Televisions

The LG E9 is an exceptional 4K flatscreen. Available in 65in (as tested here) and 55in guises, it's the top-ranked integrated OLED in LG's 2019 lineup, positioned above the C9 and B9. Burdened with glorious functionality, it employs the second-generation Alpha9 intelligent picture processor and offers support for high-frame-rate 4K sources via HDMI 2.1. Inevitably, there's a caveat. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

LG’s plasma screens have a reputation for unassailable value, but the brand was also first to ink deals with THX and ISF for certification and calibration, and has generally impressed with the finesse of its larger panels.

Dixons’ own-brand 3DTV ships with ten pairs of 3D glasses in the box. Unfortunately the quality of a set’s stereoscopy is not proportional to the number of comedy goggles it comes with.

Panasonic has tried all manner of different TV sizes over the past few years, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised to find it delivering another size ‘first’ in the form of its debut 55in model.

This year was always likely to be a tricky one for Panasonic in TV terms, without having its ever-reliable plasma division to woo film fans. And to be honest it’s lived up – and down – to expectations, with the brand so far delivering a slightly untidy mix of hit-and-miss LCD sets.

Back when HCC was fresh of face, Star Wars was a trilogy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe had peaked at Howard the Duck, the very thought of a 48in TV would have blown my mind. A 36in set was typically as large as you could get back then, and even that would have required a van full of mates just to get it out of the box. An ultra-thin 48-incher would have been the screen of dreams, home cinema nirvana.