HDTV Lounge

The Loewe Modus L 42 is a 42-inch plasma set from the german brand who once said it would stick to making only LCDs. So lets see what they can do with a plasma!. Unfortunately there is only one HDMI input on this set which is becoming increasingly uncommon as two or three inputs are becoming the norm, plus component, two scarts and VGA PC input. TrustedReviews have a review of the L 42. The L 42 also boasts Loewe’s Image+ picture processing engine, developed entirely in-house to improve the TV’s handling of contrast, colour tone, colour saturations, and fine detail levels, while simultaneously tackling video noise. Image+ has worked pretty well on Loewe’s LCD sets, so hopefully it will make the transition to plasma without things going awry.

Scoring highly on the Modus are its colours. These achieve that key combination of eye-catching vibrancy and predominantly natural tones - strengths which together mean the Modus’ colours are as adept at something bright and pure like Test Drive Unlimited on the Xbox 360 as they are with something subtle and dark like the Mines of Moria sequence in The Fellowship of The Ring.

We appreciate the thought behind opening the Loewe door to a wider market with the relatively cheap Modus L 42. But in the end its surprisingly run of the mill picture, connectivity and design all conspire to make it feel rather ordinary – and as such, it doesn’t somehow seem like a proper Loewe TV.