Sharp Aquos LC-32XL8E: Slimline 32-inch 1080p LCD

Here at Crave we often get asked about 1080p 32-inch LCD televisions and our stock response is that at such small sizes the benefits of a high-resolution screen are small. You might as well save your money and get a 720p TV. Full HD does appeal to gamers though, who often have a limited amount of space but insist on 1080p for ultra-real bloodshed. Sharp's tilting at this particular windmill with the Aquos LC-32XL8E.

The 32XL8E is a tidy little beast, featuring Sharp's new-look thin bezel, which means you can cram it into an even smaller space, which makes it ideal for bedrooms and studies. It also, somehow, manages to support 100Hz, which means more stability and less flickering on movies. Especially important for Blu-ray lovers.

The good news is that you get three HDMI sockets as well as VGA, component and a pair of Scart inputs. There's also an optical digital output to connect a speaker bar or AV receiver to boost the sound produced by the 10W built-in speakers. It goes almost without saying that the TV has a Freeview tuner, which is essential given the impending analogue shutdown.

Hopefully the Sharp will save you money on electricity, with the company claiming that the TV only uses 0.4W in standby. You'll want to actually turn it off when you aren't using it to save a few more precious pre-recession pennies. You could just not buy a new TV, of course, but that's crazy talk.

It's not the cheapest 32-inch TV we've seen, at around £750, but if you simply must have 1080p and you're short of space, your options are going to be slightly limited. -Ian Morris

Update: Read our full Sharp Aquos LC-32XL8E review here.

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