42-inch televisions for under £1,000

Round-up by: Ian Morris

Last updated: 09 Mar 2007

It wasn't so long ago that we were paying £1,000 for bulky, small CRT sets. Now you can get a 42-incher that'll hang on your wall for the same money, and there's no need to compromise on features.

We've taken a look at four of the best 42-inch televisions, all of which are available for about £1,000 if you shop around online.

The Toshiba 42WLT66 is a solid all-round performer. We've seen better Freeview performance from other televisions, not least Toshiba's more expensive WLT68 range. That said, the picture is good, and the high-definition performance makes up for any complaints we may have had.

When we reviewed the Acer AT4220 we were very impressed. We weren't expecting much from this TV, but it offered enough features for us to be happy to recommend it. It's an especially strong performer if you want to hook up a computer to your TV. So if you're planning to use Windows Media Center, this TV would make an excellent choice.

The Sharp Aquos LC42XD1E is a 1080p television that's available for a little over £1,000 if you shop about, surprisingly. The Sharp suffers a little with connectivity -- it does have two HDMI sockets, but component is handled via an adaptor that converts the signal into a PC-style VGA connector. Both Freeview and hi-def material look great on this set, though. It may be a little more expensive than the others in this round-up, but the 1080p support makes it worth that little extra.

We also like the Panasonic Viera TH42PX60, because it has a fantastic Freeview picture and a frankly stunning talent for showing hi-def material. It isn't just the picture quality that's superb: there's good connectivity, with two HDMI sockets and the usual complement of Scart and composite inputs. It also happens to be one of the most stylish televisions we've seen.