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Usually when I describe a TV as sharp, I'm talking about the clarity and detail in its pictures, or maybe the coolness of its design. But while LG's 32LH5000 might indeed turn out to have crisp pictures and chic looks, the first reason I'd call it sharp is that its edges are so pointed they almost cut your fingers when you hoick the set out of its box!

Now obviously my fingers aren't particularly battle-hardened given that I review AV gear for a living rather than having a proper job like working on a building site. But even so, I have to say that I'd rather not be in pain when setting a TV up, thank you very much.

There is, at least, a decent designer gain for your setting-up pain, though. For the 32LH5000's pointy extremes help it cut a pleasing dash if looked at from any sort of angle. What's more, the transparent centimetre or so of narrowing plastic that sticks out beyond the screen's main gloss black bezel gives the set an extra dash of panache reminiscent of the latest LCD/LED TVs from arch Korean rival Samsung. Which is no bad thing in my book, even if LG would probably rather I hadn't mentioned the 'S' word.

Despite finding the 32in 32LH5000 going for just £500, it actually sits somewhere around the middle of LG's current flat TV range - a fact that seems reflected by its generally impressive connectivity. There are four HDMIs, for starters, while other highlights include: a USB port for playback of various file types, including, rather groovily, DivX HD; a D-Sub PC port; and an RS-232 jack that can be used for integrating the TV into a wider AV control system. The only downside, if you can even call it that on a sub-£500 TV, is the lack of any Ethernet port that might have allowed online functionality or PC networking.

Getting back to the 32LH5000's mid-range strengths, we find it sporting a Full HD resolution, and LG's TruMotion 100Hz video processing, which creates and adds new 'gap-filling' frames of image data to make motion look smoother and crisper.

More picture processing comes from LG's ever-improving XD Engine system, with its focus on colours, contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and motion. Plus you get all manner of flexibility within the 32LH5000's really excellent onscreen menus, including such unexpected but helpful set-up niceties as gamma controls; various black level, dynamic colour, dynamic contrast and noise reduction settings; and the ability to adjust the power of the TruMotion system.

This latter touch of flexibility is particularly welcome, since it gives you a means of achieving your preferred balance between extra motion clarity and the unwanted processing side effects that can accompany over-eager 100Hz/frame interpolation engines.

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