LG 32CS460 (pictures)

If you're in an electronics store and looking for a smaller TV to buy, let me start by saying that this TV won't jump out at you from on the shelves. If the circa-2004 design doesn't put you off then going deeper won't do anything to change your mind.

LG has had a pretty bad run this year with some great-looking but poorly-performing TVs, and the CS460 is unfortunately near the bottom of the pile. While a swivel stand and ergonomic remote are nice features at this price they can't save what is a truly undernourished TV. Poor colors, terrible black levels and minimal shadow detail means that I would recommend a third-tier brand offering like TCL before I did this particular TV.

If you have $300 to spend on a 32-inch then don't muck around, head straight towards the 'S' section of your local electronics dealer (they are alphabetical right?) and pick up the Samsung EH4000.

Read the full review of the LG 32CS460.

Unusually, the LG includes a swivel stand.

Like the Samsung EH4000 and the Sony BX330 before it, the CS460 only includes two HDMI inputs, a component/composite, and a USB port. While it would have been a great addition, the LG misses out on the PC input of the Sony, meaning that it isn't a great monitor replacement.

The remote control handset is pretty smart, with friendly buttons and a logical arrangement. No backlight, however.

The menu looks identical to those on LG's other 2012 TVs, which is a good thing.

The TV offers fine adjustment, but it doesn't work too well.

While not many people buying a $300 TV would expect the greatest picture quality, a TV like the Samsung EH4000 shows that you can get a good AND cheap television. In contrast, the two most noticeable things about the LG are its color inaccuracy and poor black levels. Skin tones looked particularly unnatural, and could tend to be greenish at low levels. On top of this was the television's inability to portray shadow detail, which meant that images lacked depth.