Televisions

This is yet another 32in LED TV from Toshiba that does the business. Whether specced as the centre-piece of a smallscale surround sound setup or plonked in a second room, it offers a heady mix of thoughtful design, watchable pictures and bonus features. £400 may be more than other 32inchers on the market, but I reckon it’s worthy of the price.

If there was any doubt that Philips is one of the most innovative TV brands at work today, it’s been emphatically eradicated by the first two TVs we’ve seen from the brand’s belated 2011/202 range. First there was the 46PFL9706T, which used its Moth-Eye filter to deliver class-leading black level response. And now we have the 50PFL7956H, otherwise known as the Cinema 21:9 Gold: the brand’s first TV to combine its super-wide, film-friendly 21:9 aspect ratio with passive 3D technology.

Philips can usually be depended on to deliver a genuine innovation or two with every new range of TVs. But this year it’s outdone itself by introducing the first commercially-released TV equipped with a Moth Eye filter. The TV in question is the 46PFL9706T. And so unique is it that not even the larger model from the same range, the 52PFL9706T, benefits from the same tech.

Sony’s KDL-55HX923 is nothing short of spectacular. With a skyscraper-inspired glass frontage and (optional) smart Monolithic Design stand, this TV is certain to attract admiring glances. But there’s more to this thin 3D screen than good looks. Beneath the hood lurks a wealth of picture processing tech, plus a few surprises.

As Forrest Gump so very nearly said, Loewe is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. Thanks to the German luxury brand’s unique ‘consumer choice’ approach to design, it’s impossible for a reviewer to predict for sure what colour TV is going to emerge from the box, with which speaker options, or design of stand.

While it’s now established that passive 3D technology is a great, family-friendly alternative to active 3D where 42in and possibly 47in screen sizes are concerned, I personally have had my doubts that LG’s new 3D approach works on bigger screens.