Mirai T27004 HD ready LCD TV

Posted by T3 Online on Fri 26 Oct 2007

Mirai turns up the heat in the Hi-Def price war.

HD-ready TV has come with a hefty price tag up to now, but times are a-changing - this sharp 27-incher can be had for just �500. That means that nearly everyone can now afford to be ready for the switch on of Sky HD and the arrival of the first Blu-ray and HD-DVD players.

The signs of cost-cutting are there. For a start, the TV itself looks dated and dull, a far cry from the sleek screens made by rivals such as Samsung, Sony et al. The built-in terrestrial tuner is analogue rather than digital, and unlike most new HD-ready models, the Mirai sports a DVI input rather than HDMI.

While DVI is equipped with HDCP copy protection technology and perfectly capable of carrying HDTV pictures, it doesn't carry audio like HDMI, making it slightly less convenient to use.

The resolution is high enough to display 720p HDTV broadcasts. You get a decent selection of extra sockets: a couple of Scarts, component video and even a VGA input for hooking up a PC.

Of course, a telly really lives or dies on its picture quality, and despite its low cost and budget spec, the Mirai impresses on this front. Feed it an upscaled 720p signal from your DVD player and you'll find that object edges are sharp and colours clear and bright. The lightning-quick movements of Kill Bill's fight scenes, for instance, remain unblurred, although it can't, alas, do anything about David Carradine's "acting".

All of this bodes well for HDTV, but pictures from a Sky+ box or PlayStation 2 are less impressive, with colours often looking washed out. Sound is quite tinny.

For now, though, you have to expect these things when plumping for a cheaper LCD. Mirai are to be applauded for leading the price-cutting charge.