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John Archer  |  Oct 04, 2015  |  0 comments

If the current trend is to try and minimise the space the new generation of TVs take up by giving them incredibly slim frames, Sony’s KD-75X9405C is the untrendiest TV of the year. It's not just content with assaulting your living room space with a vast 75in screen; this monolithic beast adds sidebars down each side of that screen, making it look more like an 85in set.

John Archer  |  Aug 03, 2015  |  0 comments

Samsung has already set the 2015 TV world alight with the High Dynamic Range (HDR) glories of its UE65JS9500 LCD/LED flagship screen (reviewed here). Sadly, though, the £6,000 price tag attached to that ground-breaking TV makes it nothing more than a pipe dream for most AV fans. Cue the £1,400 Samsung UE48JU7000, which preserves some of the key features of the JS9500 series for just a fraction of the price. Let's be honest – this is a 4K screen that many more people will seriously consider buying. There's even a 40in version for the space-constrained 4K fan.

John Archer  |  Jul 24, 2015  |  0 comments

For Samsung, 4K is yesterday’s news. Old hat. Water under an ultra high-definition bridge. The brand is already on to the Next Big Thing. What’s more, this Next Big Thing isn’t just something creeping into ‘concept corners’ at technology shows. It’s already unleashed, on the first new 2015 TV we've had on test: Samsung’s UE65JS9500.

Steve May  |  Jun 05, 2015  |  0 comments

The TX-55AX902 has a lot to live up to. First teased over a year ago, when Panasonic created headlines with the promise that it was working on an LED LCD able to exceed the picture performance of its plasma TVs, it bristles with advanced image wizardry, plus a full-array LED backlight with advanced local dimming. So can it lay claim to the high-end 4K market?

John Archer  |  May 29, 2015  |  0 comments

Curved screens remain a source of debate in AV circles. Yet regardless of whether you love or hate them, you can’t ignore them – and that goes for manufacturers as well as punters. So I find myself faced with the 65S9005B: the first curved TV launched in the UK by Sony. And a very striking sight it is too.

Steve May  |  Apr 02, 2015  |  0 comments

Behind closed doors, in LG’s high-security Seoul HQ, dubbed The Twin Towers, there’s a white board screaming the message ‘2015 is the year of OLED!’ It’s underlined three times in red marker. There’s a smiley face drawn alongside.

John Archer  |  Mar 07, 2015  |  0 comments

After a bit of faffing about, Panasonic enters 2015 in pretty good shape from a 4K TV perspective. Its AX802 sets are now – following the belated addition of Netflix 4K streaming support – impressive mid-range options, while its recently released AX902 models do a credible job of simulating the sort of picture qualities previously associated with the brand's plasma screens.

John Archer  |  Feb 17, 2015  |  0 comments

It may not be the cheapest 48in screen we've seen recently, but Samsung's UE48H6400 still represents stunning value for money. The design, while not especially original – the X-shaped stand seems a bit dated – is still attractive, with a glossy inner bezel and see-through outer frame. And the Samsung scores points over its rivals by providing four HDMI inputs, joined by copious multimedia support in the shape of three USBs and Ethernet and Wi-Fi hookups.

John Archer  |  Feb 15, 2015  |  0 comments

A 48in Full HD Smart TV, Philips' 48PFT5509 rides into town waving a £500 ticket in the face of potential cash-conscious buyers. Its affordable nature isn’t obvious from its design. The frame is on-trend slim, and the open metal stand mirrors much of the competition, too. You don’t, however, get Philips’ Ambilight technology, but I suppose this is a logical enough sacrifice in targeting that £500 mark.

John Archer  |  Feb 11, 2015  |  0 comments

Panasonic’s TX-48AS640 cuts a similar figure on your AV furniture to LG’s 47LB730V, with a bezel that combines silver top and bottom edges with thin black sides to striking effect. Connectivity is similar too, with three HDMIs, two USBs and both Ethernet and Wi-Fi network options.

John Archer  |  Feb 09, 2015  |  0 comments

The LG 47LB730V, at around £700, isn't the most affordable 47in TV on the market, so it has a point to prove. It sets about this task with gusto thanks to a seriously pretty design that mixes an ultra-slim frame with a posh-looking silvery outer trim. The aluminium stand hasn’t exactly been beaten with the ugly stick, either.

John Archer  |  Jan 14, 2015  |  0 comments

LG has had a topsy-turvy year in TV. On the upside, the brand’s taken the Smart TV world by storm with its WebOS interface. On the downside, it’s struggled to keep up with some rivals on the picture quality front.

John Archer  |  Dec 06, 2014  |  0 comments

While Sony’s flagship 4K TVs for 2014, the X9005B series, are magnificent performers, they represent a considerable challenge for your average UK living room. Firstly, they’re not cheap, and secondly – not to put too fine a point on it – they’re absolutely massive. Don’t get me wrong – I still find the X9005B series highly attractive, with spectacular front-firing magnetic fluid speakers etched into their huge frames. But they really do eat up your real estate.

John Archer  |  Nov 26, 2014  |  0 comments

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.

Steve May  |  Sep 05, 2014  |  0 comments

Whatever angle you take, Sony's KD-65X9005B is a formidable 4K proposition. With its mould-breaking design, pixel-pushing picture processing and audiophile pretensions, it sees Sony’s TV division at its most confident in years.

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