Televisions

The humble television is changing. As if touched up by a troupe of Kubrick monkeys, yesterday’s Full HD TV is now on course for a revolutionary image upgrade to 4K Ultra high-definition, an evolution fuelled by advances in panel production, the development of new compression codec technology and a crying need to inject life into the moribund global TV market. Frankly, we couldn’t be more excited.

While some may have had concerns about Philips' TV business, it's safe to say that things appear firmly on track following its deal with TP Vision. Last issue we marvelled at the pictorial delights – at least in 2D mode – of the brand's latest Moth Eye filter TV, the 46PFL9707. And now we find ourselves face to face with the more value-conscious but still pretty spectacular 55PFL6007.

Despite the evangelical barking of the movie industry, 3D hasn’t exactly taken off in the home. The technology has improved, but this year has seen high-profile 
3D channels being either shuttered (CanalPlus) or scaled back (DirecTV), with stereoscopy polling low as a reason to buy a new set. 

If you’ve been harbouring suspicions that Panasonic is reserving its premium TV technology for plasma, then think again. The brand’s new WT50 line of LED screens oozes proprietary refinement. For those in the market for a leading-edge LCD, Panasonic is determined to be on your shortlist. This is, quite simply put, a barnstormer of a TV. 

Televisions are like shoes. They get comfortable real quick. Buyers tend to agonise over which screen size best suits their room, debating endlessly the merits of 42in versus 46in panels, but the simple fact is that in 97.3* per cent of all cases (*actual figure may vary) they buy a telly they’ll conclude is too small within days. 

Despite Panasonic revealing a new-found enthusiasm for LED this year, most serious video enthusiasts will still be carrying a torch for the brand’s new plasma TVs, particularly the flagship VT50 series auditioned here.

Hailing from Finland (as its name suggests) the Finlux brand isn’t entirely new to the UK. It’s entered and left again on more than one previous occasion. But with its latest push, Finlux (now actually owned by Turkish outfit Vestel) is seemingly making its most concerted effort yet to establish a firm TV foothold on our shores.