Making its price all the more remarkable is the fact that the 32AV635 is far from basic in its specification. It's got a more than respectable four HDMIs, for starters, as well as USB jack capable of playing JPEG pictures.

Excellent standard def pictures, good connectivity, remarkable value for money

Brightness is limited, dark scenes lack shadow detail, occasional colour tone concerns

Its rather bland front end gives way to a much more appealing rear, distinguished by a really healthy collection of connections including four HDMIs, a USB port, and an intriguing Ethernet port. This dual-purpose jack can both connect to a DLNA PC, or ...

Really sharp HD and standard def pictures, good colours and black levels, plenty of features, solid audio

Limited viewing angle, currently disappointing online service, occasional picture 'bloom', minor motion blur

It goes without saying that the LE32B550 looks lovely - Samsung hasn't made a TV that's anything less than lovely for years now. But its level of specification given that it's remarkably cheap at £450 is rather more unexpected. Its connections include ...

Excellent all-round picture performer, good looker, astonishing cheap for what's on offer

Sound is a bit thin, needs a bit of effort with initial calibration

The set also carries Freeview and analogue tuners, with navigation around the Freeview and Freesat channel lists aided and abetted by well-developed electronic programme guides.

Built-in Freesat tuner, impressive standard definition pictures, good connectivity and feature count

Contrast isn't the best, HD pictures look slightly soft, and the price feels a touch steep for the picture performance level on offer

For starters, its glamorous gloss black surround and striking see-through outer 'shroud' are embellished by Philips' Ambilight Spectra technology, which causes pools of soothing, immersive light sympathetic to the picture to spill from the TV's sides.

Excellent multimedia support, endless flexibility of picture set-up, impressive connectivity, solid sound, gorgeous design

Black levels could be better, some processing side effects, quite labour-intensive

Really widescreen TV - gimmick or gift?

56in extra-wide 21:9 screen, good-looking frame, 200Hz processing, NetTV

Not forgiving of low-res sources, no native 21:9 material to yet available, high price

It sounds like a butcher's shop, but the good news is that it actually works very well indeed. Pictures consistently looked sharp and detailed, and there was no trace of the slight blurring of edges that can go fist in glove with rescaling. Colours ...

The home for all this step-up technology is passably attractive thanks to the slenderness and extreme glossiness of its bezel. And there are plenty of connections to keep us smiling too, including four HDMIs and a USB port for JPEG playback.

Terrific standard definition pictures, great value, decent feature count for its money

HD pictures not the sharpest, really limited viewing angle, picture not very bright when calibrated to look its best

It's much more than just a pretty face, though. For instance, it's extremely well connected, with four HDMIs, two USB ports and a DLNA-certified Ethernet port leading the way. The USB ports allow the TV to playback JPEGs, MP3s and even video files, ...

Pretty to look at, superb picture performer, exceptional picture quality, huge feature count

Standard definition pictures could be better, sporadic processing artefacts, slightly feeble audio

Contrary to what you might expect given the 'step up' nature of this group test, it's actually not the NeoPDP system. But it still offers something important above Panasonic's entry-level models in the shape of 400Hz Sub-Field Drive processing. This, ...

Brilliant black levels, good HD pictures, good value, full HD

Standard def pictures can look a bit soft, colours not always the most natural, pictures not very bright

Covering these in order, the 42DV1's slimness finds it less than 30mm deep for the majority of its rear end, giving it a really futuristic look from most angles - even though the screen's depth rises to a less jaw-dropping 69mm for a central section ...

Plus points Great slender design, good pictures for the most part, powerful sound, plenty of features

Black levels decent rather than great, viewing angle limited, sound can distort