Sagem Axium HD-L32: Shiny happy TV

By Guy Cocker on 14 December 2005, 11:49am

We love our Samsung LE32R41BD, but competition for the Korean prodigy could finally have arrived in the form of French upstarts Sagem. Similar in most respects to the Samsung, the Axium HD-L32 includes high-definition compatibility, an integrated digital tuner and an HDMI video input, combined with a low 10-millisecond response time. This means that it's brilliant at displaying fast-moving action such as videogaming, which makes it the perfect display for our new Xbox 360.

We unboxed the £1,100 TV and immediately set about tantalising it with a high-definition Xbox 360 feed. Once you've assembled the stand and screwed the TV together, it's a very classy package. In fact, it has more in common with Bang & Olufsen's high-end style than the majority of budget LCDs. The screen is too reflective in the glare of an office environment, but we suspect in more natural lighting it will look better than the already respectable contrast rating of 800:1.

The speakers are also very loud, driven by Virtual Dolby technology. We'll test out how good it is with Freeview and DVD playback when we give it a full review in the new year. -GC

Update: a full review of the Sagem Axium HD-L32T is now live.