Flat screens for Valentines

Round-up by: Guy Cocker

Last updated: 13 Feb 2006

The origin of Valentine's Day has many possible explanations. Many assume that it honours St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. Others say that Valentine was a priest, jailed by Emperor Claudius and subsequently honoured on 14 February by Pope Gelasius. The real meaning of Valentine's Day has been diluted thanks to millions of red roses and heart-shaped balloons, so why not be original this year and treat that special someone to a huge flat-screen TV?

If you're something of a cheapskate and your Valentine's budget only stretches to a measly £1,000, you can still get change for a slap-up meal if you buy the Samsung LE32R41BD. At a pretty £916, the television is quite the bargain, and its stylish good looks and high-quality picture will trick your Valentine into thinking you've really pushed the boat out.

If you've been seeing your Valentine for a while and know that their technological preference is LCD, then you'll win some major brownie points with Toshiba's 37WLT58. It's bigger than the majority of LCDs at 37 inches, yet its £1,500 price tag won't break the bank of a young lethario. And when you've finished watching When Harry Met Sally, you can catch up on the day's events with Sky News, thanks to the integrated Freeview tuner.

If you're a hopeless romantic and know that nothing less than a 42-inch plasma will please your dearest, then you'd better go out and buy the LG 42PX5D. Anyone who doesn't tear off the wrapping paper and worship you for this TV's high-definition panel, memory card inputs and integrated digital TV tuner deserves to be dumped on the spot.

If your Valentine is a real techno-geek, then the words 'Loewe Concept L32' will be instantly translate into 'I love you more than life itself'. This £1,600 32-inch LCD looks so good that it should be hanging out with the catwalk models of Milan. Unlike those vacuous airheads though, this LCD has something to keep you interested once you've got past the good looks and curvy body, including a sexy little HDMI input, stunning picture quality and superior sound.