Choosing your High Definition Television (HDTV) UK

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What is the latest LCD range from Sony?

Sony are bringing out a new range of LCD HDTV sets in the Bravia range. They have model numbers ending in 2000U (Grey), 2010U (Dark Grey), 2020U (Silver), 2500 (?) or 2510 (?) and they replace the earlier Bravia series ending with A12U. The U indicates that they are UK version. Currently the Dark Grey series are the ones being marketed in the UK. The Sony Bravia range feature panels made in the S-LCD factory which is a joint venture with Samsung. Although the panels will therefore be the same as those in the new Samsung range, the driver electronics is different and is considered superior to the cheaper Samsung ranges.

The new series available are,

The U-series (KDLxxU2000U) is the cheapest range and will be available in September. Native resolution is 1366x768 and sizes offered will be 26", 32" and 40"

The S-series (KDLxxS20n0U) is a cheap range available now. These feature the Bravia engine technology which is a successor to their Wega technology. They are therefore superior to the older A12U S-series which should be avoided. Native resolution is 1366x768 and sizes offered will be 26", 32", 40" and 46" . The 26" does not have the superior S-PVA panels used in the rest of the Bravia range. The new S-series became available in the UK in April 2006 except the 46" which is due in August.

The V-series (KDLxxV20n0U) sets are similar to the S-series except that they have "Live Colour Creation" backlight which should improve the colour production. Native resolution is 1366x768 and sizes offered will be 32", 40" and 46" . The 32" and 40" are now available in the UK.

The X-Series (KDLxxX2000U) are the top end range with a much better 1920x1080 resolution. They have 2 HMDI sockets compared to just one for the S and V series. The sizes offered will be 40", 46" and 52". The 46" is expected in June while the 40" and 52" will be seen in September 2006. There is even an 82" version in development but the release schedule is not yet set. The eagerly awaited X-series will be one of the first true 1080p ranges to reach market at affordable prices.

What is the latest LCD range from Sharp?

Sharp produce a range of Aquos LC TVs which rival the oicture quality of the Sony Bravia sets. They also have upgrades about to be launched. The ranges on the market now include the LCxxGA6E series which comes in sizes 32, 45 and 65 inch. The larger two are full 1920x1080 resolution but these sets have only DVI-I inputs, not the newer HDMI standard. The current sets that do include HDMI are the LC3xxGD7E and LCxxGA6E models. The main difference between the GD and GA numbers is that the GD sets include a built-in freeview tuner. Freeview is not very useful for HD but it adds a lot to the price.

The aquos sets that will be released soon improve the contrast ration from 800:1 to 1200:1 and the response times from 16ms to 6ms. It sounds like these will be worth holding out for. The pick of the bunch will be the 37" LC37GE1E which is the only one so far announced with full 1920x1080 resolution. The other new series are the LCxxGA8E and LCxxGA9E plus their GD conterparts which include FreeView. These come in 32" and 37" sizes only. The 9E models will feature better electronics and two HDMI sockets instead of one. So presumeably they will have a better picture and higher price tag than the 8E models. The biggest disapointment is the lack of larger screens in the new Aquos series.

What is the latest LCD range from Toshiba?

Toshiba have introduced four new high quality sets into the UK market using their Regza architecture. The WLT66 series replaces the previous WLT58 models with higher contrast ratio panels. They come in 32", 37", 42" and 47" versions and the larger two are full 1920x1080 resolution and will accept 1080p input if you can find any. Two HDMI sockets are present on each model. There are also cheaper WL66 versions which lack the (useless) Freeview tuner of the WLT66 sets. The main diappointment is the low contrast ratio on the larger sets, but these specifications can be missleading because of the dynamic contrast tricks that are sometimes used to get a higher rating.

Next out will be the WLT68 series with three HDMI sockets. They are expected in 32", 37" and 42" sizes.

What is the latest LCD range from Samsung?

Samsung have new popular ranges of high synamic contrast LCD TVs on the market. The R7 range is all 1366x768 resolution with 10-bit colour, 5000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 8ms response time. Although they do not reach the higher resolutions of the other top makers, they are an excellent choice at entry level prices.

The model numbers indicate different colours as follows
LExxR71B - Blue and Black
LExxR71W - White
LExxR72B - Silver and Black
LExxR73BD - Blue and Black with digital tuner
LExxR74BD - Silver and Black with digital tuner
LExxR74BDX - Silver and Black with digital tuner (X indicates sold through a retailer)

What is the latest plasma range from Pioneer?

If cost does not come into it, then Pioneer's latest range of Pure Vision plasma displays is where your choice will fall. Plasma technology still beats LCD on picture quality because of the superior contrast ratio. Getting the high resolution is harder with plasma especially on the smaller screens. At 43" Pioneer still do not have a full HD horizontal pixel count but at 50" they have fully achieved that goal with these HDTV sets, making them the best that money can buy. Get the 1080p capable PDP5000EX when it is launched in July and you will not need another screen for several years, until 50" gets too small for you.

The differences between the models are that the XDE and SXE include digital Freeview tuners whereas the FDE and RXE only have analogue. As mentioned here for the other ranges, the freeview is no good for HD anyway. If you want to wall mount the screen get the FDE or XDE. They have a separate media box so that only one cable is needed to run to the screen.

Pioneer also do the 61" PDP615EX model but we don't include it in our tables because it does not qualify as "HD Ready" in Europe.

What is the latest plasma range from Panasonic?

Panasonic boast the world largest plasma screen at 103". In Japan they sell the 65" 1080p TH65PX500 screens, but in Europe their range is much more modest. The PX60 range is the latest Viera technology available in the UK and comes in 37" and 42" versions with a 58" planned. Better choice can be anticipated once they deem the European market to be ready for it.