Panasonic AS6xx (2014) Series

82% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Great price ; Good 2D picture quality ; Attractive design

3D is terrible ; Inconsistent lag may affect gaming slightly ; Pictures aren't very bright

Don’t leave the contrast set to the maximum level preferred by some of the set’s picture presets either, as this can elevate noise levels and leave peak whites and bright colours looking a touch strained.

Very good HD picture quality ; Good value ; Excellent smart TV features - especially Freetime

Have to work round some backlight clouding ; Crosstalk and flicker with 3D ; Standard definition pictures only average

Contrast shouldn’t ever sit higher than around its 80 level if you want to stop pictures looking noisy, and finally on balance we chose to leave the Adaptive Backlight switched on, as it doesn’t cause many distracting light ‘leaps’.

Great value ; Contrast-rich pictures ; Freetime works brilliantly

Motion looks soft ; Slightly limited viewing angle

If you want to go into a much more detailed calibration of your TV pictures, this is possible on the 42AS600 courtesy of an Advanced Settings menu that impressively includes white balance, colour management and gamma settings.

Freetime works brilliantly ; Bright, colourful pictures ; Attractive design

Contrast performance is below average ; Input lag is a little high ; Runs a little slugglishly at times

Set up tips would be that you reduce the backlight to below 50 per cent and set the adaptive backlight feature on when watching films in dark rooms, to try and reduce the impact of the set’s black level shortcomings; that you turn off all noise...

All UK catch-up TV apps ; Netflix ; Swipe & Share ; Well presented Blu-ray

Lacks processing power ; Average contrast ; Motion blur ; Poor sound

There are few small TVs as smart as this, with the intuitive combination of My Home Screen, and Freetime and its roster of all UK catch-up TV apps. However, a lack of power makes Freetime no fun to navigate, while the screen only middling contrast and...

Freetime ; My Home Screen ; Dual core processor ; Swipe & Share

Freetime too slow ; Motion lag ; Average contrast ; Poor panel uniformity

The panel in the TX-42AS600 is prone to image lag and offers only so-so upscaling from SD to HD, but the excellent usability offered by both Freetime and Panasonic's My Home Screen smart TV platform are hard to resist.

Sharp, detailed picture ; Decent smart offering ; Clever interface ; Clear, even-handed sound ; Two great remotes ; Slimline design

Price ; Colours are a little overplayed

Despite its unquestionable talents in almost every department, a £1000 price tag is a big price to pay when Sony, Philips and Samsung are offering great pictures for less money.

Great contrast; integrated Freetime; good motion handling

Not as cheap as the Samsung; some crosstalk with 3D; average audio

Good, contrast-rich picture quality; decent value; Freetime is a welcome Smart TV addition; unobtrusive design

Some motion blur; standard-def colours look a little basic; some strong competition at this price level