A figure of 89dB means they bloody stonk. Put simply, you can wake the dead, let alone the neighbours.

All the enclosures are equipped with a 6in dual-concentric Tannoy driver that reaches right up to bat frequencies. This gives a lovely image and stage, with pin-sharp placement of sounds within the field around you. The DC6 rears have just one of these, while the DC6T towers have an extra bass-only driver to add to the air flowing in and out of the sexy, curved port beneath. The centre D6LCR is obviously designed for all-stage use as well. It has no port, but in addition to the same driver complement as the towers, gets another that looks the same but isn't driven. This passive radiator gives the loudspeaker some of the bass-boosting benefits of a port but keeps the cabinet sealed. The air pressure inside the cabinet aids the driver's suspension and allows the cone to hit deep-down low frequencies at high volumes without getting into a flap.

They all feature natty hidden-magnetically stuck-on grilles.

Sting in the tail

For testing I fired up the old DTS/DVD-Audio dual-format disc of Sting's Brand New Day album, opting for the DTS track. Sting was immediately right in front of me and at face height, with percussion to the back right and a swirly synth line running in the back left zone. Cymbals hung in space, rare and delicate enough to hear the 'ting!' of wooden stick-tip on bronze.

All of this was underpinned with a deep tight bass. The performance is very hi-fi and very clear. I got goose bumps.

Now, when cranked to the ends of an amp's ability these horns can get harsh - but that is sheer idiocy. I actually got the sound level meter out and found an easy 93dB. It was loud, just waiting for peaks and thumps and was plenty potent. It's just so clean and easy, you don't perceive the level so oppressively. Delicacy and grace with power, like a boxer with the soul of a concert pianist. With Sting warbling away I found myself grooving off, losing the work plot. I had to force myself, with some discipline, to go check out a film...

The Simpsons Movie is, of course, mostly a Foley job, but there are moments of sheer brilliance that show off the speakers' ability to recreate space and feeling.

When Homer arrives late to church with his family he is heard with perfect clarity from within, exclaiming that the churchgoers cannot hear his rant as 'They are too busy talking to their phoney baloney God!' Our favourite cartoon family enters to a sudden aching silence (04:27), felt by the echo of the doors opening into an utterly dumbfounded congregation. The audio mix is done brilliant justice by these speakers. At 10mins 50secs Bart shoots his dad repeatedly with a BB gun, and, through this system, the pops really sound like they hurt.

Detail resolution is excellent.

At 17min 3secs Flanders makes Bart the world's most elaborate mug of cocoa. I counted no fewer than eleven separate delicate Foley effects, from spray cream to a blowtorch corching a marshmallow that crackles just a little - before Bart grabs it from a window sill and goes off into mid-distance to exclaim 'Oh my God!' quietly to himself.

Sound like this isn't just about power and efficiency - it's about control and richness, too. And these Tannoys excel. It'd rate them as a bit special. Revolutionary even.

Hitachi UT32MH40U

1210862853

Stand back and be amazed: this Hitachi LCD has just put the ‘flat’ right back into flatscreen.

At just 35mm deep, this blade-thin screen is the sveltest of its type that we have ever seen, let alone got our mitts on to test. It has the sort of profile previously thought to be the preserve of OLED technology and even then, only ever seen on smaller, ‘concept’ sets at trade shows.

Hitachi's seriously svelte design

The Hitachi UT32MH40U is available now, though: after having apparently beamed into Hitachi dealerships from the future in some sort of fortunate space/time mix-up that is sure to leave the company’s rivals choking on their own disbelief.

Because make no mistake, this thing is gorgeous. Designed around the ostensibly preposterous notion that people want tellies in the middle of their rooms, Hitachi has set about creating a set that is not only impossibly slight, but also looks as good from the back as from the front. Whatever you might think of that idea, it’s a 360° stunner.

It’s tempting to conclude that it must be features that bulk out conventional screens, because this set barely has any. The most glaring omission is a digital television tuner, the lack of which confines the Hitachi to the now strangely anachronistic-sounding job description of display rather than TV.

This harks back to the days when anything flat was a ‘panel’ and anyone who had one was a ‘videophile’ with a cellar dedicated to home cinema. TV fans needn’t fret too much, though: Hitachi will be bringing out a dedicated digital tuner box in October.

Simple menus

The economical approach is reflected in the socket roster and remote control which, respectively, have three inputs (HDMI, an RGB computer port and a stereo audio minijack) and 14 buttons between them.

The latter is a real throwback, with large rubbery buttons and a sparse, Fisher-Price-type aesthetic that seems peculiarly incongruous when set against the achingly futuristic slither of a screen it’s supposed to control.

The UT32MH40U is blessed with the same Hitachi operating system that has graced so many successful sets over the past year or two.

The neat, unflashy menu system strikes a pleasing balance between intuitive simplicity and tweak-tastic flexibility. If anything, the lack of features and correspondingly stripped-down zapper make this set even easier to control than previous models, as there’s no real set-up procedure to speak of.

Stunning pictures

Anyone convinced that at least some of Hitachi’s excellent picture hard- or software must have been sacrificed for that astonishingly svelte profile can consider themselves well and truly mistaken, because this set’s a belter.

The best thing about it, by far, is its colour reproduction, which must rank among the very best we’ve seen from an LCD display, let alone one that isn’t much deeper than a mirror.

The hues it coaxes from our standard-def test disc of Ghost Rider takes that normally unconvincing film to a new dimension, while the fecund greens and browns of the jungle sequences in Blood Diamond are so steamily credible that you can almost feel the humidity.

This is allied to an awesomely exacting resolution that is able to pick out everything in shot with absolute clarity, while never straying into the over-processed sheen that can undermine less gifted sets.

On the minus side, blacks are a bit weedy and rather uniform, while motion can occasionally judder, but the plasma-like appeal of the colour performance is such that you’ll be won over nonetheless.

Lacklustre audio

One of the chief problems most flatscreens have with audio derives from the fact that they lack a big, boomy cabinet to give the sound that little bit of extra wallop, so it comes as no huge surprise that the Ultra Thin is a trifle weak in this department.

That it produces anything even approaching a convincing soundstage from its apparently non-existent drivers is a minor miracle, though, and the performance just about makes up in detail and fidelity what it lacks in low-end thump and welly.

An awe-inspiring TV

There is no doubt at all that this is a special screen.

It looks like nothing you’ve ever seen and yet still manages to out-perform most of its fuller-bodied rivals for a price that, under the circumstances, seems entirely reasonable.

The only question regarding this remarkably skinny, yet accomplished TV that remains to be answered is, how on earth did they do it?

Samsung PS50P69FD

1210669905

Like a fine wine, a business class flight and an original mono copy of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts’ Club Band (in mint condition, naturally) 50in plasma screens have always had that air of exclusivity about them, forcing us poor folk to press our noses against the shop window like Dickensian urchins.

Well, you can now pull away your hooter from the glass, as Samsung’s offering is defiantly breaking rank.

Samsung's affordable plasma behemoth

The PS50P96FD aims to take 50in LCD TVs on at their own game, rocking up at a relatively affordable £1,900 (and even less online). So, what's been lost in this price cull?

Precious little it seems at first glance: this 50-incher looks as pretty as most from the Samsung stable, as well as dishing up some tasty connectivity.

Up-to-date connectivity

Three HDMI inputs top the connectivity bill, supported by a component video input, a PC port, and a digital optical audio output.

What's more, the HDMIs are the latest v1.3 affairs, meaning that they’re compatible with auto lip-synch and Deep Colour features that v1.3 brings to the high definition party.

They also point in the direction of some very cool high definition pictures indeed. As you’d expect from a Full HD plasma, the PS50P96FD can accept 1080p/24fps feeds output by most Blu-ray players, and can show 1080-line sources with no overscanning, meaning that pictures can be reproduced on a pixel-by-pixel basis.Neat.

Clever technology

Tucked away inside the TV’s front glass, meanwhile, is Ultra FilterBright technology, for soaking up the onscreen reflections that can be caused by having light in your viewing room.

It’s partly thanks to this clever tech that Samsung is able to claim an impressive 15,000:1 contrast ratio for this 50in TV.

King of the PS50P96FD’s suitably expansive features is Samsung’s Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) that should make a decent stab at spicing up colour response, fine detail levels, contrast range and noise suppression.

Stunning pictures

Despite this TV’s slender price tag (by 50in plasma standards), its Full HD resolution isn’t just for show, thankfully. Let loose on our test movie of Earth, the 1920 x 1080 resolution breathes new life into the already stunning images of the animal kingdom.

Exceptional amounts of clarity, texture and detailing are on display – so much so, that you’ll be cowering behind your sofa as the leopards spring into action. Colours make their presence felt too.

There’s more subtlety in colour blends than you’d find in a mere HD Ready plasma screen – and definitely more than you’d find in the majority of 50in LCD screens.

Black levels also get a gold star: they are reproduced with dazzling authenticity, with practically zero sign of grey mist or green undertones over darker colours.

Criticisms? Well, reds can look a bit orangey at times, and motion can blur more than we’d expect from a plasma screen. Audio doesn’t exactly pack the wallop that the impressive pictures demand, either.

Buy a slice of luxury

Yeah, we agree that these are trivial criticisms. If you’ve just under £2,000 burning a hole in your pocket – and a big enough living room – you could do much worse than grabbing this slice of luxury for the masses while you can.

Just don’t catch the LG’s eye on your way into the showroom, though.

Panasonic TX-32LZD85

1210503795

The TX-32LZD85, a mid-range model from Panasonic’s new LCD collection, packs a fearsome on-paper punch.

For starters, it’s got Full HD resolution, potentially adding an extra lovely level of purity to your 1080i/p HD gaming visuals.

Intriguingly, it’s also got 100Hz processing, whereby the normal PAL scanning rate of 50Hz is doubled to make motion look clearer and less blurred.

This should deliver really helpful results when viewing video, but has the potential to be more of hindrance with games. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

Panasonic's TV packs a punch

The Panasonic TX-32LZD85 also boasts motion focus technology for making moving objects look sharper, a special 24p film processing mode, and Panasonic’s V-Real engine for improving colours, detailing and so on.

You also get an improved dynamic backlight system for boosting black levels (the set’s contrast ratio is claimed to be a hearty 10,000:1) and a potentially energy-saving system that automatically adjusts the image based on the light levels in your room.

Connections are right on the money for a hardcore gaming machine too, including three HDMIs, all built to the v1.3 spec and all able to handle Deep Color – should the PS3 ever start delivering this picture- enhancing format.

Other highlights include a component video input (should you only have an original Xbox 360 rather than the HDMI-sporting Elite model), a dedicated PC port for laptop/desktop gaming, and an SD card slot for digital photo viewing.

Gaming prowess

The TX-32LZD85 proves to be a pretty exceptional handler of our Forza Motorsport test game.

For starters, images look phenomenally crisp and sharp, with plenty of fine detail and, superbly, absolutely no colour bleed or edge smearing as you swing your car’s back end around a tight bend.

In fact, in this motion-handling respect, it’s excellent, with the twin attack of the Motion Focus and 100Hz technologies really working wonders.

Colours, meanwhile, blaze off the screen, with radiantly fulsome saturations that make the cars look so good you feel you could just reach out and touch the metal.

Faultless pictures

Yet more good news comes with the black levels, which get way deeper than is common with LCD and help make dark gaming – and video – moments much more involving and credible.

In fact, in terms of the picture that ultimately appears on the screen, there’s really nothing to fault the TX-32LZD85 on – other than if you spin out, there’s a fractional flicker to edges as there’s a processing struggles to keep up.

However, the amount of video processing the TV employs does seem to cause a delay between what the console thinks you’re seeing and what the TV is actually showing.

The effect isn’t as pronounced as with some rivals, but it’s there nonetheless.

Superior to its LCD rivals?

Of course, the heavy processing power that causes a slight issue with gaming is manna from heaven for video. The TX-32LZD85 is every bit as sublime at showing standard and high definition material as its rivals.

While it may not be the purist gamer’s choice, once you add some exceptional video prowess to the nearly flawless gaming, as a TV/console all-rounder, the Panasonic TX-32LZD85 is the one to beat.

KEF XQ20

1210328760

Founded back in the 1960s, KEF (an acronym for Kent Engineering Foundries) has long operated at the leading edge of hi-fi loudspeaker design.

Even though the company has undergone numerous changes, its approach to design and technology has remained remarkably consistent throughout.

High-quality manufacturer

A good example of this impressive track record is the XQ20, a compact standmount which forms part of a new mid-price XQ range of speakers. There are five models in total - two standmounts, two floorstanders and a centre speaker.

All are based around KEF's proprietary co-axial Uni-Q driver array and cunningly curved cabinetwork, beautifully lacquered in real wood veneer finish.

The variations depend upon enclosure volumes, driver diameters, and the addition of extra bass-only drivers in the floorstanders.

Inside KEF's latest speakers

This £1,000 per pair is the larger of the two standmounts. It's a two-way design based on the very latest version of a 165mm Uni-Q drive unit, loaded by a front port and an enclosure of approximately 16 litres (the curved tapering renders exactitude difficult here and KEF doesn't supply the relevant data).

This solitary drive unit has an interesting history. Taking advantage of the development of ultra-compact and powerful rare-earth magnets containing neodymium, iron and boron, the Uni-Q driver made its debut back in 1988.

It's a variation on the co-axial theme, placing a tiny tweeter on the end of the pole-piece in the centre of the bass/mid cone, so that it actually sits at the latter's effective acoustic centre, creating a 'coincident' variation on the co-axial theme.

Hit and miss construction

This construction has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it makes crossover integration between midrange and tweeter relatively simple from an acoustic point of view.

It also ensures that output is entirely consistent and symmetrical at any given measurement axis (the formal term is 'axi-symmetric'). It's therefore also free from the vertical axis 'lobing' that is invariably created in the crossover region where the two sources are spaced apart, as in conventional two-way systems.

However, it can also be pointed out that placing a tweeter so that it's recessed down in the neck of a cone is not an ideal way to create wide dispersion, while the additional complication is that said cone is moving to and fro in response to the music signal.

Tweeter design

Twenty years of development have steadily refined the Uni-Q. More powerful rare-earth magnets have improved tweeter sensitivity and recent versions have drilled pole-pieces to avoiding creating back-pressure behind the diaphragm. The shape of the tweeter's dome diaphragm has also been modified and now has an elliptical profile.

The very latest tweak to be applied to the tweeter - too late indeed for inclusion in the new Reference series that was introduced only last year - is a so-called 'tangerine waveguide', which is making its debut in this most recent XQ-series.

Viewed from the front, this waveguide does indeed look a little like a small citrus fruit, though it actually consists of eight small vanes extending inwards from the tweeter dome periphery, dividing its output into seven segments.

The intention is to compensate for the fact that, when a tweeter dome is driven at its periphery by a voice coil, its fore'n'aft motion falls short of the ideal of a pulsating sphere. The loading on the diaphragm provided by the vanes increases relative output from the outer parts of the dome, more closely mimicking the pulsating sphere.

Solid build

The XQ's Uni-Q also benefits from the new cone profile that was recently introduced with the Reference series.

This too is based on waveguide theory: the profile of the cone is shaped into a specific curve so that no interference patterns occurs between the direct wave and reflections of that wavefront off the cone.

This is done by ensuring that the expanding wavefront always remains perpendicular to the cone, so that no reflections can be created. This Uni-Q has a flared 118mm shiny plastic cone and unusually flat surround, while the tweeter uses a 19mm titanium dome.

The whole thing feels very solid, weighing a substantial 9.2kg. The curved top, base and sides all help increase the stiffness and avoid concentrating and focusing the internal standing waves. Two pairs of terminals fit directly through the enclosure and wire links are supplied.

The curved base requires special stand-coupling arrangements and two alternatives are supplied: a curved hard rubber pad can support the enclosure itself, or a tripod of hard feet may be used (albeit without lock-nuts, though these shouldn't be necessary if the feet are screwed in tightly).

Smooth response

Our measurements comfortably confirm KEF's 88dB sensitivity rating and also show a rather easier load (which only drops significantly below 6ohms above 8kHz) than the company's claimed 3.2 ohm minimum suggests. Pair matching was adequate.

In-room far-field measurements indicate that the XQ20 is probably best kept clear of walls. Without any wall assistance the bass region is quite smooth and even, well- extended for the size of the enclosure, but also a little dry.

Close-to-wall siting tends to supply too much midbass (around the 45Hz port tuning frequency), somewhat at the expense of upper bass output. However, some of the extra bass that is supplied by close proximity to the wall might well be found preferable in order to balance out the rather strong top end.

The far-field in-room averaged response is quite smooth and also remarkably flat overall - but probably a little too flat through the treble region.

Experience across a wide range of models has shown that the 'ideal' (not to mention the average) response under these conditions shows some down-tilting in the presence and treble regions, whereas the XQ20 stays almost ruler-flat to the limits of audibility.

Balance issues

The brightness seen in these measurements was immediately and obviously audible, the more so because the low frequency end is both dry and notably clean.

While there's no denying that this speaker is significantly brighter than average and the top end does immediately draw attention to itself, happily the top end is also pretty clean and well integrated.

Although there is a mild tendency to emphasise sibilants, the bonus is that it does ensure speech sounds open, clear and intelligible even at the very lowest of listening levels. The corresponding disadvantage being a tendency to become aggressive if the volume is turned up high.

The bass alignment might not have been ideal under our room conditions, but the strength and shape of the enclosure are very effective at avoiding any boxiness or thickening coloration. Indeed, the bottom end here is unusually crisp and clean, with good drive and purpose, albeit with a rather dry and cool character.

Some midband coloration is audible, with slight thickening and pinched voice reproduction, but neither are excessive. The point source coherence supplied by the co-axial driver delivers fine stable stereo imaging across a generous listening zone, assisted by the low box coloration and the advantage of a quality 'head-size' standmount

Sharp LC46XL2E

1210243319

Usually we like 100Hz processing on LCD TVs.

Yet somehow the 100Hz system Sharp employed on its previous models just didn’t cut it, making pictures look artificial and glitchy.

So let’s hope Sharp has improved things considerably with the great looking LC46LX2E, complete with the brand’s second generation of 100Hz.

Connect to your Xbox 360

Superb connections get the ball rolling nicely, with three v1.3, Deep Colour-compatible HDMIs leading the way.

What’s more, these HDMIs are clever types: they can detect whatever source is attached – PS3, Xbox 360, set top box and so on – and automatically update the input’s onscreen ‘label’ accordingly.

There’s also an RS-232 port for system integration alongside all the usual stalwarts such as component video input and a D-Sub PC port.

Great with Blu-ray

In terms of features, aside from the 100Hz processing, the key players are a claimed dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1 (2,000:1 native), a Full HD resolution, digital noise reduction, and a specialised Game mode.

And so to the moment of truth: does the LC46XL2E know its 100Hz onions? Yes, it does – with one slight limitation.

On the up side, action-packed scenes on our test Blu-ray disc of Blade Runner show absolutely no sign of the motion glitching and rather nauseating ‘over-smoothness’ that made Sharp’s previous 100Hz sets so dislikeable. Excellent.

Motion issues

But, on the downside, motion doesn’t look quite as clear as it did on those 100Hz predecessors. Clearly Sharp has massively ramped down the 100Hz engine’s activities – arguably a step too far.

But, overall the 100Hz balance is much more natural and enjoyable than before. Similarly, when watching cricket, the ball doesn’t suddenly develop ‘ghost balls’ around it as was the case with its 100Hz predecessors – a significant improvement.

There’s a big improvement, too, in the LC46LX2E’s black level response. Dark scenes like those in replicant engineer Sebastian’s freaky apartment avoid much of LCD’s customary greying over, helping them look immediate, engaging, and full of depth.

Video noise is well suppressed during HD viewing too, but without denying HD images that lovely clarity and ‘snap’ we always look for on the best big LCD screens.

Vibrant pictures

Finally in the plus column, colours are vibrant and bright. But, it also has to be said that occasionally colours aren’t completely natural in tone: some skin tones end up looking a bit over-ripe.

The fact that colour saturations drop off a little if you view the screen from too much of an angle also doesn’t help in this regard.

Standard definition pictures aren’t always scaled to fit the Full HD resolution as successfully as we’d like either, with colour tones again sometimes looking slightly off, leaving the picture looking a tad soft, especially over skin tones.

An impressive comeback

Audio also doesn’t have us leaping around the test labs with joy: the fantastic soundtrack of Blade Runner sounds rather compressed and tinny to these ears.

Although the LC46LX2E might not be quite the irresistible all-rounder we were hoping for, it certainly is a mighty fine HD monitor.

Best of all, its 100Hz engine has gone from being one of the worst around to one of the best in a single generation. It’s the biggest comeback since Lazarus.

Samsung LE40A656

1209993162

What do you do if you already make what are regarded as the prettiest LCD TVs in the business?

You just make your next ones even nicer, of course. Cue Samsung's haute couture LE40A656.

Samsung's distinctive design

Samsung is marketing its new A656 TVs as the 'touch of colour' range, for, subtly injected into the familiar glossy black bezel, is a deep red tone that becomes more visible the further out the bezel extends. This makes the set look completely distinctive.

What's more, the set's chassis is constructed without any adhesive or screws, which is an industry first. You'll find plenty of stuff to make you happy among its connections, too.

For instance, you get a generous four HDMI sockets, all built to the v1.3 specification for Deep Color compatibility and all capable of receiving 1080p/24fps sources of the sort output by most Blu-ray players.

Other connection highlights include a D-Sub PC input, an optical digital audio output and a USB 2.0 port for playing JPEG or MP3 files.

Picture technology

In terms of key specifications, the 40A656's screen incorporates a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution and promises a supremely high contrast ratio of 20,000:1, delivered with the assistance of the inevitable dynamic backlight system and clever filtering technology that screens out onscreen reflections.

Another key feature is 100Hz processing, which doubles the normal PAL refresh rate in a bid to reduce LCD's traditional problems with blur and resolution loss when portraying motion.

Other points of interest are a 120MHz mode for purer playback of 24fps sources, three levels of black level boosting, gamma controls, colour space and flesh tone adjustments, edge enhancement, noise reduction and picture-in-picture features.

Improved motion handling

Despite having a fearsome array of features, the 40A656's pretty, easily navigable onscreen menus and excellently laid out, backlit remote control ensure that you never get frustrated with exploring everything on offer. In an ideal world, the instruction manual could have gone into slightly more detail in one or two areas, but it's otherwise good.

Some of Samsung's previous attempts to improve its LCD motion handling - such as its Movie Plus mode - haven't entirely blown us away. But, thankfully, the 100Hz engine here is right on the money.

Even made to work extremely hard with a few sporting events, for instance, it goes about its business impeccably, massively reducing the usual blurring effect as well as making movement more fluid.

What's more, even during moments of extreme motion, such as when a camera pans across a football pitch, the picture doesn't fall prey to significant amounts of artefacting as the processing struggles to keep up (provided you avoid the set's OTT 'high' 100Hz setting).

Rich black levels

Just occasionally you spot a faint 'halo' around a moving object, or an edge flickers for a split second. But these are small prices to pay for all the benefits the system brings.

The motion handling also excels when showing a 1080p/24fps Blu-ray movie - especially since the considerable reduction in motion blur afforded by the 100Hz system means there's less to stand in the way of the set's truly mesmerising fine detail response, which makes every last one of its 1,920 x 1,080 pixels count in dramatic fashion.

Samsung's already strong position vis-à-vis LCD black levels is also enhanced by the 40A656. Its automatic contrast system is remarkably subtle, largely avoiding the common brightness 'stepping' problem, and the screen can deliver much deeper, richer blacks than most rivals.

Detailed images

Joining the black levels in helping the 40A656 produce extremely dynamic pictures are some strikingly bold colours - yet crucially these rich hues still look unusually natural by LCD standards.

Samsung's Digital Natural Image engine hasn't always proved the best at upscaling standard-definition sources to fill a full HD screen. Yet on the 40A656 things are much improved, with little of the usual noise and colour tone issues that affect LCD visible.

If we had to be picky about the 40A656's pictures, as well as the very minor 100Hz glitches we've reported, we also must take issue with the ludicrously garish Dynamic picture preset the TV ships with (change it to standard, pronto) and some slightly plasticky skin tones during standard-definition viewing. But that's really the sum total of the negative stuff.

Unfortunately the 40A656's audio doesn't reach the same heights as its video, thanks to a fundamental lack of bass to underpin music or movies. It's not a total dead loss, though, thanks to the width of the soundstage and the set's talent for portraying subtle effects in the mix.

Make a statement with your TV

Considering you're getting a true design statement of a television with some of the best connectivity in the business, not to mention 40in of the most excellent LCD picture quality ever, we think that the £1,300 price looks very fair.

Pioneer VSX-1017

1209830966

This Pioneer AVR seems to have more to offer than many of its rivals.

It's big, the heavy, powerful and packs a great range of features. It's also boastS THX Select2 certification. Already the VSX-1017 is the odds on favourite.

Impressive conectivity

All key boxes are ticked, with two HDMI v1.3 inputs, 1080p switching, vanilla-flavoured Dolby and DTS decoding plus the ability to pass through multichannel PCM via HDMI; and if that's not enough, It has luxuries like an MCACC auto setup mic and 'Made for iPod' compatibility.

It also offerS a USB interface in the front panel, allowing you to access your stored JPEGs, MP3s and Windows Media files via the OSD.

A feature called 'Sound Retriever' is offered to make compressed MP3s sound rather more fullsome.

Sharp pictures

Operation is a bit more complicated than the competition. The auto setup takes care of the calibration, and then it's a case of wading through the onscreen menu system to assign your inputs using the hefty remote control.

The OSD will only travel down the s-video and composite cables, but all other sources can be converted (but not upscaled) to HDMI.

Picturewise, the Pioneer has no problem keeping 1080p images from a PlayStation 3 clean and sharp. The audio is handled with even greater care. The PS3 takes a Dolby True HD feed and outputs its as lossless PCM.

Choose the Dolby mix option on Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Blu-ray), and you'll hear a tweaked and uncompressed version that blows the DVD platter away. In Chapter Four, for instance, the Pioneer makes sure the UFO encounter resonates through every speaker.

Packs a punch

With over 100W per channel available, there are sizable reserves of power on tap to ensure the rumbling bass and surround effects are delivered effortlessly. If you are lucky enough to have a 7.1 THX speaker package you're in for a treat. Just crank the volume up to reference level and enjoy.

That reservoir of power and the ability to bi-wire the front pair of speakers comes in handy for playing CDs. The VSX-1017 can make even the most stubborn high-resistance hi-fi speakers sing in stereo. It sounds even better with DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD.

Although the GUI interface is perhaps overly complex, perseverance is rewarded many times over with this high-value AVR. Hunt one down for an audition.

Mirai DTL-742TE600

1209727615

Full HD TVs seem to have made the journey from minor videophile concern to the mainstream in about a fortnight.

Mirai's DTL-742TE600 is at the vanguard of a wave of large affordable, flatscreens with 1080p panels that suddenly seem to have infiltrated the AV market and is among the cheapest sets of this size and specification we've seen.

Inside Mirai's budget LCD

Everyone wants to get their hands on 1,920 x 1,080 machines at the moment, and the need to keep cost down and make this must-have resolution available to all, is reflected in a set that has more than a whiff of compromise about it.

The build quality, for example, is pretty iffy. While the chunky styling makes the set appear larger than 42in, the lack of solidity to the hollow-sounding, plasticky casing immediately suggests that corners have been not so much cut as hacked off with a big rusty saw.

It's full HD, you know. That's right, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, which means you can watch Blu-ray discs and top-quality broadcasts in their unadulterated, maximum resolutions. And did we mention that it's really cheap for a 1080p panel? Because that's about your lot.

Okay, it's got an arguably miserly two HDMI inputs, various picture modes and one of those pseudo-surround modes that never really works properly, but if these, or any of the other uninteresting entries on the spec sheet turn you on, then we are afraid that we are unable to provide you with the kind of help you need.

Infuriating to operate

You might be supposing that the more stripped down and entry-level-oriented a set is, the easier it should be to use. And in most cases, you'd be right.

The Mirai conforms to this norm in the sense that its menus are relatively straightforward and reasonably intuitively laid out. But a few boneheaded design touches make it occasionally infuriating to operate.

The one most likely to drive you into a techno-cidal rage is the remote control. It's an ugly brute, for a start, with the company's usual large, glow-in-the-dark keys set in a lightweight zapper that looks like it has escaped from the 1980s.

The trouble with those ostensibly fairly useful buttons is that they are about as responsive as a sedated tortoise. Sometimes the telly ignores the remote entirely, or, even more irritatingly, finally does your bidding after a short delay, by which time you've already over-ridden what you originally asked it to do by repeatedly jabbing the same key.

That said, any even-tempered simpleton should be able to get the set up and running within minutes, and even quicker if he or she is fore-armed with the knowledge that you have to select 'digital TV' as a specific input before you can start tuning in Freeview.

Garish Freeview pictures

Having reviewed a fair amount of low-end models, we know it would be unfair to expect anything particularly spectacular from a 1080p set as inexpensive as this. However, it cannot be denied that this one sucks.

For starters, its treatment of Freeview rates among the most unpleasant video experiences currently available to mankind. It's garish, juddery and crudely rendered to the extent that the ageing filmstock of Murder, She Wrote, after being stretched across 42in, ends up looking like a pointillist study of the morbidly obese in washed-out Technicolor.

Modern broadcasts barely fare any better and, while much of the fault lies with the fact that Freeview rarely survives being blown up any larger than 32in with any dignity, the overall effect is pretty grim.

Underwhelming high-def

Standard-definition video sorts things out to a degree; the effect of the increase in image data is like increasing the focus on a camera and all those pixels are finally put to something approaching worthwhile work. Colours are still pretty dreadful, though, and blacks bottom out way too early for our liking.

High-definition is pretty much the same, but with a handful of extra detail thrown in. Blood Diamond looks reasonably cinematic, but the inherent weaknesses of the panel and its drivers (unrealistic colour and feeble blacks) make the Mirai unlikely to blow away anyone who has seen a genuinely capable full HD display do its stuff.

Good value for money?

That chunky speaker array running along the bottom of the screen suggests some fairly powerful audio, but unfortunately this doesn't prove to be quite the case.

The Mirai packs an adequate amount of power to fill the average front room, but doesn't really have the presence or low-end thump to give movie soundtracks the treatment they deserve.

Still, if you're looking for a screen of this size, the chances are that you'll also have a surround system on your shopping list, so the mediocre audio performance won't come as a devastating blow.

This may be one of the cheapest 1080p TVs currently on the market, but we can't think of any particular reason why you would want to purchase it when there are significantly cheaper and better sets around such as the LG 42LF66

Pioneer PDP-LX508D

1209718842

The Pioneer PDP-LX508D is a high-performance bigscreen plasma TV with a Full HD resolution.

The asking price is a whopping £3,300. And that price doesn't generally include speakers or a desktop stand, either.

Compare this with the likes of Panasonic's 50in Full HD 50PZ70 - doing the rounds for about £1,200 from various online retailers - it's clear that the PDP-LX508D has one hell of a mountain to climb to justify that price hike.

A premium plasma

The PDP-LX508D begins by seducing us with its sexy looks: it's every inch the premium model in its ultra-minimalist, slender, glass-coated black bezel.

All the connections you could desire are here too, including a USB port, an optical digital audio output, a PC port, a subwoofer line out, and - naturally - three v1.3 HDMIs. These HDMIs can handle both the Deep Colour image format now found on a couple of HD camcorders, and 1080p/24 feeds from Blu-ray players.

Unquestionably the most important feature here is the TV's Kuro technology, which produces genuinely revolutionary pictures, especially when it comes to black levels.

Inside Pioneer's latest TV

These bends-inducing black levels are generated by a combination of a new pixel structure designed to reduce light and colour bleed; a new Crystal Emissive Layer built into the screen to enhance the screen's brightness, contrast and response times; plasma cells divided by unusually high walls, so that light and colour can't seep between them; and image processing designed to work completely differently for dark and light footage. In short, some killer tech that'll cost you a hefty admission fee.

Another significant trick of the LX508D is the 72Hz mode you can call in when watching 1080p/24fps footage from a Blu-ray player, which is less likely to introduce stuttering and artefacting.

Our experience with previous Pioneer KURO plasmas means we know the PDP-LX508D is going to be a cracker before we even switch it on. A more interesting question to ask is whether it's sufficiently better than Pioneer's 508XD - the comparatively-sized, HD-ready sister screen - to justify costing well over £1,000 more.

How much does the PDP-LX508D Full HD resolution improve the picture quality?

Vital image improvements

Improvements can be seen in vital areas. High definition sources, such as our Blu-ray of Casino Royale, look a little bit crisper on this Full HD screen. Particularly detailed shots look fantastically intense.

Colours also look a touch more subtle during the movie's richly saturated Bahamas sequence, presumably as the screen's extra pixel density helps the TV produce smoother colour blends. This in turn helps pictures look slightly more three-dimensional.

Finally, images seem fractionally cleaner, thanks to the removal from the image processing stages of the need to rescale a source to fit the panel's native pixel count.

These new talents are additional to those other legendary Kuro benefits of superbly vibrant and realistically toned colours and black levels so rich and deep during the movie's tense night-time opening black-and-white sequence that all flat TV rivals - especially LCDs - ought to get on their knees and worship the master.

Simply the best

With the impressive quality of Pioneer's picture processing engine also ensuring that standard definition sources survive the journey up to a Full HD 50in screen remarkably well, we honestly can't find anything negative to say about the LX508D's pictures. At all. They are simply the best we've ever seen on a 50in TV.

That said, they only seem a modicum better than those of Pioneer's own far cheaper 508XD, rather than light years better.

While there's no question of this stellar TV going home with a recommendation, if you're not in the enviable position of being able to buy the best picture quality around no matter the cost, then you'll still be ecstatic with its cheaper sibling.

The choice here boils down to a totally amazing or unbelievably amazing plasma TV. What a tough call.