ultimate in colour and clarity. And many believed it: more than 3m HD-ready televisions have been sold in Britain since 2004. But now an even newer standard, called full-HD, is being hawked that promises to deliver even So what rsquo;s the difference?

In straightforward terms, a full-HD screen consists of more lines of pixels than a standard HD-ready set, and the more lines offer. Full-HD TVs have 1,920 vertical lines and 1,080 horizontal ones. However, it is the horizontal number that is commonly used for comparison and regular HD-ready sets have 768, while standard definition (SD) models detail and more subtle colours.

The reason is that most HD programmes, such as Sky rsquo;s pay-TV broadcasts, have 1,080 horizontal lines and HD-ready sets must perform some digital jiggery pokery to display these pictures. A Are these premium-priced screens worth the money? InGear examined six full-HD best HD-ready models.

Apart from the huge Panasonic, all the models under review have LCD screens, because full-HD plasma sets are still rare. games. We also assessed how good SD Freeview broadcasts and normal DVD movies looked.

This was where the wheels came off for some of the full-HD sets. They all performed well with HD material, but only the Philips and the Sony were able also to make normal SD broadcasts look decent. This is The Sharp wasn rsquo;t bad at this tricky task either, but the other models under review all had a distinct drop in quality.

The makers would argue that this movies or TV shows. Yet despite the hefty price tags this was only modestly Still determined to go down the full-HD route? There rsquo;s another complication to consider.

Despite the better-than-normal resolution with 1,080 horizontal lines, some full-HD sets ndash; such as the Philips and JVC ndash; cannot handle the top standard of HD signal, which is known as 1080p and is currently used by the latest games consoles and next-generation DVD players. Most HD broadcasts use 1080i (see jargon buster, left). So should you invest in a full-HD set?

For movie buffs who watch mainly could be a sound idea, as long as the set is a good one overall. As with all headline-grabbing specification ndash; in this case, screen resolution ndash; rather than hunting for a well-rounded product. It is like buying a car based Furthermore, the clear implication of all this marketing mischief is that ldquo;HD-ready rdquo; televisions somehow aren rsquo;t really ready for HD movies or games, but this is not true.

Owners of HD-ready sets can rest assured that they In short, don rsquo;t feel compelled to splash out on one of these full-HD sets. Sony KDL-46X2000 ndash; typically 3,300, or 2,550 from Stunning HD images and black tones for an LCD
This stylish 46in set sits at the top of Sony rsquo;s range. Its intuitive menus quality that really impressed us.

An HD viewing of Star Wars Episode III delivered one of the sharpest pictures ever seen on test. In fact its Unlike many LCD screens, it had no problems when it came to reproducing even the inkiest of blacks, and it handled nonHD Freeview material extremely well. There are plenty of sockets for plugging in additional HD kit and it is the ideal partner for the full-HD PlayStation 3 console.

So, while the price of this set is sky high, the force is strong with this one. Panasonic TH-65PX600 ndash; typically 6,500, or 6,100 from Great showcase for full-HD but at a cost
audience is limited. But this monster is one of only three full-HD plasma screens currently on sale in Britain.

Its size highlights the benefits of full-HD, such as subtle colour gradations and greater clarity. Facial flesh tones lacked the waxiness common to many lower-resolution sets, and a realistic. The Panasonic has a built-in Freeview tuner, programmes viewed on which looked markedly rougher than the HD broadcasts.

This giant set is a Philips 37PF9731D ndash; typically 1,900, or 1,480 from Top performer despite a glaring oversight and modest size
resolution, but it has still jumped on the bandwagon with this full-HD set. Like most Philips TVs, the suave-looking 37in 37PF9731D is laden with the set to enhance atmosphere and reduce eyestrain. However, despite its many connections, this model is incapable of handling a top-calibre 1080p HD signal ndash; a glaring omission at the price.

Nevertheless, this pin-sharp 37in intensely even in the darkness. Better still, Philips rsquo;s clever Pixel Plus 3 technology eked the best from Freeview, losing nothing to an HD-ready set. Sharp LC-37XD1E ndash; typically 1,250, or 899 from Competent, well priced and no monkey business
This decent 37in model offers a bunch of fancy features.

What matters, though, is performance and the Sharp showed off HD movies well. It delivered Kong and created the rich, bright colours expected of a full-HD set. Better still, it displayed blacks properly in dark scenes, which is a common failing of LCDs.

The Sharp coped reasonably with Freeview images, but struggled with fast-moving video such as football, and the relatively modest screen size also means you may not notice the benefits of full-HD. It proved tricky to set up and has a clumsily laid out remote control. But for well under a grand, it rsquo;s a bargain.

JVC LT-46DZ7BJ ndash; typically 3,000, or 1,503 from Good sound and vivid HD images but saddled by flaws
up-to-the-minute technology. However, one significant problem with this set was that some of its fancier picture-processing features, which are aimed at enhancing the image, instead made them appreciably worse. Also, neither of 1080p.

This 46in set delivered some aspects of the full-HD experience well, the lush backgrounds in Dances with Wolves looked great, for example. However, it struggled in other areas, with washed-out darker colours and blurring on fast-motion footage such as horseracing. The JVC rsquo;s performance Samsung LE40F71 ndash; typically 1,300, or 1,000 from Cute-looking set despite the overly bright colours
in Kill Bill Vol 1 than was expected of a 40in screen.

But some curious and this wasn rsquo;t because of his anxiety. The set also had slightly weak audio and, bizarrely, lacks a built-in Freeview tuner. The Samsung has an alluring piano-black finish and represents decent value for a full-HD set, especially for those who like vivid pictures, but it is hard to recommend 1080p Highest calibre of video signal.

Contains 1,080 horizontal lines Most HD broadcasts are in 1080i (the ldquo;i rdquo; stands for interlaced, a slightly resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels detailed pictures, in contrast to standard definition (SD) screen in one convenient cable. Look for at least two HDMI sockets on a TV Resolution Number of pixels (points of light) on a screen, expressed as lines vertically and horizontally.