|
There are now so many televisions to choose from that it's hard to get a clear picture of what will suit you best. Here Duncan Madden, a former editor of Boys Toys magazine and one of Britain's leading technology journalists, tunes in to the five best flatscreens. Click to view Top 5 TVs.
|
Best Budget TV (Evesham Alqemi 32 TX) |
|
 If you're looking for a flatscreen television that doesn't require a second mortgage, you won't do better than Evesham's 32-inch High-Definition LCD Alqemi 32TX. Sleek styling, HD Ready, built-in digital TV tuner, great connectivity and decent picture and sound quality make it the best gogglebox in its price bracket. |
| |
| The Alqemi 32TX sits at the bottom end of the main room High-Definition flat TV price range, coming in at a truly gob-smacking sub-£500 price. This immediately raises the question of just how exactly Evesham has managed to manufacture a television worth even turning on for such a paltry amount when so few of its competitors can do the same. The simple answer is by keeping a tight reign on every aspect of its production whilst paying enough attention to the critical areas to make it a great performer and a good looker. |
High-Definition |
 The Evesham packs a decent operating punch for its price. Visually, with standard-definition images (so your normal TV broadcast), the picture is reasonably vibrant with decent colour reproduction and minimal pixel noise in all but the most demanding footage.
Switch to an HD source though and the picture improves dramatically. The native resolution of 1366x768 pixels supports 720p pictures and competently downscales 1080i, lending impressive detail to everything from films and gaming to sport. Contrast is the Alqemi's only real weakness, with blacks never achieving true depth and whites remaining a little harsh, but the colour reproduction adequately makes up for this shortcoming.
Evesham also has to be commended for including a variety of picture tweaking options on the 32 TX - a trait usually reserved for higher-end and more expensive sets - which do improve image quality further depending on personal taste and what you're watching. |
Sound quality |
| Sonically the 32TX is even more impressive. Standard stereo mode for watching the likes of EastEnders is decent with good vocal clarity, but flick to either of the two surround-sound modes and things improve noticeably. The first is SRS WOW, but my advice is to skip that and head directly for the BBE Digital mode, which is a revelation, punching out an engulfing and convincing soundfield without compromising on the clarity of dialogue - no easy feat. |
Get connected |
 Undeniably an area where the Alqemi shines is its connectivity. Alongside dual SCART sockets, S-Video, composite, DVI, D-Sub and HDMI for connecting up everything from DVD player and VCR to HD source like a PS3 or HD-DVD player sit 3.5mm and optical audio inputs and a range of audio and video outputs. Lastly, there's a Common Interface (CI) slot for TopUp TV.
There's no need to hook up a Freeview box either as the Alqemi houses built-in analogue and digital TV tuners (with Electronic Programme Guide) so you get all the free digital channels like Film4 and E4 without the fuss of an extra unit cluttering up your front room.
As online tech site Trusted Reviews says, “The price is attractive, the features and connectivity are excellent and it's all bolstered by surprisingly good sound.”
Set-up is simple, the remote is a breeze to master and with the option of 32, 37 and 42-inch models in the range at equally impressive prices for the screen size and performance, there's no denying that this is that rare thing - a genuine bargain. |
| |
For further explanation of technical terms click here
Typical Price - £400-499/$790-987
For currency converter click here
|
|
Other great reviews in Gadgets:
|
|
RELATED PAGES
USEFUL LINKS
|
Could this