106cm TVs review

03.Product profiles

Profiles - what to buy

Sony KDL-40V4000

Price $2399

Good points

• Good remote control.
• Has good, detailed blacks when viewing Blu-ray Disc (BD) movies.
• Picture-in-picture capability (one TV channel and one external input).
• Remote control can be used to operate some other video devices.

Bad points

• Some assembly required (stand).
• Poor on-board controls - they're on top of the TV and would be difficult to access if wall-mounted.
• Overall image is less bright than the other TVs in this test - would not be a good choice for frequent viewing in a brightly lit room.
• Doesn't have a channel skip or equivalent feature (but does have Favourites).

Samsung PS42A410C1D

Price $1649

Good points

• Two-year warranty.
• Good on-screen user interface.

Bad points

• Obvious dithering in background when viewing Blu-ray.
• Poor sound quality from its own speakers - voices sound tinny and overall sound is harsh, unnatural and lacks bass.
  

 

Profiles - the rest

Philips 42PFL5603D (Discontinued)

Price $1700

Good points

• Good overall sound quality.
• On-screen instructions available in 21 languages other than English.

Bad points

• Very sensitive to changes in viewing angle.
• Relatively poor blacks - looks better when viewing BD than DVD.

LG 42LG70YD

Price $2499

Good points

• Three-year warranty.
• Good remote control.
• Very good on-screen user interface.
• Remote control can be used to operate some other video devices.

Bad points

• Picture looks OK when viewing DVD, but washed out when viewing BD.
• No headphones socket.

Samsung LA40A550P1F

Price $2529

Good points

• Three-year warranty.
• Good on-screen user interface.
• Remote control can be used to operate some other Samsung video devices.

Bad points

• Poor on-board controls - touch sensitive only and poorly labelled.

PanasonicTH-42PX8A

Price $1699

Good points

• Good remote control.
• Picture has good deep blacks.
• Remote control can be used to operate some other Panasonic video devices.

Bad points

• Some assembly required (stand).
• Picture has a slight green tinge overall.
• Poor sound quality from the inbuilt speakers - voices sound muffled, sound gets distorted at relatively low volumes.
• Remote control doesn't have a previous channel button.
• No child lock.

Panasonic TH-42PZ800A

Price $2899

Good points

• Good remote control.
• Picture has good deep blacks.
• Remote control can be used to operate some other Panasonic video devices.
• Has an SD memory card reader.

Bad points

• Some assembly required (stand).
• Picture has a noticeable green tinge overall.
• Poor sound quality from the inbuilt speakers - voices sound muffled, sound gets distorted at relatively low volumes.
• Remote control doesn't have a previous channel button.
• No child lock.

TCL L42E9ADF

Price $2299

Good points

• Three-year warranty.
• Remote control can be used to operate some other video devices.

Bad points

• Poor on-screen user interface - about 40% of the picture is obscured when adjusting picture settings.
• Poor on-board controls - touch sensitive only.
• You can't rescan the digital channels without also doing a full scan of the analog ones - this will be frustrating for users only interested in DTV, or when analog broadcasting is shut down.
• Very sensitive to changes in viewing angle.
• Picture looks washed out, even if you increase the colour saturation - this is more noticeable when viewing DVD rather than BD.
• Poor sound quality from the inbuilt speakers - voices sound tinny, and the overall sound is thin and lacks power.

Sanyo LCD-42XR8DA

Price $1499

Good points

• Nothing to mention.

Bad points

• The input terminals face down and are more difficult to access than the other TVs in this test.
• Poor on-screen user interface with small text and some menus disappear very quickly.
• Skin tones look chalky and unnatural when viewing BD, but not so bad with DVD.
• Poor sound quality from the inbuilt speakers - voices sound muffled, and the overall sound is harsh and lacks bass.
• Doesn't have any inputs accessible from the front of the TV.

Sharp LC-42D83X (Discontinued)

Price $3649

Good points

• Three-year warranty.
• On-screen instructions available in three languages other than English.
• Remote control can be used to operate some other video devices.

Bad points

• Some assembly required (stand).
• Poor on-screen user interface with small text and about 20% of the picture is obscured when adjusting picture settings.
• Soft image with ruddy facial skin tones and poor detail in dark areas.
• Poor sound quality from the inbuilt speakers - voices sound tinny, and the overall sound is harsh, unnatural and lacks bass and power.