32" LCD TV Operation & Control
| by Colin Tang |
21 May 2007 |
Remote Control
| Rank |
LCD TV |
Points |
| 1 |
Samsung LE32R87BDX |
3 |
| 2 |
Toshiba 32C3030D |
1.5 |
| = |
Panasonic TX32LXD70 |
1.5 |
|
Samsung stayed with the remote that worked the last time. It's light, ergonomically sculpted and easy to use. It also has a slight edge in colour and size mapping, making buttons distinctive. In the end, it's just better than the other two.
On-Screen Menu Navigation
| Rank |
LCD TV |
Points |
| 1 |
Toshiba 32C3030D |
3 |
| 2 |
Samsung LE32R87BDX |
2 |
| 3 |
Panasonic TX32LXD70 |
1 |
|
The Toshiba menu was probably the most user friendly in terms of layout, range and navigation. It's got a decent response time from the remote, so you can speedily dash in and out of menus. The R87 was not too far behind, but it was let down by sluggish response. I found the Panny's lack of slider numbers a bit irritating because you can't easily remember the settings in case you accidentally reset it. Its picture control options ain't that great either, but you do have a choice of 3 presets to choose from.
Electronic Programme Guide
| Rank |
LCD TV |
Points |
| 1 |
Samsung LE32R87BDX |
3 |
| 2 |
Panasonic TX32LXD70 |
2 |
| 3 |
Toshiba 32C3030D |
1 |
|
I thought the Samsung's EPG had a massive facelift until I realised that it didn't even have a digital tuner in its last flagship model, the F71 model. The Panny EPG looked a little better (although functionally no different) than the Toshiba's.
