LG has recently come out with a massive looking television set, the 52 inch LG5000 LCD. The nice thing about the unit is that it is packaged quite smartly and is also reasonably cheap for the wide array of high-end features it offers. The price factor clearly hovers above all others as it is a common phenomenon to find the price of TV sets going through the roof once you cross the 46- and 47-inch LCD TVs barrier.

An adorable aspect about the unit is that going by its appearance you can hardly conceive its actual price. Instead with swift bodywork, it is a picture of elegance. Moreover the deck has no unnecessary excesses to trouble you, apparently believing in a minimalist stance.

Then, as a customer it comes as a welcome relief that the aggressive pricing has not dented the overall performance and utility of the LG 52LG5000. You should especially love the connectivity of the unit as it provides you an extensive range of features starting from three v1.3 HDMIs, a digital audio output, a PC port to an RS-232C port which gives you the option to integrate the TV into a wider AV system.

The screen resolution capability of the unit stands at a contemporary ‘full HD’ 1920×1080 pixels, which is well complemented by a very high contrast ratio of 50,000:1, which can be effectively achieved by dimming the backlight output during dark scenes.

Moreover, despite having only 100Hz processing system, there was very little motion blur that was observed, especially when all the TV’s OTT noise reduction routines are deactivated. The audio part is also a major plus of the unit as the sound reproduction is pretty true to the source, while at the same time delivering that scintillating experience.

Those who liked the performance delivered by Sony’s Bravia KDL-46Z4500 LCD TV, but were put off by its high price, now have something to look forward to in the form of the Sony Bravia KDL-52W4500. The unit is much more affordable than any similar models on the block, and you should love the fact that it features many contemporary and user friendly features. Together with these exciting features, the LCD TV is the ideal platform and cornerstone of any home cinema experience.

The design of the deck is also typical of the company, but boasts of a distinctive ‘window’ that runs across the screen. Connectivity of the Sony KDL-52W4500 is impressive as it comes equipped with a number of unconventional multimedia jacks. These include an Ethernet port that gives you the liberty to connect the deck to your computer so that you can enjoy JPEG and MP3 files. Then, there is a USB jack as well so that you can play similar sort of files from the USB storage devices. Further, the Digital Media Port incorporated in the device gives you the discretion to play to play AV files from a portable media player assisted by a compatible adaptor.

You don’t get the radical 200Hz feature of the Z4500 models, but do get more than you can handle in the form of Sony’s MotionFlow 100Hz engine. It comprehensively elevates the usual refresh rate so that you can enjoy pictures that are more smooth and lively than is normally the case with LCD technology.

The images are also delightfully bright, and you will really love the vibrant and wonderfully blending colours. The colours in addition are replete with natural hues and are for major part is in sync with the ongoing action.

Anyone who wants gadgets that are aesthetically beautiful and come with a good array of accompanying features, need look no further than the Samsung LE40A856. The device boasts a thin profile and is equipped with a small bezel that is actually more compact than it appears. The most amazing part of the package is the manner in which Samsung has managed to fit the unit with everything that a modern TV has to offer.

The monitor of the device is just 85mm thick and you get o have four HDMI sockets, three on the back, while the fourth is given on the side. Then, the device incorporates a pair of Scart inputs, component, VGA and S-video in as well, apart from a USB socket that enhances the level of flexibility and convenience on your front.

The front of the unit is pretty clean without any signs of any visible buttons or connections, albeit unless you touch the surrounding area. The design and build quality of the Samsung LE-40A856 means that you can virtually put the deck at just about anywhere with the guarantee that it will elevate the style quotient of the room.

The device comes equipped with the intuitive InfoLive technology, a simple RSS-style reader that gives the T the discretion to effectively utilize its built-in Ethernet connection to go online so that you can collect important information from yahoo. Information may be something related to the stock market, weather and news updates, which though is limited in nature go a long way in giving you a fast first-hand information peek at what’s is hip and happening on the subject. Another selling point of the device is the much improved WiseLink Pro that will enable you to scroll through photos and MP3s stored on USB devices.

One of the grudges that customers have against Philips is that most of their products are overpriced, which prevents potential customers from approaching them. This resentment in particular applies to the much revered 9703 range, which is far too expensive for most people to afford. There is good news of late though, as Philips seeks to address this dilemma with the launch of an exclusive new range, the 7603 which by every account is a much better value for the money. The Philips Cineos 42 PFL 7603D is a part of this range and is all set to carve out a niche for itself.

The design of the device is both novel and an aesthetic one, while its unique configuration endows it with some distinct technical advantages, especially the audio output. The Philips 42PFL7603D comes integrated with a USB interface like most modern televisions, which facilitates you to entertain yourself with music and photos that can be sourced from the memory sticks. One glaring drawback however hinders your moment of enjoyment as there is no video support on this particular model.

Then you also get to have the in-demand Ambilight which is a two-sided version, but is not as interactive as the three-sided version. Nevertheless the feature provides you with a similar set of options such as the ability to manipulate the response speed, the extent of illumination, and the liberty to choose a solitary color to throw on the wall.

The Freeview option is another important addition but its performance lacks the punch that you would have loved. The feature actually ends up irritating you with its macro blocking which is a part-and-parcel with low-bitrate digital TV. Nevertheless supported by a good incoming signal the 7603 manages to produce a decent picture quality.

The latest offering from Panasonic, the DVD-LX8 9″ LCD Portable DVD Player, is not your typical DVD player in the sense that it is bigger than most portable disc players, but still quite a lot smaller than a laptop. The speciality of the player, with a 9-inch, 16:9 aspect-ratio (wide) screen, is its unique “Mono Arm” feature, which allows you to enjoy the drama unfolding on the screen from a wide range of viewing angles. This speciality means that you can use the device in various settings like say, suddenly bright and suddenly dark airplane cabins.

The compatibility of the device is another of its notable features as it competently handles popular formats including DVD-Video, high-resolution DVD-Audio, DVD-R, and DVD-RAM playback, in addition to playing standard and recordable audio CDs, including MP3- and WMA-encoded discs with the minimum of fuss. Then its built-in rechargeable battery, which has an impressive life span of 2.5 hours, means that you can have unlimited fun before the battery finally burns out.

The unique design of the player predisposes it with the discretion to take advantage of both audio and traditional video DVD formats, and delivers an amazing audio-visual reproduction. Obviously the DVD-LX8’s main strength is its 9 inch screen, which surpasses even the Panasonic DVD-LS82EG’s 8.5 inch screen. Meanwhile, the Audio software titles feature offers you classic music titles in both multichannel and stereo, even though the model is limited to stereo play only. The device in addition is compatible with Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks for a enriching surround effect. Then, the device has on-board the customary DTS and Dolby Digital 2-channel decoding and multichannel pass-through features too, among others.

Home theatre aficionados are having a field day with Fujitsu’s latest offering, the LPF-D711 3LCD Projector. This projector is carefully designed to fire up home cinema system with a seamless blend of high-definition images. The picture quality of the this all new LCD projector has already been rumoured to be among the best and is helped in its cause by three 1920 x 1080 true high-definition LCD panels coupled with 1,200 ANSI lumens, which actually unfortunately falls behind other Fujitsu projectors like the Fujitsu LPF-B211. All these factors combine together to produce an image that is sharp, bright and clear giving you the impression of watching movies in a commercial set up.

The device is equipped with the breakthrough AVM-II digital video processor technology and with its 12-bit processing is capable of generating an awe inspiring 68.7 billion colors. Moreover, LPF-D711 is provided with the institution to conveniently elevate both SD and HD contents to superior levels for a more fulfilling movie experience. The projector is also one of its kinds in that it is one of the few projectors that accept a true 1080p signal.

The Fujitsu projector has a well designated unit, the LPF-QSD1, which houses the system’s multiple audio and video inputs including component, HDMI, and S-video, so as to ensure that the projector remains compact and lightweight making for a seamless installation. What’s even more impressive is the realization that the device is designed keeping in mind the aesthetic appeal of your home décor, and is all set to intensify it even further. After all, the device bears a contemporary outlook and is sleekly designed.

The Philips 42PFL9803 has fixed one of the major drawbacks of the LCD format, namely the backlight, which until now has been the bane of this otherwise no-nonsense format. The backlight problem usually remains in the background for the most part, but once you try to reproduce black, or for that matter something dark, it plays a repelling effect on the final output with images appearing drained out and lifeless. Philips has attended to the problem by using an array of more than 1,000 LEDs behind the LCD panel to illuminate the picture.

The design of the unit is quite an appealing one and comes decorated in a brushed aluminium one. The front of the Philips 42PFL9803D is kept simple and uncomplicated and is bereft of any hidden buttons. The front nevertheless has a large Philips logo and a thin LED strip beneath the screen that it reminds you when the TV is on.

Connectivity of the unit is one of its most impressive facets and is equipped with no less than four HDMI inputs. A VGA connection is there as well that facilitates you to source data from your media centre PC or Xbox 360, along with a pair of Scart sockets that enable you to connect the deck to much older standard-definition images.

Adding to your flexibility is the presence of an S-video input and composite video in, which are essential components when you are connecting the deck to a camcorder or digital camera.

The deck being a premium Philips TV has on-board the customary Ambilight feature. The two-sided Ambilight Spectra 2 that has been included in the deck however compares poorly against the three-sided Spectra 3 system included on the 9703 range. Philips has also included its indigenously build Perfect Pixel HD engine, which does a more than decent job in processing the vast amount of picture information in video signals and present it on-screen in the best possible way.

There is a saying that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Borrowing a cue from the phrase, Pioneer has come up with the Kuro KRL-32V. The development is quite significant considering that in recent times LCDs have frequently come under the microscope, with the cynics of the format rightly pointing out that LCDs still have a lot of ground to cover if they hope to match the stunning black levels achieved by plasma TVs. Pioneer, however, in cooperation with the company Sharp, who supplying financial support, is trying to turn around this advantage that plasma televisions possess.

The unique arrangement means that you will find the same panels found in Sharp’s LCD range which is effectively combined with the company’s (Pioneer) own futuristic picture-processing expertise to finally arrive at the ultimate product the Kuro KRL-32V.

The unit also distinctive a distinctive style and has, for the good, has dispensed off with the piano black instead opting for a more stylish gunmetal grey style.

The connectivity of the unit is also rather solid with most of the contemporary connectivity options including an S-Video and composite inputs. A USB socket is there as well, but the depressing point is it is solely for service updates, and consequently of limited utility. The presence of three HDMI inputs on the Pioneer KRL-32V, all 1.3a capable, come as a breath of fresh air. This ensures that you are provided with a series of high quality sound and digital picture. Your fetish for high definition video quality is further assisted by the component and VGA, Xbox 360s features and the like along with a pair of Scart inputs for older hardware.

The deck has also been provided with the capability to comprehensively handle modern picture processing and handling with effortless finesse. It for e.g. is apt at handling 1080p at 24hz, with the TV automatically converting such signals and processing the picture for an elevated experience.

Moving away from the company’s trademark obsession with aesthetically beautiful ‘touch of colour’ LCD TVs, Samsung is all set to make a splash in the mid-range market with the launch of the 32-inch LE32A558. Apart from being decently priced, the unit has been equipped with a sufficient array of impressive features to give you a viable solution for a tight budget. Design wise the unit is no match to the company’s high-end models, and is rather subdued with only a basic black finish coating. The high point of the unit is the presence of three v1.3 HDMI inputs, a D-Sub PC jack, as well as a USB port that allows you to play JPEG and MP3 files straight into the TV.

Considering its price tag it is also a luxury to have a ‘Full HD’ resolution of 1,920×1,080 pixels, and a contrast ration that has been rumored to be around 15,000:1. The Samsung LE32A558’s specifications compare favourably with other models that belong to the higher echelons such as the A656 range. The LE32A558 in addition comes fitted with the provision of the contemporary Movie Plus and DNIe processing functionalities, which play a vital role in improving the picture quality. The latter feature lands fluidity to fast action sequences, and also boosts almost everything beginning from colors to sharpness.

The above features are only a tip of the iceberg, as you can enjoy quality entertainment facilitated by out of the box features like edge- enhancement processing, gamma adjustment, backlight adjustment, white-balance adjustment, skin-tone adjustment, noise reduction, and many more.

Image quality is naturally refined to almost high-definition levels by the host of features, and you will get mesmerized by the clarity and detail that accompany each particular frame. Colour combination looks natural and vibrant as well.

The unit on the down side has poor black levels, and its motion reproduction is also not at par with today’s expectations. You will also feel disillusioned with the unit’s color preset levels which are slow to respond, and are unimaginatively structured.

Vizio has come up with its latest offering, the 32-inch Vizio VO32L, which features quite a number of impressive features. This recent development is also significant in the sense that it signifies the company’s policy shift to focus more on performance to sell its products, rather than achieve success by charging less than its competitors. The deck, which is an entry-level TV, is still reasonably cheap, but there are cheaper options in the form of the Panasonic TC-32LX85, for example. The company has showed its doggedness in countering its price handicap with the excellent image quality the deck delivers, and relatively deep blacks, as well as accurate primary colours.

The design of the unit is nothing to boast of, and looks rather archaic. There is a small strip of glossy black plastic surrounding the screen but is overshadowed by the large bezel which is mostly covered in a drab finish.

The image resolution of the deck stands at 1,366×768, and is in harmony with the other specifications of the deck, especially its screen size. The deck comes bedecked with nine different picture modes which is by far the most you will get on other standard TVs, like the Samsung LE32A656, for instance. these abundance of modes is meant to facilitate you to take advantage of the up custom picture settings for different types of sports offered by Vizio. You will find separate picture modes for different sports like for baseball, football, and golf. The biggest disappointment despite all these is that the picture modes are not independent per input.

The deck is also provided with adjustments for all four of the colour-temperature presets that allow you to play with the settings. Three noise reduction features are there as well, along with Colour Enhancement modes, an Advanced Adaptive Luma setting that adjusts gamma in dark areas, among others.

Connectivity of the unit is pretty solid and features two HDMI inputs, a VGA-style PC input, a component video input, and an A/V input that offers both composite and S-Video.