Final verdict
Hype has a nasty habit of spoiling things, making us expect far more of something than it can ever hope to deliver. But on the evidence of this group test, LED is one of those rare instances where the hype is more than justified. All three contenders deliver performances good enough to embarrass almost all standard LCD TVs.
In fact, it's a testament to the all-round quality on show here that the Samsung LE55A956 ends up bagging the third - and bottom - spot in our LED league table. When it's at its best, the LE55A956 is capable of looking little short of magnificent - and, of course, it's extremely cheap for such a large LED TV. But the halo effect that blights some very bright image elements together with viewing angle and some colour tone issues serve to remind us of potential flaws with LED that our other two contenders both do a better job of overcoming.
For a TV as talented as the Philips 42PFL9803H to only come in second seems almost obscenely unfair. Had this TV's stunning picture quality, reams of features and sumptuous design found itself amid a more 'normal' TV group test, it would doubtless have romped home. In fact, its pictures are very often at least a match for our group test winner today. The only problem with it is that its picture quality can slide distractingly thanks to processing side effects if you don't continually pay attention to the TV's long list of settings.
Our winner today, therefore, is the Sony KDL-55X4500. This TV has really caught us by surprise, if we're honest, given that Sony hasn't generally set the world alight in recent times. But there's just no denying that its picture quality is currently not only the best showcase yet for what LED is capable of, but potentially the best picture quality we've seen from any picture technology, period.
http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/uan/2700
Hype has a nasty habit of spoiling things, making us expect far more of something than it can ever hope to deliver. But on the evidence of this group test, LED is one of those rare instances where the hype is more than justified. All three contenders deliver performances good enough to embarrass almost all standard LCD TVs.
In fact, it's a testament to the all-round quality on show here that the Samsung LE55A956 ends up bagging the third - and bottom - spot in our LED league table. When it's at its best, the LE55A956 is capable of looking little short of magnificent - and, of course, it's extremely cheap for such a large LED TV. But the halo effect that blights some very bright image elements together with viewing angle and some colour tone issues serve to remind us of potential flaws with LED that our other two contenders both do a better job of overcoming.
For a TV as talented as the Philips 42PFL9803H to only come in second seems almost obscenely unfair. Had this TV's stunning picture quality, reams of features and sumptuous design found itself amid a more 'normal' TV group test, it would doubtless have romped home. In fact, its pictures are very often at least a match for our group test winner today. The only problem with it is that its picture quality can slide distractingly thanks to processing side effects if you don't continually pay attention to the TV's long list of settings.
Our winner today, therefore, is the Sony KDL-55X4500. This TV has really caught us by surprise, if we're honest, given that Sony hasn't generally set the world alight in recent times. But there's just no denying that its picture quality is currently not only the best showcase yet for what LED is capable of, but potentially the best picture quality we've seen from any picture technology, period.
http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/uan/2700
