You may not have a massive budget to blow on a new TV, but that shouldn't be so much of a problem these days. Times have changed since large-screen, flat-panel TVs first made their entrance into the market. Back then, an £800 price tag on a flat and thin TV would have been a dream come true. Now, it buys you 1080p performance and picture quality that puts the multi-thousand-pound TVs of old to shame.
We've listed a mix of TVs here. There's the Sony Bravia KDL-40V5500 and LG 42LF7700 LCD TVs and two plasma sets -- the Panasonic Viera TX-P42S10 and LG 42PQ6000. We think these provide a good mix of quality for a sensible price.
Of course, at this price point, you won't get the bells and whistles you'd find on some of the more expensive TVs on the market. That said, LG has managed to shoehorn a freesat receiver into the 42LF7700 and, for the price, we can't help but be impressed. In a few years, freesat integration is likely to be something that we see more and more of. Who knows? One day it may be ubiquitous.
Editors:
3.5 stars out of 5
Users:
0 out of 5Not yet rated
Extremely affordable by Sony's usual wallet-hammering standards, the Bravia KDL-40V5500 is a good, feature-laden TV. The only problem is that, due to a noticeable backlight problem, pictures aren't as consistently good as we'd like Read more
£530
Reviewed on 22 July 2009
Editors:
4.0 stars out of 5
Users:
3.5 stars out of 5
If you want high-quality pictures, the Panasonic Viera TX-P42S10 won't disappoint. We really like everything about this TV -- Blu-ray movies look stunning, Freeview is handled well and the configuration options are simple but still cover the important areas. The only thing we don't like is what isn't on the TV -- media playback support for popular Internet formats would be a good addition, and we'd love to see Viera Cast on these mid-range screens Read more
£550
Reviewed on 29 April 2009
Editors:
3.5 stars out of 5
Users:
0 out of 5Not yet rated
LG might be the first brand to enter the freesat TV market following the end of Panasonic's exclusive freesat deal, but there are few signs that anything's been rushed with the 42LF7700. It's not a perfect TV, but it's certainly very likeable Read more
£765
Reviewed on 14 April 2009
Editors:
4.0 stars out of 5
Users:
3.5 stars out of 5
The LG 42PQ6000's performance with high-definition content won't blow you away. That's not to say it's bad -- it's just that the lack of 1080p resolution means Blu-ray movies don't have the impact they could have. But we still utterly love this TV. The overall picture quality is excellent, the user interface is logical, friendly and attractive, and the price tag is relatively recession-friendly. The 42PQ6000 is a real winner and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it Read more
£390
Reviewed on 27 March 2009
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