Review: Hannspree HANNSz.elephant LCD TV

How many LCD TVs are shaped like an elephant?

On a list of ideas for a killer piece of technology, a novelty TV would probably not rank highly.

Hannspree, however, makes a living out of unusually shaped televisions, its latest range being designed to look like cuddly toys.

Aimed primarily at the children’s market, they’ve also proved popular, according to the manufacturer, with students.

The HANNSz.elephant is a 9.6in (24cm) LCD television with a blue cuddly-toy surrounding and four screw-in feet. That’s quite a small size, but for the bedrooms and even nurseries it's aimed at, it shouldn’t be a problem.

At the back are sockets for a TV aerial, headphones and a 4-in-1 connector that enables other devices to be connected through Scart, S-Video or composite.

Controls on the front of the TV are big and easy to use, with a four-way dial for channel and volume settings, a single button to select the input and another for the on-screen menu.

The menu is particularly well laid-out, though possibly a bit complicated for younger users. It offers options that aren't often found on TVs, such as a graphic equaliser for the sound, a surround sound option and a sleep timer to power the TV off after a certain time. Hannspree supplies a remote control with the TV, which is presumably intended for older users or for parents.

The fluffy surrounding can be unzipped, so it can be washed either in a machine or by hand, but it's a little tricky to remove and reattach, as the surround is a close and fiddly fit around many of the controls.

The TV tuner in the HANNSz.elephant is an analogue one, which means none of the Freeview channels are directly available. This will become more of an issue as the UK’s analogue transmitters are switched off region by region, with the first areas due to make the change this year. You can always hook up a set-top box, of course, but this will be an extra expense.

There’s no doubt the elephant television is a novelty item, and quite a pricey one, but apart from the lack of digital channels, there’s a well-featured TV inside.