COMPARISON / MASSIVE SPORT-FRIENDLY TVS
Verdict Approx price 8,500

Panasonic TH-65PX600

BSuperb pictures, sound and features EIts not exactly cheap
Picture Sound Features Ease of use Value

Performance

Bombarding the 65PX600 with a feast of lm and sport footage reveals it to be a truly awesome performer. Full of impact right from the off is how credible and subtle colours look, especially thanks to the way the Full HD resolution helps the TV resolve immaculately subtle colour blends. Also striking, after seeing so many LCD TVs recently, is how crisp and detailed players look as they charge across a football pitch, and this is a result of the plasma technologies that produce hugely faster response times. The black side screens used during a World Cup Cricket match, meanwhile, look pitch black on this Panasonic yet full of subtle shadow details thanks to its outstanding black level response, and the extra resolution in the 1080p panel helps the TV render with terric clarity seemingly every blade of grass on any sports pitch. Inevitably, the 65PX600 delivers its very best pictures with highdenition sources, but the V-Real systems talents also make it far more agreeable with standard denition than you might expect such a large screen to be Z

Spec check

Screen size & shape: 65in/16:9 Tuner: Digital Resolution (pixels): 1,920 x 1,080 Contrast ratio: 5,000:1 Processing: V-Real Pro Dimensions: 1,554(w) x 985(h) x 145(d)mm Weight: 79kg / Sockets: 3 HDMI inputs; 3 Scarts (2 RGB); component video input; composite video input; S-Video input; D-Sub PC input; stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF input; SD card slot / Contact 357 www.panasonic.co.uk
THE 65PX600 LOOKS every inch a domestic affair, thanks to its slick black bezel and trendy silver subsection. The speakers are removable too, enabling you to position them away from the TV if you wish. The 65PX600 is very much a TV rather than just a screen, with a built-in digital TV tuner being combined on the connectivity front by a seriously impressive threeHDMI line-up, component jacks, a PC port, three Scarts and even an SD card slot for direct playback of digital photos. Pleasingly, Panasonic has equipped the set with the highest grade Pro version of its V-Real image processing, which applies a raft of algorithms that constantly optimise the panels performance according to whatever image content is being shown. Its also worth stating that one element of V-Real converts all incoming images into 1080p before reproducing them onscreen. This provides a hefty clue as to the PX600s biggest single feature claim to fame: a Full HD native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
Rich audio backing up its king-sized pictures, make it a sensational big-screen option
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Verdict Approx price 3,300

Pioneer PDP-507XD

BStunning all round performance ENot particularly cheap
The reams of technology Pioneer has thrown at the 507XD pay off handsomely in its picture performance. Colours, for instance, look both outstandingly vibrant and quintessentially natural, so that the strips of the teams during an FA Cup tie in hi-def leap out at you while the green of the pitch and the skin tones of the players all look totally believable. The 507XDs plasma foundation also means it handles motion superbly, with no blur or dithering noise, and its dark areas are deep and full of greyscale subtleties. If its ne detail youre into, then this panel loves that too, doing a great job, for instance, of rendering all the individual faces in an HD football match crowd. Handy for spotting those Third Eye Soccer AM moments especially as all the sharpness is achieved with scarcely a trace of video noise. Standard-denition pictures survive the journey to this TVs 50in screen very well too for the most part, and the optional speakers if you get them are very good, leaving us with really nothing in the negative column Z

Screen size & shape: 50in/16:9 Tuner: Digital Resolution (pixels): 1,365 x 768 Contrast ratio: 4,000:1 Processing: PureDrive II processing Dimensions: 1,224(w) x 717(h) x 115(d)mm Weight: 34.7kg / Sockets: 2 HDMI inputs; 3 Scarts (2 RGB); component video input; composite video input; S-video input; D-Sub PC input; stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF inputs; subwoofer line out; SR control out; digital audio output (optical) / Contact 500 www.pioneer.co.uk
THE PDP-507XD IS packed to the rafters with manufacturing and processing technologies designed to take picture quality to a higher level. Its also great to look at with its glossy, deep black nish and minimalist lines. Connectivity is fair enough for a 3,300 50in plasma, including two HDMIs, component video jacks, a PC port, a subwoofer line out and a digital audio output for passing on any digital audio tracks that may come in via the HDMIs. Now for one of those innovative technologies we mentioned earlier. Pixels are separated by Pioneers Deep Wafe Rib structure to reduce colour and light leakage between pixels. Direct Colour Filter, meanwhile, reduces the TVs weight and removes the secondary image that can be seen off-axis with normal glass screens. This seventh generation panel also boasts improved phosphors for a wider colour palette, improved colour processing, improved Pure Drive II processing for better sharpness, contrast and brightness.
Not the cheapest 50in plasma in town, but its worth every penny
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Verdict Approx price 2,000

LG 50PC1D

BPrice, detailed HD, black levels EVarious picture performance issues
TO FIND THE 50PC1Ds main raison detre you need look no further than its price tag. Under two grand for a 50in at TV is bargain territory by anyones standards. The question is, can LG actually offer any real quality for that sum? Connections rate as well as many of the costlier sets featured here with twin HDMIs, component video inputs, a PC port, Scarts and a digital audio output. A CI slot, too, reveals another pleasant surprise for the money: a built-in digital tuner. And the surprises continue to roll in as we spot the latest version of LGs XD Engine processing.
Considering the price, its comes as no great surprise that the 50PC1D is the weakest picture performer in our big-screen roundup. But just how weak is it? Well, the problems are numerous. Unquestionably the hardest to tolerate is how noisy the picture looks. For starters, the sets aggressive presentation tends to emphasise MPEG noise in digital
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sources, so that the players on a football pitch look zzy and blocky in standard denition, while the pitch looks strangely grainy even in high denition. To make matters worse, as the camera pans across the pitch you can clearly see the sort of dithering, dotty noise over edges, not to mention the skin tone peaks that used to commonly affect plasma technology, but is not something we expect to see nowadays. Some of the highly colourful strips worn by the cricket teams during the World Cup, meanwhile, look a touch over the top in the bright West Indies sun, becoming almost cartoonish, while the skin tones of the players can sometimes looks slightly unnatural. If this all sounds like a damning indictment of the 50PC1D, we must say its certainly not unremittingly bad. Black levels are actually excellent, with extreme depth and good detail subtlety and, when theyre not going too far, colours can be appealingly rich. Theres quite a bit of detail on show too, at least while viewing HD sources. Also on the plus side, we have to mention the speakers that do a sterling job at producing a decently fulsome and clean soundstage Z

Screen size & shape: 50in/16:9 Tuner: Digital Resolution (pixels): 1,366 x 768 Contrast ratio: 10,000:1 Processing: XD Engine processing Dimensions: 1,303(w) x 872(h) x 356(d)mm Weight: 43.7kg / Sockets: 2 HDMIs, component video input, D-Sub PC input, S-video input, three Scarts (2 RGB), composite video input, stereo audio inputs, RF input, digital audio output, CI slot / Contact www.lge.co.uk
If budget and size is everything, this set is just about worth considering

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Verdict Approx price 4,800

Sony KDS-70R2000

BSuperb pictures and good value EDull off-axis viewing, SD looks soft
The 70R2000 delivers the best picture weve ever seen on a rear projection TV. Really, its that good. A particular highlight is its sharpness and detailing, which does frequently spectacular justice to the extra resolution and clarity of a quality high-denition source. It helps that the screen shows motion with none of the blurring or noise that can bother LCD or plasma rivals. In fact, theres no sign of any technology-related problems at all the rst time we can say this of any rear-projection system. Also sensational are the black levels, delivering pitch-black effortlessly while retaining plenty of greyscale subtleties. These excellent black levels help the mammoth unit produce colours with a richness and intensity unprecedented in the rear-pro world. If were being niggly we might say that, while dreamy with HD the 70R2000 can make SD sources look a touch soft. Also, the picture loses a little brightness if watched from above or below. But these are pathetically minor issues when stacked against all the strengths. Even the sets sound is outstanding, for heavens sake! Z
Screen size & shape: 70in/16:9 Tuner: Digital Resolution (pixels): 1,920 x 1,080 Contrast ratio: 10,000:1 Processing: Bravia Engine Pro Dimensions: 1,885(w) x 1,1545(h) x 611(d)mm Weight: 74kg / Sockets: 2 HDMI inputs; 3 Scarts (2 RGB); two component video inputs; composite video input; S-video input; D-Sub PC input; Stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF input / Contact 999 www.sony.co.uk
ITS NOT OFTEN that we look at rear-projection TVs, but we couldnt resist this giant 70in screen. Size aside, the 70R2000 is far from ugly. Connections include two HDMIs, two component video inputs, a PC input, a CI slot revealing the presence of a built-in digital tuner, and a digital audio output, which outputs any multichannel audio that might arrive via either of the HDMIs. The mammoth screen is actually the rst to use Sonys new SXRD projection innovations. One of the benets of this technology is that its exceptional pixel density allows it to routinely deliver 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. And that Full HD endowment is backed up by 1080p compatibility and the facility to show 1080-line sources on a pure, no-overscanning, pixel-by-pixel basis. More excitement comes from the 70R2000s claims of an exuberantly high 10,000:1 contrast ratio (achieved via a dynamic iris system), accompanied by picture in picture options as well as Sonys widely acclaimed Bravia Engine image processing.

This Sony giant proves emphatically that you dismiss rear projection at your peril
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Sony KDL-46X2000

BSuperb pictures and features list EA bit expensive, slight motion blur
THIS MODEL IS distinguishable from its cheaper siblings by its combination of a Full HD native pixel count and Sonys current top level of image processing known as Bravia Engine Ex. Also on board are two HDMIs, two component video inputs, a PC interface, a built-in digital tuner, and an optical digital audio output for passing on multichannel audio received via the HDMIs. On top of this, there are enough options in the onscreen menus to keep even the most ardent technophile busy. The last key point to note before we move on is that, as youd hope with a full HD TV, the 46X2000 can handle premium 1080p HD sources as well as the more normal 1080i/720p fare.
The 46X2000 is a seriously classy performer. In particular, the combination of the Full HD resolution with the specially designed (for Full HD) Bravia Engine EX processing delivers a number of benets over lower resolution siblings during HD
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viewing. For instance, colour blends look notably more natural and subtle thanks to the screens greater pixel density. The picture also looks remarkably detailed owing to there being as many pixels in the screen as there are in a typical UK HD source. Not to mention the fact that images look cleaner and purer as a result of the Full HD panels not needing to resize HD sources. Other more general strengths blissfully apparent on the 46X2000 include sparklingly vibrant, fully saturated colours delivered with natural tones during dark and bright scenes alike; black levels that plumb impressive depths by LCD (though perhaps not plasma) standards; and an almost hi- audio sensibility that puts most rivals to shame. It has to be said that, perhaps inevitably, the 46X2000 isnt as at home with standard-denition material as it is with HD and softens standard-def images a little more than wed ideally like. Plus, motion sometimes blurs a little, showing that even the Bravia Engine cant eliminate this common LCD failing. But we suspect these little gremlins will be barely noticed by most people, so busy will they be admiring everything else the TV has to offer Z
Screen size & shape: 46in/16:9 Tuner: Digital Resolution (pixels): 1,920 x 1,080 Contrast ratio: 13,000:1 Quoted Brightness: 450cd/m Processing: Bravia Engine Ex Dimensions: 1,262(w) x 795(h) x 322(d)mm Weight: 39.1kg / Sockets: 2 HDMIs, 2 component jacks, 3 Scarts (all RGB), S-video input, composite video input, CAM slot for pay TV, stereo audio inputs, PC input, stereo audio outputs, digital audio output / Contact 08705 111999, www.sony.co.uk

With the pocket depth and picture source to do it justice, this LCD leviathan is to die for

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Verdict Approx price 2,800

Philips 50PF9631D

BDecent HD pictures, Ambilight EPicture can look rather noisy at times
OF ALL THE numerous features packed into this screen, Ambilight is perhaps the most interesting. This is where pools of coloured light, sympathetic to the content of the picture, spill out from the side of the TV. Ambilight has been scientically proven to make long-term viewing more relaxing. The connections also contain an unexpected bonus: a USB port capable of taking in MPEG1, MPEG2, MP3 audio and JPEG still picture les for direct playback on the TV. This is joined by the more standard likes of two HDMIs, a component video port, and Scarts. Arguably the sets single most signicant feature, though, is its Pixel Plus 2 HD image processing system. This isnt actually the very latest version of Pixel Plus, and so lacks some of the key noise reduction processing found in Pixel Plus 3. But its certainly still capable of delivering great results.
Sadly the rst thing that strikes us about the 50PF9631Ds plasma pictures is that theyre not as good
as those from Philips big-screen LCD TVs. Theres one main reason for this, namely the amount of noise the picture contains. Some of this is down to the panels tendency to exaggerate MPEG noise in digital broadcasts; while a percentage of noise is also the result of Pixel Plus 2 HD adding grain to especially weak standard-def sources. Some noise can be ascribed to two rather old-school plasma technology issues. There are traces of zzing noise over edges and skin tone peaks during camera pans. The other bugbear is that dark scenes look slightly alive owing to some imperfection in the control of the screens plasma cell voltages. Theres plenty of good stuff to report too, though. Colours, for instance, are unusually vibrant and bright for a plasma TV, yet never to such a degree that they start to look unnatural and jarring. Dark scenes benet from some very impressive black levels indeed, meanwhile and HD and standarddef pictures alike look unusually detailed and sharp. Objects move across the plasma screen with none of the blurring experienced with most LCD TVs, and nally, the sets audio is reasonably powerful and clean, if a touch lacking in bass Z

Screen size & shape: 50in/16:9 Tuner: Digital Resolution (pixels): 1,366 x 768 Contrast ratio: 10,000:1 Processing: Pixel Plus 2 HD Dimensions: 1,327(w) x 968(h) x 320(d)mm Weight: 57kg / Sockets: 2 HDMI inputs (PC or Video); 3 Scarts (2 RGB); component video input; composite video input; S-video input; stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF input; USB port / Contact: 016, www.philips.co.uk
Only worth considering if you nd it heavily discounted. Or you must have Ambilight
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Plasma Displays

Panasonic 42 ins. Plasma C/W Speakers 1024 X 768 Resolution Complete with Floor Stand and Wall Mount LG 50 ins. 50PC1D Plasma 1366X768 Resolution 1000cd/msq 10,000:1 contrast ratio Digital Tuner Integral speakers low reflection screen Complete with Floor Stand and Wall mount Philips 42 ins. 3D HD LCD TV Auto sensing between 2D & 3D input WOWvx technology Pioneer 40 ins. Plasma 4:3 Ratio 640 X 480 Resolution VGA/YC/Composite Video Complete with Wall Mount & Speakers (amplifier required) NEC 60 ins. Plasma 1366 X 768 Resolution DVI and analogue inputs Complete with wall mount and/or stand LG 37 ins. High Definition LCD TV 1920 X 1080 Resolution 1000cd/msq 10,000:1 contrast ratio Digital Tuner Integral speakers low reflection screen Complete with Floor Stand and Wall mount

Day Price 80.00

Week Price 240.00

90.00

270.00

325.00 50.00

975.00 150.00

225.00

675.00

70.00

210.00

Excl. VAT