I tested two 32-inch TVs side-by-side, and you can get a budget bargain if you know where to look
DA Gadgets When
you
find
yourself
looking
for
a
new
TV,
it
can
be
quite
daunting
when
starting
the
search.
There’s
a
lot
of
similarly
priced
sets
with
similar
specs
that
all
promise
the
same
things
as
their
rivals,
but
better.
It’s
fair
to
say
that
when
you’re
looking
at
the
best
TVs,
the
more
money
you’re
spending,
the
more
research
you’re
likely
to
do.
If
you’re
looking
at
two
of
the
best
OLED
TVs
–
say
the
LG
G4
and
Samsung
S95D
–
both
of
which
cost
over
$2,000/£2,000
for
the
65-inch
model,
you’re
going
to
really
take
your
time
(as
you
should).
When
it
comes
to
cheaper
TVs,
especially
smaller
ones,
it’s
common
for
people
to
opt
for
whatever
fits
the
budget
and
looks
the
best
on
paper.
Sometimes
this
goes
well,
but
I’ve
found
this
often
isn’t
the
case.
32-inch
TVs
may
seem
small
when
you
can
get
one
of
the
best
85-inch
TVs
for
amazingly
affordable
prices
now,
but
for
many
people
smaller
TVs
still
serve
a
purpose,
whether
that
be
for
the
bedroom
or
kitchen,
or
just
because
you
don’t
want
something
big.
In
my
time
testing
and
using
some
of
the
best
32-inch
TVs,
I’ve
come
to
realise
that
despite
very
similar
prices
–
a
solid
32-inch
TV
will
cost
you
between
$130/£130
and
$500/£400
for
the
more
premium
end
–
I’ve
seen
first-hand
just
how
different
smaller
TVs
can
be
from
one
another,
much
like
larger
sets.
I
obviously
expected
that
this
would
be
the
case
with
the
two
ends
of
the
spectrum,
but
not
when
they’re
almost
identical
in
price.
I
recently
put
the
32-inch
TCL
S5400
and
Toshiba
LF2F53DB
(which
I’ll
refer
to
as
the
LF2
from
now
on,
for
both
your
sake
and
my
own)
side-by-side.
With
only
a
£10
price
gap
–
with
the
TCL
costing
£139
and
the
Toshiba
costing
£149
–
I
didn’t
expect
a
great
deal
of
difference
between
the
two,
especially
for
such
a
cheap
price.
I
discovered
however,
that
this
was
not
the
case.
It’s
worth
noting
that
neither
of
these
sets
are
available
outside
the
UK
–
the
closest
alternative
for
US
readers
is
the
TCL
S3
and
the
Toshiba
V35
but
there
are
a
number
of
other
32-inch
sets
from
Vizio,
Samsung,
LG,
Insignia,
Amazon
and
more.
I
particularly
recommend
the
LG
32LQ6300
as
a
great
option
in
both
the
UK
and
US,
and
I
recently
gave
the
Samsung
Q60D
a
good
review,
and
that
comes
in
a
32-inch
option
too.
A
tale
of
two
TVs
Image
1
of
2
(Image
credit:
Future)
In
the
first
image,
the
Toshiba
LF2F53DB
(right)
shows
better
detail
and
color
handling
than
the
TCL
5400
(left)
when
both
are
in
Movie
mode,
but
the
second
image
shows
both
TVs
in
Standard
mode
and
the
TCL
5400
delivers
a
better
image
overall.
(Image
credit:
Future)
I
connected
both
TVs
to
an
HDMI
splitter
to
show
the
same
image,
which
was
being
delivered
by
various
Blu-ray
discs
played
through
the
Panasonic
DP-UB820,
one
of
the
best
4K
Blu-ray
players
available.
Sign
up
for
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news,
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opinion,
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tech
deals,
and
more.
I
started
with
La
La
Land,
an
excellent
movie
for
testing
key
elements
of
a
TV’s
performance:
color,
motion,
contrast,
and
even
sound.
With
both
TVs
set
to
their
Movie
picture
presets
–
the
one
we
generally
find
to
be
the
most
accurate
for
movie
viewing
in
cheaper
TVs
–
the
Toshiba
demonstrated
brighter,
more
vivid
and
more
natural
colors.
Mia’s
yellow
dress
in
the
‘A
Lovely
Night’
scene
had
more
of
a
dynamic
sheen
to
it
on
the
Toshiba.
In
the
same
scene,
the
darker
blue
and
purple
tones
representing
the
night
looked
more
natural
on
the
Toshiba
as
well.
Change
picture
modes
however,
and
it
was
a
different
story.
Viewing
the
same
scenes
but
with
both
sets
in
Standard
and
the
Toshiba’s
contrast
was
aggressive,
focusing
on
darker
tones,
with
colors
appearing
more
muted
–
whereas
the
TCL
demonstrated
seriously
vibrant,
glossy
colors
in
comparison.
Moving
onto
something
more
challenging,
I
next
viewed
The
Batman,
a
dimly
lit
movie,
(mastered
at
400
nits
compared
to
the
standard
1,000
nits)
which
is
useful
for
testing
black
levels,
shadow
and
contrast.
I
didn’t
expect
great
things
from
either
set
due
to
their
basic
LED
backlight
and
as
expected
there
was
a
gray
wash
present
with
black
tones
taking
on
a
lighter
hue.
The
Batman
looked
significantly
better
on
the
two
TVs
when
they
were
in
Movie
mode,
which
means
the
Toshiba
is
the
winner,
right?
Not
entirely.
While
the
Toshiba
showcased
better
shadow
detail
–
maintaining
textures
and
details
in
clothing
in
dimly
lit
scenes
such
as
the
opening
crime
section
–
and
had
better
and
more
natural
brightness
in
Movie
mode
to
elevate
details,
the
TCL
also
showcased
solid
contrast
and
black
levels,
and
with
some
exploration
in
the
settings,
I
found
it
had
some
hidden
tricks.
Trust
the
process(ing)
Image
1
of
2
(Image
credit:
Future)
In
the
first
image,
both
TVs
are
in
Movie
mode
showing
The
Batman,
but
in
the
second
image,
the
TCL
S5400
(left)
has
its
Dynamic
Contrast
setting
on,
which
adds
a
surprising
amount
of
depth
and
better
balance
to
the
light
and
dark
tones
in
the
scene.
(Image
credit:
Future)
Delving
into
the
TCL’s
picture
settings,
I
found
the
option
named
‘Dynamic
Contrast’
and
I
was
surprised
at
just
how
effective
this
was
for
The
Batman.
Admittedly,
the
movie
became
even
dimmer
than
before,
but
darker
tones
were
brought
more
to
the
surface,
giving
the
overall
picture
more
depth
and
a
better
balance
between
dark
and
light
tones.
It
also
seemed
to
do
a
great
job
limiting
the
graying
effect
of
darker
tones,
giving
the
impression
of
a
higher-quality
backlight.
There
was
a
‘Local
Dimming’
feature,
something
we’ve
found
can
be
a
real
ally
to
some
of
the
cheaper
best
mini-LED
TVs
such
as
the
Hisense
U7N,
and
this
further
improved
the
contrast
and
balance
of
lighter
tones
in
the
dimmer
scenes.
Looking
further
into
both
TVs,
I
was
surprised
at
the
amount
of
processing
and
picture
features
on
offer
at
such
a
budget
price
–
some
for
better,
some
for
worse.
‘Dynamic
Color’
on
the
TCL
added
more
vibrancy
and
sharpness
to
colors
which
worked
well
in
movies
like
Ready
Player
One,
but
ended
up
a
bit
oversaturated
in
La
La
Land
–
though
some
may
prefer
this
sharp
look.
While
the
same
can’t
be
said
for
sound
–
both
TVs
were
pretty
limited
in
their
options
–
the
TCL
stood
head
and
shoulders
above
the
Toshiba,
providing
a
good
sense
of
movement,
bass
and
placement
for
a
smaller
screen
in
its
Movie
sound
mode,
especially
when
compared
with
the
narrow,
tinny
nature
of
the
Toshiba.
Conclusion
Image
1
of
2
(Image
credit:
Future)
In
the
first
image,
with
the
TVs
in
Standard
mode,
the
TCL
S5400
delivers
a
bolder,
more
balanced
image
but
in
the
second
image
with
both
TVs
in
Movie
mode,
the
Toshiba
has
the
more
vibrant,
sharper
image.
(Image
credit:
Future)
But
it
was
the
amount
of
processing
options
in
these
very
cheap,
small
TVs
that
jumped
out
to
me.
With
a
bit
of
exploring
and
a
bit
of
tweaking,
a
genuinely
good
TV
can
be
found
in
these
smaller
sets.
It
also
showed
that
while
on
paper
these
two
sets
were
very
similar
and
their
prices
were
near
identical,
these
were
two
very
different
TVs.
Of
course
these
TVs
are
on
the
cheaper
end
of
the
32-inch
market
and
will
have
their
shortcomings
–
a
section
of
the
Spears
&
Munsil
demo
footage
we
use
to
test
TVs
showed
the
Toshiba’s
colors
could
be
inconsistent
and
that
the
TCL’s
motion
was
imperfect
–
but
it
proves
that
not
all
cheap
TVs
are
created
equally,
and
how
you
spend
your
money
will
make
a
difference,
just
like
in
the
expensive
models.
Sacrifices
are
made
in
budget
TVs,
but
don’t
assume
you’ll
need
to
settle
for
bargain-bin
levels
of
quality.
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