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The screen isn't quite as impressive with standard definition material but the pictures on offer are still eminently watchable. The Blade 2 DVD fed into the HDMI input at 576p, for example, suffers from more noise than the HD feed, but most of the qualities that made Blu-ray pictures look good are in evidence once again.

When hooked up to a PC the screen delivers sharp and readable text with programs like Microsoft Word, and it displays fast-paced games and movies without excessive blur, particularly in the Game mode.

But Freeview pictures show up the screen's limitations, suffering from more pixel noise than we'd expect and certain backgrounds (such as the brightly coloured walls of the Richard & Judy studio) look a little smeary. Skin tones also seem a touch waxy, but on the plus side the pictures are generally bright and vivid and we don't think you will have many complaints on a day-to-day basis.

There's a plethora of sound modes on board including SRS TruSurround XT, which generates a more expansive soundstage than regular stereo. In general the sound quality is very good, expressing speech cleanly and delivering loud action scenes with a surprising amount of clout for such a small screen.

Verdict

The most impressive thing about LG's hybrid monitor is how easily it jumps between PC and AV material, providing the sort of visual flexibility to cope with the differing demands of both types of content - but it is better with hi-def than standard def. Other things to list in the pros column include the sterling sound quality and gorgeous looks, making this a great LCD all-rounder.

Note: 449 Euros has been quoted by LG, but we will bring you final confirmation of the UK price as soon as we receive it, and update the review accordingly.

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