Simple, intuitive operation is crucial in a TV. What use is a pricey new flat-panel if you can't set the picture format correctly? This article examines common pitfalls and refers you to examples of TVs that show the rest how it's done.

The remote control for the Xoro HTL 3742: With almost 60 buttons, it's not exactly easy to find your way around.

How to choose an LCD or Plasma television based on
remote control & operation

Have a good look at the remote control! Try it out in the store: Is it easy to find everyday settings such as the volume, brightness, or picture-format? Are the buttons big enough and easy to reach? Does the remote give access to the most important functions? If the answer to these questions is yes, the TV has already cleared the first hurdle.

An example of a bad remote control: The LG plasma 50 PG 7000's handset lacks a direct button for changing the picture format - instead, an irritating diversion through the menu is the only way to access the setting.

Furthermore - and this is also extremely important - the buttons should glow when pressed to help navigation in the dark - either in a home-theater or just in the living room at night. Handsets with aluminum surfaces look good but aren't absolutely essential - still, the metal casing helps to bring extra weight for a solid grasp, and makes the remote control more pleasant to hold.

Apart from looking elegant and solid, they also sit comfortably in the hand: Aluminum remote controls, such as this one from the Loewe Spheros R 37 Full HD. Read the full review of the Loewe Spheros TV here.

Turn your attention to the on-screen menu. These come in numerous varieties, ranging from state-of-the-art interfaces with outstanding graphics to extremely basic layouts that look like they've come straight from the drawing board - or a 1980s computer. Crucially, the text should be legible, and the English setting names should make sense - the same also goes, of course, for the user manual.

Not particularly user-friendly: The PlayStation 3-style menu, seen here on Sony's KDL-46 Z 4500 LCD TV. Also read the in-depth review of the Sony KDL-46 Z 4500.

The menu should react quickly and have a clear structure, with all the most important picture settings on the first page - contrast, brightness, color saturation, tint, and sharpness, for example. Ideally, the menu would then branch off into increasingly detailed setup options - leading up to, for example, the primary-color reproduction.

Picture maniacs like us are, of course, obsessed with such settings, but they aren't absolutely necessary for normal use - especially since some can only be handled properly with years of experience and professional measuring devices.

We've seen many excellent examples of particularly effective operation, such as the Pioneer KRP-500, which impressed with its deep picture-calibration options. Many current Panasonic TVs also stand out with smooth operation and easy channel tuning - the 42-inch Panasonic TX-P 42 GW 10, for example, which our TV review describes in more depth.

On the other hand, TVs from some manufacturers have irritating weaknesses - if, for example, the remote control lacks a picture-format button, as is the case on the LG 50 PG 7000 and some newer Samsungs.