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The next 32LC46 glitch concerns the amount of noise present in the picture, at least during some standard definition viewing. It's also slightly disappointing to note how juddery 1080p/24fps sources can look on the screen, and how one or two colour tones, especially where skin is concerned, can occasionally slip into looking a touch unnatural.

Please do not assume from these various flaws, though, that the 32LC46's pictures are entirely without merit, especially in the context of the sub-£500 market. On the upside, for instance, where they're not troubled by the pools of seeping light, the set's black levels are actually rather good, suffering less of the common LCD greyness than we would have expected.

Colours are remarkably intense, too. The lush green pitch and bright shirts of the players during an HD Premiership footie broadcast, for instance, look engagingly vibrant and bright, plus there's enough subtlety in the set's colour blending to keep everything looking solid and three-dimensional.

Also, as the over-paid stars charge about looking busy, the 32LC46 suffers rather less with LCD's motion smearing problem than we would have expected for its price tag. That's not to say there isn't any motion blur effect at all; there is. But it's never so bad that it's truly distracting.

HD sources, especially films, also find the 32LC46's pictures bursting into sharp, crisp, detailed life, as they reveal rather more of the HD format's inherent detail and purity than we'd ever have expected, even given the confines of the 32in screen. This talent is particularly marked if you deactivate all the TV's noise reduction routines when watching HD.

All in all the 32LC46's various picture strengths just about manage to lift it back into the ‘average' category for images. And sonically the set is actually rather better than average, with its rather unassuming looking speakers pumping out considerably more volume over a considerably wider space with considerably more clarity than we would have anticipated.

Verdict

However much leeway we try to give the 32LC46 on account of its knock-down price, it's impossible to completely ignore its image flaws - especially the irksome light seepage problem. On the other hand, the sub-£400 price tag IS very cheap for a set that's actually pretty well featured overall, so while it might not be quite good enough to cut it as your main TV, the 32LC46 is certainly worth considering as an affordable second-room option.

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