Acoustic Solutions LCD26805HD

The TV was an amazingly cheap deal that I purchased to compliment my new PS3 and take advantage of the new digital age. I didnt expect a lot or to be overly impressed by the TV. However upon getting it home I was eager to try it out.

The TV compared to all the other shops worked out about £20 more than TVs of 19 and 20inches and the nearest TV I could find of the same size was nearly £150 more. I found less well known brand TVs for no better a price so this TV was a chance buy of a brand I have come to trust.

The TV once connected up to my Playstation using the supplied cables had quite poor quality and at first I was disappointed at the quality feeling that there was little improvement in the picture quality over my old Cathode tube TV.

Over the next few days I read into the topic and discovered that to take full advantage of HD TVs I would be best purchasing a HDMI cable. So I went looking for one and refusing to pay more than about £15 on one spent half a day later and the last shop I eventually found one for £12. I soon got home and plugged it all together. At first it didn't all work as the TVs controls are not the most logically laid out. However upon starting a HD compatible game I was amazed to see the "720p" label displayed and moments later the games I was playing previous were almost to a level of realism I had not expected.

Overall the TV is well worth the £269 price tag. A crisp picture so long as you use a HDMI cable. Sound on the TV can be a bit quiet during the day but at night when ambient noise is at a minimum it feels much louder.

The design is not the most stylish opting for a silver casing with a black strip around the screen. While this is not overly ugly it also isn't the most attractive design. Upon going to the rear of the TV it is clear it was a cheaper model with all the connection ports being placed under a bulge at the back so that you have to tilt the TV over to get at the ports. This could lead to many a smashed set in the future I feel so care is needed when connecting things to the TV. On the other side you can also think of it as being a once off operation to plug things in so it doesn't happen to be as dangerous as it sounds.

The TV has plenty of connections, these include one HDMI port, 2 scart ports, 1 component video port and a YPBPR port. So more than enough to connect most people hardware.

Things I like about the TV are:
The brightness of the screen. The funky blue led on the front which makes a difference from the red LEDs of old. The Picture quality and good viewing angles.

Things I dislike about the TV are:
Annoying controller that is badly designed. Position of Ports on the back of the TV. Lack of a good range of volume.

Considering all the good and bad points I would rate the TV 4 out of 5. It loosing out on the last mark due to the sound not being loud enough at times, the badly designed controller and the poorly located ports on the back. Overall if you are wanting a HD ready TV for not a lot of money, you really cannot go wrong with this one to get you started.